Roy Jones Jr predicts Errol Spence Jr vs Tim Tszyu

KO On SI · Jul 21, 2026 23:45 · 2 min read

Roy Jones Jr Predicts Errol Spence Jr vs Tim Tszyu — IMAGO / Hoganphotos

Roy Jones Jr. makes his prediction for the Errol Spence vs. Tim Tszyu winner.

For as long as boxing has existed, superfights have remained an important part of the sport. To maintain its overall health, big-money, big-attention fights draw hardcore and casual eyes alike.

Few know that better than Roy Jones Jr. Arguably one of the ten best boxers to step inside the ropes, he is, as a result, someone people listen to when he discusses a big fight.

On Saturday, Tim Tszyu will box Errol Spence in front of his hometown crowd in Sydney, Australia. The son of Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu, he understood the assignment early. Meanwhile, Errol Spence Jr. returns after a three-year hiatus following a brutal loss to Terence Crawford.

Roy Jones Jr predicts Spence vs Tszyu winner

Jones opened up to Boxing Hype about his thoughts and explained what he likes about Spence's style.

"Errol's that type of guy; he does things 100% right. Because part of his game is just to bulldog you and weigh you down. Pressure busts pipes. So, he doesn't have to do everything right. He's like Marvin Hagler was. Marvin kept that pressure on."Roy Jones Jr

Drawing the parallel between Spence and Hagler, while initially wild, actually fits. Hagler fought with an aggressive style, but with a twist. He fought with a straight-ahead style that sometimes emphasized pressure. Like a wet blanket on your chest, Hagler tried to wear down opponents.

The one major difference is the fact that while neither emphasizes pressure, Spence prefers to get the fight over earlier, while Hagler chose to extend the fight and the beating. Lastly, Jones discussed the fight and picked a winner.

"Man, it's a hard call, but I'm going with Errol. Hope Errol can withstand the start that Tszyu is going to probably put up early because if you get past four or five rounds, Errol is definitely going to beat him because Errol, to me, is stronger later than anybody fighting."Roy Jones Jr

Tszyu, like his father before him, will start the first minute of the first round looking to avoid the feeling-out process. Instead, he runs towards the opponent, looking to initiate contact. However, this usually works against smaller-framed fighters who adopt a more static approach.

While this tactic does work for Tszyu, Spence's mindset and frame negate its effectiveness. If Tszyu cannot impose his will early, the tougher opponents can walk through those punches. Under those circumstances, Tszyu tires out, making him susceptible to middle-to-late round damage. At the same time, what if Tszyu hurts Spence early? How would he respond?