Errol Spence Jr. is blaming his damaged eye for taking so many shots when losing to Terence Crawford last summer.
Despite stating he was one hundred percent before the fight and offering no excuses after his nine-round beatdown, Spence has made a U-turn.
The former welterweight champion says his eye remains a problem. So much so that Spence underwent cataract surgery.
Depending on the healing process, this will push the scheduled rematch with Crawford back two to six weeks.
Errol Spence undergoes cataract surgery
Updating on his condition, Spence said: “I had successful cataract surgery today. That explains why I got hit with so many jabs and hooks.
“[This surgery] has been overdue since before the Crawford fight. [It was] still a great performance [by Crawford]. No more excuses after this [rematch] fight, though. The champ is back!”
Crawford punished Spence before taking him out in a one-sided undisputed welterweight title fight. Few in the sport believe Spence can turn the tables in the contracted return.
Spence may be better served trying to get his confidence back before they meet again, such was the manner of the domination by Crawford.
After the fight, Crawford gave Spence props, knowing they had a second fight to complete if the clause was invoked.
“Errol Spence, he’s a tremendous talent. He’s got a great jab. We were worried about the jab coming because that’s how he sets up all his shots off the jab.
“Our main focus was the jab. Take away his best attribute, and the rest is history.”
No excuses
Not to mention that Crawford focused mainly on the bad eye, which is obviously a massive problem for Spence.
The surgery may not even work completely, and there may be too much damage to the eye for it ever to be back to complete working order.
Previously, Spence had refrained from deflecting from Crawford’s win to his own frailties. However, Spence had to justify his one-sided beating as another PPV clash nears.
Questions have been raised for months about the need for Crawford vs Spence II.
“He was the better man tonight. He was using his jab and dictating with his jab. My timing was a little bit off,” said Spence.
“He was catching me in between shots. He was just better tonight. I make no excuses. He did his thing. He was the better man tonight.”
Undoubtedly, cataracts wouldn’t have helped if evident on the night. It must be noted that Spence was medically cleared to fight.
