Former champion Spence has cataract surgery

Former welterweight champion Errol Spence said Monday that he underwent cataract surgery.

The recovery timeline for cataract surgery is approximately eight weeks. The procedure comes 29 months after Spence suffered a detached retina in training that scrapped his planned August 2021 fight with Manny Pacquiao.

Spence (28-1, 22 KOs) posted a video on Instagram that showed him being transported in a wheelchair with his right eye bandaged.

And in a since-deleted Instagram story, Spence said “it’s been past due, s— was covering my eye. Why you think I got hit with so many jabs [and] hooks. Still a great performance by bro.”

Spence, 33, was clearly referring to his July fight with Terence Crawford for the undisputed welterweight championship. Crawford dismantled Spence, floored him thrice and stopped him in Round 9 of their highly anticipated fight.

Afterward, Spence activated the rematch clause, but it’s unclear how this latest injury will affect the timeline of the return bout, if it happens at all. The winner of the bout was able to select the weight for the rematch. Spence said afterward he planned to move up to 154 pounds.

Both Spence and Crawford haven’t competed since that fight, one that cemented the latter as ESPN’s No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer. Spence entered the fight rated No. 4 but is now unrated.

The Dallas-area fighter said Monday he wouldn’t retire. “I got my ass beat, s— was past due. I didn’t live exactly like a boxer for the most part.”

In October 2019, Spence was hospitalized for days following a serious single-car crash and was sidelined from the ring for 14 months. He pleaded guilty to a DWI charge stemming from the crash.