Errol Spence granted last-minute rule change request just days before Tim Tszyu comeback fight

Errol Spence Jr has managed to add 2lbs to the catchweight for his fight with Tim Tszyu at just one weeks notice.

Spence will return for the first time in three years against Aussie home favourite Tszyu down under in Sydney on July 26.

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The American has now finally left to make the long journey to foreign soil, where he is hoping to make a big statement in his long-awaited latest bow.

However, there has already been some late drama surrounding the clash, with tensions rising between the two fighters and their camps.

And now things have become even more tense, with Spence making a request just 11 days out to change the catchweight from 158lbs to 160lbs.

It is clear the American is heavier than expected and is hoping to still make weight and ensure the fight will take place.

Surprisingly, the request has been approved at short notice and the former welterweight champion will have a bigger buffer to tip the scales.

A spokesperson from No Limit Boxing confirmed to FOX that the change has been made official, after a last-minute emergency meeting was called.

Tszyu had originally wanted the bout at the super-welterweight limit of 154lbs when negotiating the event.

But now it is unclear if the change could benefit Spence, with both set to weigh in at a career heaviest on the night.

Tszyu responds to late weight change

It was last minute drama for Tszyu, who has been criticial of Spence’s approach to the fight build-up.

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And he believes that his rival is trying to gain back other advantages, with the partisan crowd likely to roar the local native on.

He told Fox Sports Australia: “Well, I took Sebastian Fundora on roughly a week’s notice.

“So you think I’m worried about a couple of pounds? No, I go for it

“It doesn’t worry me, man. I think he’s starting to realise the disadvantage that is travelling all the way down here for a fight.

“And so as a result, he’s now trying to convince himself he has a competitive edge.

“He’s trying to make himself feel better.”

Spence will be hoping it will fall in his favour, and he can secure victory in his first appearance since a brutal defeat to Terence Crawford in 2023.

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But he will face a resurgent Tszyu who has had two fights back in the winning column after losing in his bloody affair with Sebastian Fundora last year.