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Errol Spence Jr.’s driving record became so costly by early 2020 that his insurance provider dropped him.
Spence laughed as he relayed that information to FOX Sports’ Kate Abdo during an interview for her new podcast, which is available on YouTube. The unbeaten IBF/WBC welterweight champion informed Abdo that he got into another car accident just three months after the infamous one-car crash in October 2019 that could’ve cost Spence his career.
“I actually got into another accident three months after my accident,” Spence said. “Somebody hit me from behind. … It shook me up a little bit, but like it’s really hard to just really get like – I’m always even keel. So, it shook me up, like, ‘That’s messed up.’ But like my insurance company kicked me off my insurance because it was a G-Wagon. It was like, ‘He messed up a Ferrari.’ And then I had a [Mercedes-Benz] G-Wagon, 4-by-4. So, they came out of [pocket] like $600,000 in like five, six months, because they paid me outright for both of the cars. … Yeah, they kicked me out the insurance.”
Spence’s Ferrari flipped multiple times in the early morning hours one night in downtown Dallas less than three weeks after he defeated Shawn Porter in their welterweight title unification fight. He was placed on probation after he was charged with a misdemeanor count of driving while intoxicated.
The DeSoto, Texas, native suffered cuts, scrapes and bruises to his face and body, as well as damage to his teeth, during that accident. Spence (27-0, 21 KOs) returned to the ring 13½ months later, when he convincingly out-pointed former WBC champ Danny Garcia (36-3, 21 KOs) in December 2020 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
A detached left retina has caused an even lengthier layoff for Spence in advance of his upcoming title unification fight. He’ll end a 16-month hiatus when he encounters Cuba’s Yordenis Ugas (27-4, 12 KOs) on April 16 at AT&T Stadium, where they’ll fight for Spence’s IBF and WBC and Ugas’ WBA titles in a Showtime Pay-Per-View main event.
Spence has recovered fully from surgery to repair his retina. The 2012 U.S. Olympian admits, though, that he still hasn’t completely overcome the demons from his horrific car accident.
“When I was driving like I’d have like different flashes of like a car just running into me while I’ll be at a red light,” Spence said. “And I’d just have flashes of a car hitting me and getting in car crashes all the time, when I was just driving down the street or at a red light or anything. So yeah, definitely, PTSD is definitely a real thing because I was just having flashes all of like getting in accidents 24/7. I still have ‘em sometimes, like when I’m driving.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.