Errol Spence Jr. Injured In Single Car Accident, Boxer In ICU At Dallas Hospital

UPDATE, 1:30 PM ET:

The injuries suffered by WBC/IBF welterweight titlist Errol Spence Jr. may not be as serious as originally reported by some, sources confirmed, said Joe Santoliquito, writing for the Ring website.

“It appears the injuries he suffered will not threaten his boxing career,” the BWAA president shared.

A local CBS reporter posted an update on Twitter:

The boxing world woke up to shocking news Thursday morning, with reports out which shared the news of a single car accident involving 29 year old boxer Errol Spence Jr.

A CBS station in Dallas reported that DeSoto, Texas resident Spence Jr. was in intensive care unit after he was involved in a rollover crash in Dallas, just before 3 AM.

“According to police, the vehicle was going at a high rate of speed in the northbound lanes in the 500 block of S. Riverfront Boulevard. The vehicle went over the center median and flipped multiple times, ejecting the driver. Police say he was not wearing a seatbelt,” the report stated.

In many minds, the worst was assumed. But as hours passed, more hopeful news dribbled out.

“Errol was in an accident, and his parents are with him at the hospital,” Premier Boxing Champions spokesman Tim Smith told ESPN’s Dan Rafael. “The doctors are monitoring his condition, but his injuries are not life-threatening. We will have further updates as the doctors update his condition. We’re all wishing the best for Errol.”

The boxer, who melted hearts with footage of one of his daughters crawling onto his lap before his latest fight, was placed in Methodist Dallas Medical Center. TMZ reported that the car..

…flipped five times when Spence lost control of the vehicle, and that the hitter wasn’t wearing a seat-belt and was ejected from the sports car.

One of nine children, the athlete, in or approaching the prime of his athletic life, has two children, two daughters.

The boxing community sent out thoughts and prayers to the young gun, who had the toughest fight of his career, since debuting in 2012, when he downed Shawn Porter via split decision Sept. 28 in Los Angeles, and on PPV.

“My dad always tells me ‘this boxing thing is a part of your life but it’s not going to last forever. U still have a lot of life to live after that.’ With that, I’m praying for @ErrolSpenceJr & his family because he has a lot of life to live and I pray he recovers quickly & fully,” Porter said on social media.

In recent days, Spence (26-0) has been in the news because future-rival Terence Crawford sent out a callout to the hitter. Crawford showed his softer side with this message on his Twitter:

Pics from the accident scene show a white Ferrari with damage to the front and the rear of the vehicle, but not so much, to the eye, on the portion of the car where a driver would be seated.

The lefty Spence won the IBF welterweight title in May 2017 and has defended it four times; he has been enjoying his status as a rising star, with his name being bandied about as a top ten and top five pound for pounder in the last year plus.