Errol Spence Jr: Daily Routine

On Daily Routines, we profile successful leaders, entrepreneurs, artists, executives and athletes to explore their routines, schedules, habits and day in the life.

When Errol Spence Jr. made the walk to the ring for his last bout, against Danny García, there was fear as to whether the 30-year old was the same, fearsome undefeated boxer who had terrorised the welterweight division these past few years.

After all, it was only 14-months ago when Spence was involved in a terrifying accident while speeding in his Ferrari 488 Spider. The car flipped multiple times and Spence, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected from the vehicle. He was hospitalised in the intensive care unit, and discharged six days later with no serious injuries.

Still, you never know how an accident like that can affect a fighter’s physical or mental condition. Hence the trepidation from fans. But after 12 rounds at the AT&T Stadium in Texas, the WBC and IBF champion proved that there was nothing to worry about; he was the same old Spence, dominating García to a comfortable unanimous decision (116-112, 116-112, 117-111).

I’m here for a reason. I basically proved that I’m back and I’m here to stay and I’m the unified champion of the world.

Errol Spence defeats Danny Garcia by unanimous decision to retain belts | ESPN

Leading the welterweight boxing division, along with the equally fearsome and talented Terence Crawford, Spence is poised to take over the 147-pound throne, after the reigning king, Floyd Mayweather, abdicated in 2015, opting for easier and more profitable fights, instead of staying to face the pack of young lions coming up the ranks.

“There’s a lot of good welterweights out there. And there’s a lot of good fighters out there,” Mayweather said in 2016. “But the guy that I think that’s gonna really make the most noise in boxing is Errol Spence.” The respect is mutual. Spence has admired Mayweather from afar and studied his career closely. “There’s always lessons to be learned,” he told D Magazine. “He never got comfortable. Stayed hungry. Stayed dedicated.”

Errol Spence Jr’s training routine & diet

For Spence, a typical training camp involves a lot of running and sparring. “On Monday mornings, I run sprints, and then go to the gym and work out,” he described in a GQ interview. “Later in the day, I do a five- or six-mile jog. Wednesdays or Thursdays, depending on how my body feels, I go through strength and conditioning. I do that in the morning instead of running sprints, and then I go to the gym and get a light jog in.”

He’s also gotten smarter with how he trains and loads his body. “Early in my career, I was training seven days a week with no rest. I was burning myself out. Now, if it’s squat day or a day where I do strength and conditioning, and I wake up not feeling it, I’m not going to do it. I’ll move it to another day. I’m taking more precautions.”

But it’s not the training that’s the tough part for Spence. Like most boxers, he struggles most with giving up food during training camp. “I’m still eating in camp, but I always want to eat bigger portions or eat late at night,” he told Premier Boxing Champions. “I want to go and get a burger, some fries or eat at Wingstop, but I can’t do that. I’ve got to eat baked food, grilled food, no seasoning, no salt.”

For a big welterweight like Spence who walks around at 168 lb and has to cut over 20 pounds to make the 147 lb limit, staying away from sugary temptations and keeping a close eye on what he eats is crucial to his success. He described his daily meal plan to GQ:

When I wake up, I’m eating either oatmeal, or eggs with avocado and a side of spinach. If it’s not that, it’s a peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich with almond milk on the side. Then I go to the gym, work out, and come back to the house for a salad—a plain, spinach-kale salad with organic Italian dressing. Then I rest up and take a nap. Later on at night, I might have a sweet potato with red snapper. I put my red snapper in the oven or on the grill. It’s the whole red snapper, with the head on and everything. I might also have salmon or brown rice. That’s pretty much it.

The Real-Life Diet of Errol Spence Jr., Who Has to Drop 20 Pounds Before Every Fight | GQ

On fight day, his diet pretty much stays the same. “Typically I wake up, I eat egg whites, an egg white omelette and some avocado,” he answered in a reddit Q&A. “Before the fight I eat fish, salmon or broccoli. Try to get some carbs, some bananas. Drink a lot of pedialyte and water, stay hydrated.”

During a more recent interview, in between physical rehab following his accident and COVID-19 quarantine, Spence said that he was more focused than ever on his diet. “I’m not snacking on nothing. I’m locked in,” he said on Showtime’s All The Smoke podcast. “If I show you my fridge right now, there’s nothing in there but water. I’m locked in. I got all my organic foods and trying to eat healthy.”

“Right now, in the morning time I’m eating egg whites, avocados, spinach,” said Spence, describing his updated meal plan. “For lunch, I’m eating spinach or I might eat a salad. A plate of salad with some egg whites. No egg yolk because the yolk is just fat. For dinner, I’m eating chicken breasts, a little brown rice. Nothing fried, everything steamed.”

They’re who I do it for. They eat whatever they want, they have a roof over their heads, clothes on their backs. It’s a constant reminder. If I’m sore, or I don’t want to go work out or don’t want to go run, just looking at them and seeing how comfortable they are, it makes me grind harder.

12 Rounds With … Errol Spence Jr. | Premier Boxing Champions

Before you go…

Check out more daily routines from Barack Obama, Joe Rogan, Jeff Bezos, Michelle Obama, Sheryl Sandberg, Richard Branson, Warren Buffet and plenty others.