Tag Archives: Yordenis Ugas

Posted on 01/04/2022

By: Hans Themistode

From the moment Errol Spence Jr. wrapped welterweight gold around his waist in 2017, he was tabbed by most as the division’s best fighter. Those sentiments were only enhanced following the Dallas native’s split decision win over Shawn Porter in 2019 to nab his second world title.

In addition to Spence Jr., current WBO welterweight belt holder Terence Crawford has also challenged for the division’s top spot. The pound-for-pound star was recently seen in the ring scoring a tenth-round stoppage victory over Porter in the final quarter of 2021.

Outside of both Spence Jr. and Crawford, however, Yordenis Ugas believes he’s received the short end of the stick. The WBA belt holder has picked up victories in 12 of his past 13 contests with his biggest coming at the expense of Manny Pacquiao. The two battled it out this past August at the T-Mobile Arena, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Originally, Spence Jr. was selected as the final opponent of Pacquiao’s career but was forced to withdraw due to a torn/detached retina. With an opportunity of a lifetime staring directly at him, Ugas didn’t waste the moment. The Cuban product thoroughly outboxed and outmuscled the future first ballot Hall of Famer to defend his crown.

To further cement his legacy, Ugas will now look to become a three belt champion as both himself and team Spence are locked in intense negotiations for a springtime showdown that could take place in April. Considering the long road Ugas has traveled to reach this point, he could hardly express his joy.

“A lot of respect for Spence. He’s a warrior in the ring and outside the ring,” said Ugas during an interview with ESNEWS. “I believe I’m the best, I’m really emotional and super excited. I’m ready to get it on. I’ve been waiting a long time for this.”

Since being pulled from his showdown against Pacquiao, Spence Jr. has fought only once in a two-year span, registering a lopsided unanimous decision win over Danny Garcia in December of 2020.

Posted on 12/23/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Shawn Porter is one of the rare fighters in the welterweight division that has swapped fists with virtually all of the top names. So, with a one-of-a-kind perspective, Porter became intrigued when he began hearing rumblings of a showdown between unified champion Errol Spence Jr. and WBA belt holder Yordenis Ugas.

Initially, Ugas was due to defend his welterweight title against Eimantas Stanionis as part of a four-man tournament issued by the WBA. But while Stanionis was chomping at the bit to receive his first crack at a world title, he willingly stepped aside to allow both Spence Jr. and Ugas to unify titles.

On March 9th, 2019, Porter successfully defended his WBC welterweight crown against Ugas via split decision. Six months later, Porter would drop that aforementioned title to Spence Jr., ironically enough, also by split decision.

For a number of years, Porter was unmoved in his belief that if both Spence Jr. and Ugas faced off in the ring, that the powerful southpaw would do a number on his man. However, after watching Ugas upset the applecart by defeating Manny Pacquiao earlier this year, Porter is now viewing him in an entirely different light.

“I think Errol wins but I’m curious now,” said Porter on his podcast The Porter Way Podcast Clips. “At one point in time, I knew exactly what Yorgenis Ugas was going to do and I could tell you what would happen. He not only grew in the moment of the fight against Manny Pacquiao but he learned some things about himself as well.”

Originally, Pacquiao was set to take on Spence Jr. on August 21st, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Yet, despite showing exuberance, Spence Jr. was forced to withdraw from their showdown due to a torn/detached retina in his left eye which led to subsequent surgery.

Coincidently, Ugas was also looking for a dance partner. Though he was scheduled to make an appearance on the card in the co-main event against Fabian Maidana, his opponent also suffered an eye injury and pulled out of their contest. As a result, both Ugas and Pacquiao agreed to terms on a new deal and faced off in the main event.

Ugas, 35, headed into his showdown against Pacquiao as a considerable underdog. Still, despite the betting world doubting his abilities, Ugas proved them wrong. The Cuban native outboxed the future first-ballot Hall of Famer and ushered him into retirement.

As Porter looks closely at the skills of Ugas and his overall resiliency, the former two-time world titlist is now fully convinced that he’s grown by leaps and bounds since they last fought. More importantly, while Porter isn’t willing to fully back Ugas officially, he wouldn’t be surprised if he pulls off the victory.

“I think Yordenis now is at a point where he’s prepared to make any adjustment that he has to make to beat whoever is across from him. I’m actually convinced that he might be able to find a way to beat Errol Spence Jr. I think it’s a fight that Errol wins but more than anything, I want to see what Yordenis Ugas does.”

Posted on 12/19/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Yordenis Ugas begged and pleaded with the WBA to change their mind.

Since defending his welterweight title against Manny Pacquiao as a late replacement earlier this year, Ugas made his feelings crystal clear that he wanted to take on unified champion Errol Spence Jr.

But, despite voicing his desires, Ugas’s voice fell on deaf ears. The 35-year-old Cuban star was instead selected to take part in a four-man boxing tournament in order to end the proliferation of world titles in the WBA sanctioning body. On one end of the bracket, Radzhab Butaev dethroned former WBA “Regular” belt holder Jamal James via ninth-round stoppage.

Next up, Ugas was set to take on undefeated contender Eimantas Stanionis with the winner facing off against Butaev in the second half of 2022. However, as first reported by BoxingScene.com, Stanionis has agreed to step aside in order for Ugas to take on Spence Jr. in a three belt unification match. As an alternative, Stanionis will now take on Butaev. The winner of their newly formed contest will reign supreme as the WBA mandatory challenger.

With a showdown between Spence Jr. and Ugas now on the verge of coming to fruition, Gilberto Mendoza, longtime president of the WBA sanctioning body, is doing his best Santa Clause impersonation.

“Stanionis has agreed to withdraw from the mandatory title fight,” said Mendoza, longtime. “He will now fight Butaev. Errol Spence and Yordenis Ugas, Merry Christmas to you both and let’s have a great fight.”

For Spence Jr., the 31-year-old is coming off a rough 2021. After proving that he was back to his old dominant self following his horrific car wreck with a one-sided unanimous decision victory over Danny Garcia in December of 2020, the Dallas native failed to enter the ring at all this year.

Originally, the powerful southpaw was set to take on Manny Pacquiao in a legacy-defining showdown. Those plans, however, were immediately scrapped once it was discovered that Spence Jr. suffered a torn/detached retina in his right eye, forcing him into subsequent surgery. Ironically enough, Ugas stepped in on just a few weeks’ notice. And, as previously mentioned, despite being a heavy underdog, would go on to pick up the biggest win of his career.

Still, regardless of his recent setback, Spence Jr. remained confident that his latest ailment would be innocuous. The unified titleholder has been recently been cleared to return to training and has been spotted working on his craft with head trainer Derrick James.

Posted on 12/08/2021

By: Hans Themistode

From the moment Yordenis Ugas wrapped his WBA welterweight title around his waist, he envisioned a showdown against current unified champion Errol Spence Jr. While a matchup against the Dallas native is still one that he craves most, he has business to attend to first.

As first reported by Boxingscene.com, both team Ugas and mandatory challenger Eimantas Stanionis, have reached an agreement. As a result, their December 9th purse bid has been officially canceled.

In an attempt to end the proliferation of WBA world titles in numerous weight classes, the sanctioning body ordered several of their “Regular” and “Super” champions to square off. In the case of Ugas, the organization’s “Super” champion, he was officially ordered to take part in a four-man box-off.

On one side of the bracket, Jamal James saw his secondary title ripped away from him at the hands of Radzhab Butaev via ninth-round stoppage. Now, the winner of Ugas vs. Stanionis would then move on to face Butaev in the second half of 2022.

In terms of when and where Ugas and Stanionis will share the ring with one another, that has yet to be revealed.

For the 35-year-old Ugas, he’s currently in the midst of the best form of his career. Since back-to-back defeats in 2014, the Cuban native has picked up victories in 12 of his past 13 contests. His most notable wins came against the likes of the previously mentioned Jamal James, Thomas Dulorme, and Ray Robinson. Despite the magnitude of those victories, Ugas recently snagged the most significant of his career, a unanimous decision over future first-ballot Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao earlier this year as a late replacement.

Regardless of the monumental win for the WBA belt holder, Stanionis heads into their showdown brimming with confidence. The 27 year old Lithuanian has looked impressive throughout the early goings of his career. The 2016 former Olympian rolled past fringe contender Thomas Dulorme in April of 2021, before settling for a no-contest against former champion Luis Collazo due to an accidental clash of heads.

With one world champion on the verge of being crowned in the WBA sanctioning body, the organization’s winner could find themselves standing across the ring from Spence Jr. in an attempt to unify the division even further.

Posted on 10/04/2021

By: Hans Themistode

There’s a sense of annoyance that Vergil Ortiz Jr. is currently feeling.

At 23 years of age, the hard-hitting welterweight contender has stopped everyone placed in front of him. In what many considered step-up bouts against the likes of Maurice Hooker and Egidijus Kavaliauskas earlier this year, the Dallas native managed to pick up the stoppage victories.

While Ortiz Jr. isn’t opposed to facing another former champion or highly rated contender, he has his eyes set on facing WBA titleholder, Yordenis Ugas.

“I would love that fight,” said Ortiz Jr. during an interview with FightHype.com. “If we can get that fight next, I would love that. I don’t see why not, I’m basically right under him.”

Ortiz Jr.’s assertions that he’s under Ugas in the WBA rankings isn’t entirely off. Presently, he holds the number two position in the sanctioning body. But while Ortiz Jr. is foaming at the mouth for his first crack at a world title, Ugas currently has a jam-packed schedule.

Since picking up the biggest win of his career earlier this year against Manny Pacquiao, Ugas has been ordered to defend his world title against highly-rated contender Eimantas Stanionis. If Ugas were to walk away from their showdown with his championship status still intact, he would then be obligated to take on the winner between Jamal James, the WBA “Regular” champion, and mandatory challenger Radzhab Butaev.

In the meantime, Ortiz Jr. could be forced to go in another route to see his world title dreams realized. Or, he could opt to play the waiting game. Regardless of the direction Ortiz Jr. decides to go, in the end, a matchup with Ugas is one that he craves.

In terms of how things would ultimately unfold in the ring between the pair, Ortiz Jr. is unquestionably backing himself in their showdown. With that said, he isn’t willing to go as far as to predict how it would end. He does, however, expect fireworks.

“As far as how the fight would play out, I really don’t know but it would be an exciting fight. That’s the only thing that I’m for sure on.”

Posted on 09/16/2021

By: Hans Themistode

The proliferation of WBA world titles could be coming to an end. At least, in the welterweight division.

With both Yordenis Ugas and Jamal James holding two versions of the WBA trinket, the pair will take part in a four-man tournament to determine one true titleholder.

Ugas, the WBA “Super” champion, has now been ordered to face rising star Eimantas Stanionis in the next 120 days. On the other side of the welterweight bracket, James, the WBA “Regular” champion, will take on Radzhab Butaev. Whomever comes out on top in those respective matchups, will face off sometime in March of 2022.

“The championship committee call(s for a) Box-Off as necessary for WBA Welterweight division in order to have one champion,” said Carlos Chavez, chairman of WBA Championship Committee. “Based on the hierarchy of WBA rankings the eligible boxers are: Yordenis Ugas, Jamal James, Radzhab Butaev and Eimantas Stanionis.

“In accordance to the previous resolution, Jamal James shall box official contender in Radzhab Butaev by November 2021. Yordenis Ugas must defend the title against the next leading available contender Eimantas Stanionis within 120 days from the date of this resolution. The Super Champion must box the regular champion by the end of March 2022.”

For the 27-year-old Stanionis, news of fighting for his first world title must come as somewhat of a surprise. While the Lithuanian has been impressive during his brief career, his most recent ring appearance didn’t go according to plan. In early August, Stanionis (13-0, 9 KOs) attempted to deliver a statement in his showdown against former 147-pound titlist, Luis Collazo. Although he appeared to be in control throughout, their bout was ruled a no-contest due to a clash of heads which left Collazo unable to continue.

Ugas, on the other hand, is still riding high after putting together a career-best performance.

After being pegged as a significant underdog against Manny Pacquiao on August 21st, Ugas (27-4, 12 KOs) made the betting public look foolish as he pulled off the upset win. Originally, Ugas had been hoping that his reward for defeating the future first-ballot Hall of Famer would be a showdown against unified 147-pound titlist, Errol Spence Jr.

While a matchup between Stanionis and Ugas represents the more sexier contest, James vs. Butaev figures to be a competitive bout. Since picking up the lone defeat of his career, ironically enough against Ugas, James (27-1, 12 KOs) has gone undefeated over the past five years, reeling off seven straight wins.

In the case of the 27-year-old Butaev (13-0, 10 KOs), a showdown against James serves as a significant step up in competition. The Russian native KO’d fringe contender Terry Chatwood in his most recent ring appearance in December of 2020.

Posted on 09/01/2021

By: Hans Themistode

There isn’t anything left for Josh Taylor to do at 140 pounds. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t currently marking down new goals to accomplish.

In a two-year span, Taylor managed to capture every world title in the super lightweight division. After picking up the IBF and WBA trinkets against Ivan Baranchyk and Regis Prograis in back-to-back fights in 2019, Taylor officially became an undisputed champion as he dethroned former unified titlist, Jose Ramirez, earlier this year.

With Taylor considered far and away the top dog in the division, he has his eyes set on capturing even more gold, this time, in a new weight class.

“My longer-term goal is to become a two-weight world champion,” said Taylor during an interview with Sky Sports Boxing. “Win a belt up at welterweight, I believe I can beat these guys.”

Despite his ambitions, Taylor still has business to attend to at 140 pounds. The 30-year-old is currently set to take on mandatory challenger, Jack Catterall. The two will battle it out on December 18th, at the SSE Hydro, in Glasgow Scotland, in the main event.

While Taylor isn’t overlooking his man, he does have one foot in and another one out of the 140-pound door. As previously stated, Taylor would love nothing more than to pick up a world title at 147 pounds. Currently, Taylor’s promoter, Bob Arum, has floated around the idea of Taylor moving up in weight to take on pound for pound star, and WBO titlist, Terence Crawford.

All along, a matchup against Crawford is one that Taylor craves. But that isn’t the only 147-pound champion Taylor could see himself fighting.

After picking up the biggest win of his career against Manny Pacquiao just a few short weeks ago, WBA champion Yordenis Ugas firmly placed his name amongst the best that the division has to offer. Currently, the Cuban native is now angling for a unification showdown against WBC/IBF titlist, Errol Spence Jr.

But while Ugas wants the opportunity to aggregate more world titles, Taylor would love to step into the ring with him first. While they haven’t fought in a professional contest, the two have sparred against one another. Although sparring sessions are normally kept under wraps, Taylor revealed what exactly happened when the two squared off behind closed doors several years ago.

“I sparred Yordenis Ugas in Vegas and it went very, very well,” said Taylor. “I dropped him one time as well. I’m pretty confident if that fight came around.”

Posted on 08/26/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Errol Spence Jr. felt every emotion. From apoplectic, to incredulous to despondent, Spence Jr. dealt with it all.

With just a few weeks left until his mega showdown against Manny Pacquiao on August 21st at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Spence Jr. was given no choice but to pull out of their contest due to a retinal detachment in his left eye. From there, the unified welterweight champion immediately dropped his gloves and entered the surgical room.

As doctors began working on the Dallas native’s eyesight, rumors emerged that Spence Jr. was never hurt in the first place. Bernard Hopkins, a former two-division titlist and 2019 Hall of Famer, was amongst those who raised a cautious eyebrow to Spence Jr. and his entire injury claim.

“If you tell me something, now you got to show me,” said Hopkins during an interview with Fight Hub TV when the news first broke. “I’m a showman person. I’m not going to tell you what happened and you got to take my word for it. Not that I’m saying you should. But if I show you, I don’t have to do much speaking.”

Never known as the loquacious type, Spence Jr. has remained mostly mum since his surgical procedure. However, given the chance to address Hopkins and whomever else doubts the legitimacy of his injury, Spence Jr. simply points to Pacquiao’s stature amongst the all-time greats and the boatload of money he would have accrued for facing him.

“It’s freaking Manny Pacquiao,” said Spence Jr. during an interview with ESPN. “Future Hall of Famer, future legend, undoubtedly top 10 all time. One of the greatest fighters of all time. And I drop out of a fight with him two weeks before the fight? That don’t make sense. Not to mention all the money we would make off pay-per-view.”

Even with his departure from the event, the show ultimately still went on without him. Stepping in to replace Spence Jr., was WBA 147 pound titlist, Yordenis Ugas. Spence Jr. sat idly by as Ugas cashed in on the opportunity of a lifetime.

The massive underdog went on to frustrate Pacquiao on the night, before winning a close but clear unanimous decision. With the former eight-division world champion unsure if he’ll ever step foot inside a boxing ring again, Spence Jr. is coming to grips with the fact that he may never face Pacquiao before he rides off into the sunset.

Considering his frustrations, and his audacious call-outs of Pacquiao over the years, Spence Jr. is still shaking his head at anyone who believes he didn’t want to compete on the night.

“I called him out two years ago in the ring. Not like he handpicked me. I been asking to fight him.”

Posted on 08/26/2021

By: Hans Themistode

There was something incredibly odd about Yordenis Ugas.

The Cuban native removed his shirt during last weekend’s weigh-ins for his contest against Manny Pacquiao and revealed an unbelievable physique. But while Ugas appeared to be in the best shape of his professional career, something seemed off.

Although Ugas is one of the bigger welterweights in the division, the WBA 147 pound champion appeared bigger than normal, particularly to his left bicep.

Numerous video footage surfaced of Ugas grimacing in pain. Several fans and media members took the time to examine the footage closely and came to the conclusion that Ugas mostly likely tore his bicep muscle, something his camp vehemently denied. While Ugas went on to not only defeat Pacquiao but he ultimately used his left hand effectively, landing an indefensible jab all night long, and proving that his left arm was just fine.

With constant rumors and speculation surrounding his grotesque left bicep, Ugas revealed that he did, in fact, suffer an injury. But, it took place long before he entered the ring.

“I injured my bicep several weeks ago during sparring,” said Ugas during an interview with Ringsideviews. “I wasn’t scheduled to fight Pacquiao yet. I continued training but I did stop sparring.”

Not only did Ugas produce a severely left swollen arm but during their final staredown, the 35-year-old appeared to wince in considerable pain on several occasions. Despite that, Ugas went on to frustrate the future Hall of Famer on the night.

Numerous jabs upstairs, followed by left hands to the body and over the top of Pacquiao’s guard, seemingly left him puzzled on what to do next. Although Ugas was more reserved in his offensive output, throwing more than 400 fewer punches than Pacquiao, he was ultimately the more efficient of the two, landing over 37% of his total shots to the 16% of Pacquiao. Nevertheless, his decision to choose quality over quantity, had nothing to do with his left bicep.

On the outside looking in, Ugas is fully aware that he appeared to be a one-armed fighter. But, he assures everyone, that while it was ostensible his arm was in bad shape, he felt no level of discomfort whatsoever.

“Going into the fight, my arm remained 100% swollen but I didn’t feel any pain.”

Posted on 08/25/2021

By: Charles Jay

This is what Yordenis Ugas tweeted the other day:

“All the comments that I read that it was very slow for Pacquiao and they were going to destroy me. Where are they?? I took the biggest fight of my life 10 days in advance. And thank God I had the biggest victory of my career against a future Hall of Fame.”

Well, I have some thoughts on that, and there are some other smart folks around boxing who feel the same way:

I’m sure that Ugas has spent quite a bit of time over the last few years thinking about how he would fight Pacquiao. That’s often the case when there’s a guy out there who’s a rock star, and against whom you could conceivably pick up your biggest career payday.

And I bet Pacquiao spent all of ten days or so thinking seriously about how to fight Ugas. 

Now, it would be one thing if you’re just digging some opponent out of the lower rungs of the top ten or 12 or 15. This was someone with ability, and in fact a “super” champion as designated by the WBA. Not only that, but he was training for his own tile fight on the undercard, so he was in top shape. And if an opponent like that is pretty good, and you are 42 and haven’t fought in two years, it’s not the easiest thing in the world to deal with him on short notice.

So IMHO the guy who is lesser-known can extract something of an advantage in this situation – again, if he has enough talent to pull it off. 

Anyway, that’s my theory. 

And congratulations to all of you who took the underdog price. 

So what else?

Should the fight date have been moved back? 

I believe so. I’m not talking about three, four, five months. I’m talking about a month or two. Just enough time for Pacquiao to put together more of a game plan. Not to say that it would have made all the difference in the fight, because it would have given Ugas extra time as well. 

In communicating with Sean Gibbons, the president of Pacquiao’s MP Promotions, Manny had to fight and was “comfortable” with Ugas as the opponent, even with short notice.

But there is another angle to look at here. Errol Spence wasn’t necessarily a household word for the casual boxing fan, but Ugas had much less in the way of name recognition. If you’re promoting a fight like this and you’re asking the boutique price of $74.99 on the pay-per-view, the most judicious course of action would be to take some extra time to “sell” the new opponent. 

This promotion was under the auspices of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), as well as Fox Sports. But Pacquiao, by way of the aforementioned MP Promotions, had substantial “back-end” interests just as he did when dealing with Top Rank. So in effect, he’s a co-promoter, as well as the star of the show. 

So he had enough leverage to do it. As a businessman, I’m thinking he may well have left quite a bit of money on the table. 

I’d be interested in seeing a reliably-sourced tally on the pay-per-view take on this fight. 

Will Ugas become boxing’s next “superstar”?

I doubt that. It didn’t work out that way for some of the previous people who beat Pacquiao. Timothy Bradley, who won by a disputed decision the first time around, got two more bouts with Pacquiao and beat Juan Manuel Marquez, but did he become a major draw on his own? Jeff Horn obviously attained lofty status in his homeland of Australia, but on the world stage he sort of came and went, losing to Terence Crawford, Michael Zerafa, and then Tim Tszyu. 

The likelihood is that this win earned Ugas another nice payday, maybe two, but he’ll have to register more victories over recognizable opposition. 

Should Manny Pacquiao retire?

Whether Pacquiao should retire or not is a decision that is entirely up to Pacquiao. His status dictates it. He has put in enough time, generated enough revenue and achieved enough in the way of accomplishment to make that call independently of anyone’s opinion. 

There are so many cries from the media about the need for Pacquaio to hang up the gloves. I don’t know if these people consider themselves the guardians of his “legacy” or not, but it kind of looks like it. He doesn’t need any strategic career advice.

And if it’s a matter of people who are “looking out for his health,” I think Manny Pacquiao is plenty equipped to look after himself. 

I kind of chortle when I see writers droning on and on about how they don’t want to see a famous and /or legendary fighter take too much punishment. Yet they’ll slobber over every would-be contender who is moving up the ranks, seemingly without any awareness that the opponent-types he’s rolled over earlier in his career have probably been taking unnecessary punches for years. 

I don’t notice the concern for the health of THOSE guys. It’s funny the way that works. 

WILL Manny Pacquiao retire?

Those of you who have been around long enough to remember Flash Gordon, a cult figure who published an “insider” newsletter years ago, know that he always referred to someone announcing he’s hanging ’em up as “retired…. until their next fight.”

That’s been a custom in boxing. So excuse me for applying my own rule – that until about five years pass, I remain skeptical. 

Maybe there’s something with big money attached to it that pulls him back. An exhibition with Floyd Mayweather? A fight against an MMA competitor; if not Conor McGregor, then someone else? Who knows. Running for president of the Philippines – as appears to be the running story – requires bankroll. So he can flip on the switch and create some kind of money-maker. 

Who knows.

If and when that happens, those who would urge him to quit for good can just boycott it, right?

Somehow, I don’t think that would be the case.

Posted on 08/25/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Most of the boxing world was expecting a somewhat vintage performance.

As Manny Pacquiao stepped into the ring this past Saturday night against Yordenis Ugas at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, the future first-ballot Hall of Famer was pegged as the heavy favorite. With Pacquiao originally scheduled to face Errol Spence Jr. before the unified welterweight titlist was ultimately forced to pull out due to injury, Ugas was mostly considered a step down in competition.

Yet, as the two clashed in front of over 17,000 thousand fans, Pacquiao simply had no answer for the long jab and right hand that Ugas placed in his face all night. While Pacquiao may have suffered the eighth defeat of his career, in no way, shape or form does he consider Ugas one of his more challenging opponents.

“In my entire career, Ugas was one of the easiest opponents,” said Pacquiao during an interview with The Athletic. “He only had one style and I should’ve been able to easily move away.”

Immediately following his defeat, Pacquiao looked both dejected and despondent with what took place. Normally elusive and bouncing up and down on his toes, Pacquiao appeared more stationary than ever before. While he seemed to be in terrific physical shape, Pacquiao pointed to his trustworthy legs as the reason why he lost.

“My two legs were cramping,” said Pacquiao following the loss. “That’s why I can’t move around.”

Pacquiao’s so-called cramping issues proved to be his detriment, as he was forced to sit in the pocket and trade shots with a much larger man. While he was able to throw 815 total shots, he was incredibly inefficient, landing at only a 16% clip. Ugas, on the other hand, was more reserved in his punch output, throwing less than half of Pacquiao’s total, 405. Still, the Cuban native made his punches count as he connected on 37.3% of his total shots.

Although almost no one will fulminate that Pacquiao should have been given the victory, the 42-year-old is still adamant that if his legs were underneath him, the outcome would have been far more different.

“You’ve seen how I have moved in my fighters before. I couldn’t move in this fight. My legs just stopped.”

Posted on 08/22/2021

By: Hans Themistode

On its face, everything appeared to be the same.

Despite the birth certificate of Manny Pacquiao collecting considerable more dust, the 42-year-old seemed to be in terrific shape. The hard work that the former eight-division world champion endured during a long and arduous training camp, was evident the moment he removed his shirt during Friday’s weigh-ins.

With a chiseled physique and all of the confidence in the world, Pacquiao appeared certain that he would dethrone Yordenis Ugas and reclaim his WBA welterweight title. However, as their showdown was underway, things never went the way Pacquiao envisioned it.

The future first-ballot Hall of Famer struggled with the persistent jab of Ugas, as well as his inside work. Through 12 rounds, Pacquiao stood stoically as all three judges scoring their contest from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, gave the edge to the 35-year-old Cuban.

Immediately following his defeat, Pacquiao reluctantly answered when asked what exactly went wrong. While he did his best not to take away from the victory of Ugas, Pacquiao also offered insight to an injury that prohibited him from taking charge in the ring.

“I’m not saying this is my excuse but my two legs were cramping,” said Pacquiao. “That’s why I cannot move around.”

If Pacquiao was, in fact, hampered, Ugas took full advantage. The former Olympic bronze medalist applied constant pressure throughout but remained disciplined behind the jab. Although Pacquiao attempted to make up for his lack of movement with high volume, throwing more than double the number of punches of his opponent, 815-405, Ugas traded in a high work rate for efficiency.

The Cuban product was more effective in every department. He landed 21.4% of his jabs as compared to the 8.8% of Pacquiao. He also had the edge in power punches. Not only did he outland Pacquiao 101-88, but his percentages in that area far overshadowed that of Pacquiao, 59.1% to 25.9%.

Regardless of Pacquiao pointing a blaming finger in the direction of what he describes as “cramps” he appeared cautious of how he came across.

As the Filipino senator paused to find his words, he seemingly flashed back to the days when issues such as cramps, were nonexistent. With the curtain call on his career possibly upon us, Pacquiao juxtaposed what would have happened if this fight took place approximately a decade ago.

“In my early days, I can easily move and outbox him. This time around, it’s like my two legs were tight and hurting me in the second round until the 12th round. I’m not making excuses but that’s the reason why I can’t move.”

Posted on 08/20/2021

By: Hans Themistode

With the biggest fight of his life taking place in approximately 24 hours, Yordenis Ugas (26-4, 12 KOs) made sure he tipped the scales in appropriate shape.

Despite the Cuban-born native getting the call to face Manny Pacquiao on 11 days’ notice due to Errol Spence Jr. being forced to pull out due to injury, the 35-year-old was already in the midst of training camp as he prepared to make an appearance on the card against Fabian Maidana.

The WBA welterweight titleholder removed his shirt in front of a jam-packed Las Vegas, crowd and revealed his ripped physique. He then stepped onto the scales and officially weighed in at 147 pounds.

Following his weigh-in, the crowd erupted as Pacquiao made his way to the stage. The former eight-division world champion flexed as he removed his shirt. Like always, Pacquiao had little to no trouble with his weight as he checked in at 146 pounds.

With both men making weight, the pair will now battle it out at the T-Mobile Arena in what many believe could be Pacquiao’s last fight. The future first-ballot Hall of Famer is rumored to be eyeing a presidential run in his homeland of the Philippines, where he currently holds a political seat as a senator.

While Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) was hoping to share the ring with Spence Jr., the unified welterweight champion was deemed unfit to face Pacquiao due to a torn/detached retina in his left eye. Regardless of his disappointment, Pacquiao was immediately motivated to face Ugas.

After snagging the WBA 147 pound title from Keith Thurman in July of 2019, Pacquiao remained inactive for a protracted amount of time. Due to his failure to defend his title in over two years, Pacquiao was stripped of his championship status and Ugas, who held the WBA “Regular” championship, was then elevated to full titleholder.

All along, once given the news that Spence Jr. would be unable to compete, Pacquiao saw this as an opportunity to clear up the mess created by the WBA sanctioning body.

“I didn’t like that someone took my belt without challenging me in the ring,” said Pacquiao. “We’ll settle it in the ring.”

Posted on 08/20/2021

By: Charles Jay

Manny Pacquiao gets back into the ring after a couple of years as he takes on Yordenis Ugas for the WBA welterweight title. It’s scheduled for twelve rounds on Saturday night, coming from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The price through Fox Pay-Per-View is $74.99, and yes, you can bellyache about it all you want, but we’re concerned about other “prices.” 

A lot of people are asking by now, “Pacquiao vs. WHO-gas?” But it’s one thing to make a joke or two. It’s no joke when you’ve got money on the line. 

And that’s why the opinions of “experts” don’t mean as much if there isn’t any cash behind it. 

So on what basis can that cash be wagered? Well, for some of the propositions that are on the table, there is relative consensus. But on others, there’s some disparity to take note of.

Yordenis Ugas may be unknown to most of the general public – at least relative to the original opponent, Errol Spence – but he is not being totally disrespected by the betting public.

Pacquiao is the favorite, to be sure, but the prices we’ve seen vary. The worst price we’ve seen on him (i.e., the worst for those looking to back him), which isn’t part of a peer-to-peer exchange is -567 at a British-based sportsbook (we’re not directing you away or toward any individual book). 

The best value we have found on Pacquiao is -330 (which means you will lay $3.30 for every dollar you hope to earn). And then there are a lot of prices of -350 out there. In fact, between -350 and -400, that’s where most of the prices can be found. 

As far as Ugas is concerned, there isn’t a whole lot of room between the high and low. The best price we have seen on him is +300, and that is posted at a lot of sportsbooks. And it goes as low as +260 in a number of places as well. So mostly everything else is positioned in between those numbers. 

There are other kinds of bets, obviously. You can wager on the TOTAL ROUNDS the fight will go. And even though there are outlets at which the number can be adjusted, the most popular total on the fight is 10.5 rounds. 

You may believe the fight is going the distance, or very close to it. If you do, you are looking at an “Over,” and the best price on that, as far as what we’ve observed, is -200. So the betting public “favors” this bout going some rounds. And to give you some perspective, the price that offers the lowest payback is -265, which we have found at a few sportsbooks. 

When it comes to the “Under” (at 10.5 rounds), the worst you’ll get is just +140, but there are better numbers for you out there. We’ve actually seen +215, and if you are following along a little, you’ll see that there is a “scalp” available, which happens when you can take a price that is higher than the price you’d have to lay – on the same bet (referring to the -200 on the “Over” we referred to above). 

Obviously, those bets aren’t with the same sportsbook. You’ll have to do your own shopping, unfortunately; we aren’t going to direct you on how to execute the scalp. 

If you want a greater degree of exactitude, you can wager on the fight to GO THE DISTANCE. Prices range from -162 to -187 to do just that, and from +125 to +138 to end earlier. 

There is a distinction between total rounds and ROUND BETTING, which consists of a wager on the exact round in which the fight will end. 

We’re not going to go over every round and the odds that correspond to it. But we will tell you that in Round 8, you can get as high as 18-1 (+1800) on him to end the fight then. 

And of course, you can bet on him to score a first-round knockout. The consensus price on this is +5000 (50-1), but you can get as high as +6600 on it. 

To sum up things for Ugas, you can place a wager on him to win in any individual round from six (6) to ten (10), and for that you can get odds of 66-1 up to 100-1 on all of them, depending on what sportsbook you visit. 

When you wager on the EXACT RESULT you are combining two events – a winner of the fight and usually whether the fight will end inside the distance. 

So for example, you can wager on Pacquiao by decision (this also might include the instance of a technical decision), and what you’d be looking at is something between +110 and +120, in most cases. And if you like Pacquiao to end the fight inside the 12-round distance (or win by disqualification), and for that, you’ll get a better price. We’re seeing a range between +160 and +180. 

For Ugas to win by a decision, we’re looking at around +450on the high end, and, if you don’t shop around enough, you could find yourself as low as +350. As far as him winning by a KO, TKO or DQ, that can go as high as 14-1 (+1400) or as low as 9-1 (+900).

It can be sage thinking to do the exact result wager, particularly in those instances when you feel very strongly about the favorite because instead of laying a price, you are suddenly taking it.

Remember, as always, that odds can change leading up to the bout, and customarily this happens a lot in the 24 hours or so prior to the bout, as more money comes in. 

And good luck!

Posted on 08/20/2021

By: Hans Themistode

After spending numerous months prepping to take on Errol Spence Jr., Manny Pacquiao was taken aback when he was given the news.

The current unified welterweight champion was forced to pull out of their August 21st, showdown due to a torn/detached retina in his left eye. Immediately taking his place is WBA titleholder, Yordenis Ugas.

Their physical dimensions are almost identical. Both Ugas and Spence Jr. stand at 5’9, while their arm reach is fairly similar with Spence Jr. having the edge by three inches. In terms of their fighting styles, both fighters are a bit analogous in that department as well, especially from close quarters.

The biggest difference between Spence Jr. and Ugas, is their fighting stance. With the Cuban native fighting as an orthodox fighter and Spence Jr. as a southpaw, Pacquiao is somewhat relieved with how things played out.

“It’s a matter of two days to adjust,” said Pacquiao during an interview with Mike Coppinger of ESPN. “It’s not hard to adjust because we’ve been fighting right-handed fighters. It would be harder if it was the other way around.”

Pacquiao’s admittance that going from an orthodox fighter to a southpaw is difficult, comes as little to no surprise. While the Filippo native has aggregated over 25 years of experience in the ring, the former eight-division world champion has failed to face a left-hander since 2008 against David Diaz, a fighter he ultimately stopped in the ninth round.

In Ugas, Pacquiao faces an aggressive come forward fighter but one who he’s comfortable fighting on short notice due to his extended history facing orthodox opponents. If for some reason, Pacquiao was originally scheduled to face a right-handed fighter and was now forced to switch game plans to a left-hander, he admits that he would have shown far more reluctance in accepting a fight under those circumstances.

“If you’re fighting a right-handed fighter but now it switches to a southpaw, it’s getting hard for me. I would think twice.”