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Philippines, 01 May 2024 |
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Pacquiao vs Ugas Will Save The Show By Ralph Rimpell PhilBoxing.com Thu, 12 Aug 2021  Over 24 hours ago the boxing world was stunned when it was announced that undefeated unified WBC/IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence, Jr. was found to have a detached retina in his left eye on Monday during a routine physical exam by the Nevada State Athletic commission. As a result, Spence had to withdraw from his Mega fight against WBA Welterweight “champion in recess” and future Boxing Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39KOs). This is a fight that the Boxing world eagerly anticipated, and it seemed like the date of August 21, 2021, was taking forever to arrive. The anticipation for this bout is because of the consensus view that Errol Spence, Jr. is one of the top three best welterweights (147lbs division) in the boxing world today. The other two welterweights in the top three are undefeated WBO welterweight champion Terrence Crawford and the other is Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao must be considered in the conversation for being in the top three welterweights in the division because over 25 months ago (July 20, 2019) he defeated former unified an undefeated world champion Keith Thurman taking his WBA world title to add to his trophy case. Thurman is 10 years younger than Pacquiao! Pacquiao has not fought since the Thurman victory largely due to the Covid 19 (Corona Virus) pandemic which initially prevented large sporting events. Pacquiao was stripped of the title in January 2021 for inactivity. The WBA’s official ruling was that Pacquiao was downgraded from WBA (super) welterweight champion to WBA “Champion in Recess” and Cuban fighter Yordenis Ugas (26-4, 12KOs) was elevated from WBA (regular) welterweight champion to WBA (super) welterweight champion, replacing Pacquiao. As WBA “Champion in Recess”, Pacquiao has the option of reclaiming his title by fighting Ugas. As sporting events slowly began to resume, Ugas was not mentioned as an opponent for Pacquiao. The two fighters that there were in rumored negotiations for a fight with Pacquiao were Terrence Crawford and 4 division champion Mikey Garcia. In a surprise announcement in May 2021, it was announced that Spence would be Pacquiao’s opponent on August 21, 2021. There was no mention of Ugas. Pacquiao’s team petitioned the WBA to reverse itself to reinstate Pacquiao as WBA (super) welterweight champion. Pacquiao vs Spence for the 3 major title belts (WBC/WBA/IBF) would make the fight that much more appealing. It was rumored by fight fans that Pacquiao would be reinstated as champion. This no doubt upset Ugas because the WBA sanctioning body rules basically state the path back to the championship in this type of circumstance is through a boxing match between Pacquiao vs Ugas. Pacquiao’s request for reinstatement was eventually rejected by the WBA. Spence withdrawing from the bout with Pacquiao due to an injury has created a major obstacle for all involved with the Promotion of Pacquiao vs Spence. Ugas the WBA (super) welterweight champion was also fighting on the same fight card as Pacquiao vs Spence. Ugas was scheduled to defend his title against Fabian Maidana. Ugas, like Spence, is also promoted by Premier Boxing Champions (PBC). Reports are the Ugas camp quickly accepted the fight against Pacquiao when it was offered as a fight against Pacquiao is the fight Ugas, like the rest of the welterweight fighters in the division, desire. Even though Pacquiao vs Ugas is only 10 days away when it was announced there is still an excellent backdrop to sell this fight. Fight fans are disappointed because those that have already purchased tickets at the T-Mobile center and have made travel plans to Las Vegas, Nevada wanted to see Pacquiao-Spence, not Pacquiao-Ugas. The Pacquiao vs Ugas fight will no doubt be offered on Pay Per View (PPV) for a premium price. Both groups (tourist and PPV audiences) are now asking themselves who is Ugas and why should they proceed with their trip to Las Vegas or purchase this on PPV. Pacquiao v Ugas saves the August 21, 2021, show because many are saying that Pacquiao was unfairly stripped of his title and now Pacquiao could regain his title in the ring against the fighter who many believe was unjustly awarded Pacquiao’s title. Even though the WBA rules are clear, unforeseen occurrences such as natural disasters or a pandemic (Covid 19) should have been factored before the decision was made to strip Pacquiao of the title and factored when Pacquiao petitioned the WBA for reinstatement. Reports are that Pacquiao was not happy with the WBA’s decision not to reinstate him as champion and welcomes the opportunity to fight Ugas to regain the title. Who is Yordenis Ugas? Ugas is from the famed Cuban amateur boxing system. In 2005 he won the Amateur world championship and in 2008 won a bronze medal at the Olympics in Bejing. He defected to the United States from Cuba in 2010. Ugas has had his share of ups and downs with his boxing career. Ugas’s record stood at 18-3 by 2014, and it seemed as though having lost his 17th and 18th fights, he would not have the success like some of his countryman to win a world title like Joel Casamayor, Yuriorkis Gamboa and Guillermo Rigondeaux did, but would end up like Odlanier Solis, Jorge Luis Gonzalez, and Sullivan Barrera who failed to win professional world titles. That all changed in 2014 when Ugas went on an 8-fight winning streak that landed a title shot against then WBC welterweight champion Shawn Porter in 2019. At the end of 12 rounds many thought that Ugas had defeated Porter and should have been crowned the new WBC champion but lost a split decision. Ugas was not deterred. The loss was viewed as controversial and it was his fourth official loss, but he continued to win more fights until he received another world title shot fighting for the vacant WBA (regular) welterweight title and he defeated opponent Abel Ramos. Ugas finally accomplished the goal of winning a world title 11 years after coming to the United States overcoming the ups and downs of his professional career. Some may say Ugas is lucky to be getting the coveted Pacquiao fight because of Spence’s unforeseen eye injury. The reality is, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity, according to Roman philosopher Seneca. Ugas has created his own opportunity because he didn’t quit boxing when he lost due to poor performance or a bad decision. Ugas is the clear underdog and Pacquiao is the favorite. Ugas may believe that things or events happen for a reason. That this opportunity may be his destiny to defeat the living legend Manny Pacquiao and Ugas will likely fight with a lot of emotion and that GOD is on his side and will give him the victory. Pacquiao also believes God is on his side, has the fountain of youth, and according to his trainer, Freddie Roach, Pacquiao still shows the same energy and trains as if though he is still in his 20s. Pacquiao also is reportedly upset that his title was unfairly taken away from him. Finally, Pacquiao, unlike other fighters, wants to face the best fighters in his division before he retires. Pacquiao needs to defeat Ugas if he is to eventually face Spence, should Spence recover and/or possibly fight the winner of Crawford vs Porter. These two main factors are why Pacquiao v Ugas will save the August 21, 2021, show and all Boxing fans should tune in or attend the live event at the T -Mobile center in Las Vegas. This writer picks Pacquiao via 8th round TKO of Ugas in an exciting fight. Contact Writer: RLuvsboxing@aol.com ***Ralph Rimpell is a writer based out of New York and is a Boxing Correspondent for Philboxing.com. Ralph holds an undergraduate degree from City University of New York. He has been a Boxing Writer for over ten years having written for several top boxing websites on the World Wide Web. Before becoming a writer, Ralph's passion was for professional wrestling until he realized professional wrestling was entertainment and not a real sport. It was at that time the 1984 US Olympic team made up of future stars such as Evander Holyfield, Meldrick Taylor, Pernell Whitaker, etc. entered the professional ranks and signed with promotional outfit Main Events.It was also at that time a young exciting Heavyweight originally hailing from Brooklyn named Mike Tyson also turned professional and became the face of boxing. Young boxing fan Ralph just couldn't get enough of boxing as a large part of it was being broadcast on "free TV". As time went on, Ralph felt boxing writers were not being forthcoming with their boxing coverage, opinion pieces, interviews, etc. So Ralph decided to write an article and submitted it to a Boxing website thinking it would be deleted and ignored by the Editor. To Ralph's surprise his article was posted on their website and the readers embraced it. The rest is history. "I thank God for the Internet because it has created opportunities for writers like myself who likely would not have been given an opportunity to write for print publications. I hope someday soon to expand my role in Boxing on different levels." -- Ralph Rimpell Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ralph Rimpell.  |
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