From challenging unified World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation welterweight champion Errol Spence, Manny Pacquiao will now take on Cuban boxer Yordenis Ugás for his old belt, the World Boxing Association “super” welterweight championship on August 21 (August 22 Philippine time) in Las Vegas.
Spence suffered an eye injury that took away his shot at going up against a legend, getting a career-defining win, and garnering the Ring Magazine welterweight title.
“I want to say that I’m praying for Errol to make a fast recovery from his injury. Health is always the priority and the most important thing,” expressed Pacquiao about Spence in a press conference for the new main event on Thursday.
The former eight-division world champion holds a record of 62 wins against seven losses and two draws, but is coming off a long layoff with his last fight being back in July 2019 when he defeated Keith Thurman for the WBA “super” welterweight crown.
In terms of legacy, Spence presented the biggest opportunity for Pacquiao, as the American is regarded by ESPN as the top welterweight along with Terrence Crawford in its welterweight division rankings. Pacquiao is ranked third, while Ugás is tied for sixth along with Vergil Ortiz, Jr.
It would have been another chance for Pacquiao, at age 42, to prove he’s one of the best to ever lace up gloves by defeating a champion in his prime. However, the injury to Spence coupled with the effort he already put into training let it be that the Filipino puncher had no other choice but to settle for a new opponent.
“I did my best in training and in preparation for this fight, so I wanted to make sure my hard work was not wasted,” explained Pacquiao.
“Ugás was ready to fight and challenge me so it’s a great thing that I can show off my hard work in the gym when we face each other on fight night. I’m not disappointed at all in what happened because my hard work will not be wasted. Ugás stepped up and is bringing his WBA championship into the fight, which I’m excited to fight for.” The situation with the WBA is unique to the organization because they have multiple champions in every division. At welterweight, Ugás is the “super” champion, Jamal James is the “regular” champion, Vergil Ortiz is the “gold” champion, and Pacquiao is the champion-in-recess.
When Pacquiao defeated Lucas Matthysse in 2018, he won the “regular” version, which he upgraded to “super” after beating Thurman. When “Pacman” relinquished the “regular” WBA strap, Ugás then picked it up.
During the pandemic, the WBA decided to strip Pacquiao of the “super” title due to inactivity and gave it instead to Ugás so they could earn sanctioning fees for putting their “regular” title on the line in a fight between James and Thomas Dulorme.
“Ugás is a champion because they gave him my belt,” detailed the Filipino fighter. “Now, we have to settle it inside the ring. I cannot take him lightly because he’s the kind of fighter who will take advantage of that.”
The biggest adjustment for Pacquiao shifting preparations from the left-handed Spence to the orthodox Ugás .
“I always consider myself a bipartisan boxer. I am happy to fight either right-handed or southpaw fighters. It’s no problem for me at all to switch the styles that I’m going to face,” he noted, while also admitting there’s risk involved with the late switch in opponent.
“The only danger for this fight is the change in stance. Both Spence and Ugás are aggressive fighters, which I like. We can create a lot of great action in the ring that the fans will love.”
The Cuban champion, who holds a record of 26 wins against four losses, was able to fill the void easily as he was already preparing for an undercard match against Fabian Maidana, the younger brother of former world champion Marcos Maidana.
“I know that Ugás is also very prepared for this fight because he was going to be on the undercard. If there was no Ugás in the undercard, it’s possible we would have canceled the fight. It’s a good thing we had another welterweight champion on the card for this scenario that happened,” described Pacquiao.
For his part, Ugás must feel like he has won the lottery, as he has been chasing Spence, but will now be on the biggest stage and under the brightest lights against the Philippines’ fighting senator.
“I’m feeling great and super excited to fight on this big stage. I’m ready to go get in the ring on August 21. I couldn’t be more excited for this fight,” he expressed.
“When I got the call that I was going to face one of the best fighters in history, it just pushed my excitement to new highs. I can’t wait to show everyone what I’m capable of.”
The Cuban knows full well a win against Pacquiao would open many doors for him and could also set him up for unification against Spence after his recovery.
“Fighting Manny Pacquiao is very significant to me. It means the world to me. I’m not fighting for the money, I’m fighting for my legacy and for my country. This is the most important fight of my life,” he stated.
“I’m well-aware that Pacquiao is the favorite, but at the same time, I’m a champion. Since I came back five years ago, I’ve overcome so much. I’ve faced so many strong opponents in order to get to where I am today. I have full confidence in myself and my ability to get a victory.”
