LAS VEGAS — The guy who had a hand in Juan Manuel Marquez’s 2012 knockout win over Manny Pacquiao also finds his prints all over Yordenis Ugas’ upset victory over the Filipino icon Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.
Conditioning coach Memo Heredia spent half a year working with the Cuban, who earned a 12-round unanimous decision to retain the World Boxing Association welterweight crown for the first time.
“We had a very long camp and first we had to do pre-conditioning, weightlifting and anything that has got to do with strength. Then we move on to boxing conditioning by going to the tracks for boxing adaptation,” Heredia told Daily Tribune the morning after Ugas shocked the boxing world.
Heredia, based in Sin City, had no doubt in his mind that Ugas was going to be in terrific shape for the biggest bout of his career.
“Conditioning-wise, I knew he was in very, very good shape. I knew he was very strong,” Heredia said, now 2-0 against Pacquiao.
Ugas, 35, didn’t take a backward step unless he had to against Pacquiao, the heavy betting favorite.
“His boxing skills are so extremely well at this level. As I have told many times before, he (Ugas) was the boxer that many, many were afraid of,” Heredia added.
Ugas looked like a punching bag out there as he stood in front of Pacquiao from start to finish.
But Ugas was the kind of punching bag who fought back.
He repeatedly tagged Pacquiao with overhand rights that Ugas threw comfortably from a crouch position.
Pacquiao, who hadn’t fought in more than two years, struggled to find his range as his left straight, the feared punch whom everyone feared the most, could not land squarely on Ugas’ jaw.
Most of the time, Pacquiao could not reach Ugas. The other times, the 42-year-old missed badly.
Heredia said the conquest of Pacquiao was a potent mixture of three key elements: Conditioning, ring generalship and strategy.
“I am so proud of my guy, Ugas. Happy for him,” said Heredia, whose list of topnotch clients include bantamweight titlist John Riel Casimero.
