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Philippines, 25 Mar 2026 |
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SPORTS SHORTS 199: WHO IS YORDENIS UGAS? HE IS NOT GUILLERMO RIGONDEAUX SAYS TIMOTHY BRADLEY AND TRAINER ISMAEL SALAS (FOURTH OF A SERIES/CONCLUSION) By Maloney L. Samaco PhilBoxing.com Fri, 20 Aug 2021  Yordenis Ugas, the 35-year-old Cuban who is 26-4 with 12 knockouts, will stake his WBA (Super) welterweight title against the man whom the governing body stripped the same belt and declared "champion in recess" Manny Pacquiao. * * * “I’ve watched all the tape I can on this guy so far and he has a big overhand right and he’s a little bit slow of foot, but he’s aggressive," trainer Freddie Roach said. “It’s not going to be easy by any means. But I think it’s a very winnable fight if Manny boxes the way I want him to and uses his foot speed and his hand speed.’’ * * * Ugas doesn’t mind that he is a great underdog in the days leading to the fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. * * * “I’m here to shock the world, to pull off a huge upset," he told USA TODAY. “I don’t care what the odds are with the sports books. I’m here to win and pull off a huge victory." * * * When asked if Ugas' pronouncements might become a realty, the eight-division world champion readily replied in the negative. "I don’t think so," Pacquiao said. “I hear that language many times." * * * In 2019, he lost to Shawn Porter, a former two-time welterweight world champion, by a disputed split decision, and many believed Ugas won. * * * “I thought he won that fight," Teddy Atlas, the boxing analyst, told USA TODAY Sports. “Ugas is a counterpuncher. He’s conservative and he’s patient. He’s not a relentless, pressure guy. He’s a guy who looks to take advantage in spots. But he’s a guy that can be outhustled. That’s the good news for Manny." * * * “The danger would be (Pacquiao) getting caught coming in with a counter. He’s a pretty good body puncher, Ugas. But I favor Manny to win this fight." * * * An orthodox fighter, Ugas will remarkably be a different opposition for Pacquiao, compared to a southpaw in Errol Spence, and other substantial disparity. * * * ESPN boxing analyst and two-division world champion Timothy Bradley Jr., who fought Pacquiao in a trilogy, analyzed the fight and what Ugas has to give on Saturday's WBA title showdown. * * * "Yordenis Ugas, right, nearly beat Shawn Porter for the WBC welterweight title in March 2019, but he faces a very different kind of fight against Manny," said Bradley. * * * "Ugas can be crafty in the ring. He is a counter puncher, and he does have a good snapping jab. He likes to double and triple the jab up a lot. Ugas will sit still in spots, look to exchange and try to catch guys in between punches when they least expect it," continued Bradley. * * * The fighter called "Desert Storm" commented that Ugas has never been stopped, and three of his four losses was by split decision. "He is savvy enough to know how to hide it when he's hurt. He's savvy enough to know what he needs to do to be able to survive." * * * "We saw the best of Ugas against Porter, which was a very close fight....But Porter is a much different fighter than Pacquiao, and Ugas' successes in that previous bout don't mean he'll have them against Pacquiao. Styles make fights." * * * Ugas comes from Cuba, and like so many of the other boxers who have come out of that kind of training from the country who tops in amateur boxing, he has a lot of miles on his body from his time on the amateur circuit, according to the ex-champ from Palm Springs, California. * * * He last fought in 2020, and only once that year, so his inactivity balances out with Pacquiao who was out of the ring for two years. * * * "Ugas is not a big mover, like most of the Cuban boxers we see, including Guillermo Rigondeaux, who we saw stink it up last weekend, refusing to engage. Ugas doesn't pick up his feet too often," added Bradley. * * * "Pacquiao loves it when he has a guy who sits right in front of him, with his high guard up and coming straight down the middle. It lets Pacquiao get on his angles and change levels simultaneously, seamlessly. I think it's going to be way too much trouble. Too much power." * * * Bradley thinks Ugas doesn't have a whole lot of punching power, and there's not a whole lot that he believes Pacquiao has to fear. In his 26 professional wins, Ugas only has 12 knockouts. * * * "Ugas is the last-minute replacement, and good for him: He has struck gold with this fight against Pacquiao on pay-per-view," stated Bradley. * * * Ismael Salas is warning Pacquiao that Ugas will not run from him this Saturday night when he defends his WBA "Super" welterweight title. The Cuban coach emphasized that Ugas’ fighting style is completely different from Rigondeaux, who angered the fans for his running style in his fight last weekend against Casimero. * * * Salas saw the Casimero vs. Rigondeaux fight a 12 round draw for the record and thought neither boxer did enough action to deserve a win. Salas says the style that Rigondeaux used in that fight is not the "Cuban style." * * * During the final press conference, Salas stressed on Ugas' experience as an amateur fighter and his with his latest wins. Ugas fights for the love of the sport. * * * “The experience that Ugas has from the Olympics and over 500 amateur bouts is going to be the most important thing for him in this fight. We’ve been on a roll for these last 12 fights since Ugas has started working with me. We’re going to keep it going on Saturday," said Salas. * * * “To fight Manny Pacquiao is an honor. To me, he’s a legend and a person who is an inspiration for millions of fighters. But when you look back at his recent fights, he hasn’t delivered a knockout in a long time. He’s dropped guys, but it’s been a while since he’s knocked someone out. * * * “Ugas fights for his pride and for his love of the sport. For a long time he has been struggling here in the United States. We are immigrants, and every immigrant has to adjust to the way of living. Despite all of the changes he has been through, he has had success. He needs to keep working for what he loves, which is boxing." Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.  |
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