Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao is fighting this weekend and he is taking on a late replacement opponent because Errol Spence Jr. suffered an eye injury in training camp and was forced to pull out of the fight.
The man who will step up to the plate is WBA welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas, a tough Cuban boxer who won the Bronze medal in the 2008 Olympic games.
The reason Pacquiao picked Ugas is because he wants to beat up the man who he believes was handed his WBA belt on a platter and wants to reclaim his belt.
Pacquiao won the title against Keith Thurman in 2019 and became the oldest fighter in history to hold a welterweight belt at the age of 40. The WBA stripped him of the belt and made Ugas the super champion.
Pacquiao is 42 years old and hasn’t fought in over two years, and this fight with Ugas has the makings of an upset.
Age catches up to all fighters and when Pacquiao fought Keith Thurman, he won the fight only because he knocked down Thurman in round one and hurt him to the body in the later rounds.
If Thurman had thrown more punches and pressed the action he could have beat Pacquiao by points or even get the stoppage.
Pacquiao was clearly slowing down and his gas tank was running on fumes toward the later stage of the Thurman fight and I can only image that he will get even more tired against Ugas since its been more than two years since his last fight.
Ugas is a decorated Cuban amateur boxer, he may not be the fastest, but he knows how to keep distance and break down the body.
The body attack will be the key for Ugas and it will take the steam out of Pacquiao’s legs, and if he applies a body attack early he could get a late round stoppage if he continues to apply pressure, but that isn’t Ugas style, he will try to box with a measured approach and not get careless.
Ugas doesn’t waste punches he likes to catch punches on his gloves and shoot or counter off that. Ugas can outbox Pacquiao and outwork him, but I have a feeling if he outboxes Pacquiao the judges might rob him on the scorecards.
Ugas must really seize the moment in this fight and if the KO is available step on the gas when he sees Pacquiao hurt and make sure he doesn’t breath, make the old man feel his age and he can get the stoppage.
If the judges are fair, I got Ugas by split decision, but I’m hoping for Ugas to beat Pacquiao by KO.
