Yordenis Ugas has wanted to prove himself against Errol Spence Jr. for the past four years.
Now that the Cuban champion’s long wait is finally near its conclusion, Ugas cannot wait to face Spence, even in what figures to be hostile territory. Spence (27-0, 21 KOs), of DeSoto, Texas, and Ugas (27-4, 12 KOs), a Miami resident who trains in Las Vegas, are set to fight April 16 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, where they’ll compete for Spence’s IBF and WBC and Ugas’ WBA belts.
Ugas’ only loss in 13 welterweight fights was a widely disputed, split-decision defeat to former IBF/WBC champ Shawn Porter in March 2019, but Spence represents his most daunting challenge thus far within the 147-pound division.
The 35-year-old Ugas wouldn’t want it any other way.
“I not only accepted this fight,” Ugas said during a press conference recently at AT&T Stadium. “I pushed for this fight because I wanna fight the best. And like I mentioned before, here we are, two of the best three welterweights in the world [along with Terence Crawford]. So, I want the biggest challenges. I’m here and I’m ready to prove that everything I did so far wasn’t a fluke at all.”
Other than arguably beating Porter, Ugas made his most noteworthy welterweight statement by defeating Manny Pacquiao convincingly in his most recent bout. Ugas replaced Spence as Pacquiao’s opponent on only 11 days’ notice once Spence sustained a tear to his left retina while sparring in preparation to box Pacquiao on August 21 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao was 42 and hadn’t box in more than two years when he squared off against Ugas in their FOX Sports Pay-Per-View main event. Ugas, who fought twice during Pacquiao’s long layoff, won eight of their 12 rounds on the cards of judges Dave Moretti (116-112) and Steve Weisfeld (116-112) and seven rounds according to judge Patricia Morse Jarman (115-113).
His superb performance, particularly since he switched opponents on such short notice, only made Ugas more confident that he is just as capable of beating another southpaw, though bigger and younger, in the 32-year-old Spence.
“You know how long I’ve been calling for this fight?,” Ugas asked. “How long I’ve wanted this fight for? Four years. I have been wanting this for so long. Spence is one of the best in the world. And I’m so glad now that I get to face him, like I have wanted for the past half decade.”
Spence and Ugas will headline a four-fight Showtime Pay-Per-View event. Caesars Sportsbook lists Spence as more than a 3-1 favorite, despite that he had serious eye surgery seven months ago and hasn’t boxed since December 2020.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
