By Allan Fox: Yordenis Ugas says he’s not out to avenge his controversial loss to Shawn Porter from 2019, as he’s not a “priority” for him right now.
Yordenis admits that his loss to Porter before he had the experience that he possesses now, and he’s now a better fighter than he was back then. As a result, avenging the loss to Porter, which was questionable, it’s on Yordenis’ radar.
WBA Ugas (27-4, 12 KOs) isn’t going to consume valuable time in his career trying to avenge his now meaningless four losses in low-paying fights. Instead, he wants to face Manny Pacquiao in a rematch should he decide to continue fighting. That fight could happen next January.
If Pacquiao chooses to retire, Ugas would like to face IBF/WBC welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. in a unification fight. As of now, Ugas says his team will decide which direction he goes for his next fight.
Besides Pacquiao and Spence, WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford could be a great option for Ugas if he can’t get either of those two.
Ugas wants Spence to heal
“I’m praying for Errol Spence, but the most important thing is what the team decides on his next opponent and next plans,” said Yordenis Ugas on Tuesday in a Zoom call with the media to discuss his win over Pacquiao and future plans.
“I wasn’t happy about that,” said Ugas in talking about his loss to Shawn Porter in 2019.
“I know the lack of experience was really important at that moment, but now I know I’m a better fighter, a most experienced fighter. But for now, it’s not a priority [to try and avenge the loss to Porter.”
It’s pointless for Ugas to focus on wanting to fight Porter again because the money wouldn’t be nearly as good as it would be for him to face Pacquiao, Spence, or Crawford.
With Porter expected to face Crawford next, there’s a good chance that he’ll lose to the Top Rank promoted fighter and when that happens, there would be no need for Yordenis to fight him again.
Pacquiao needs to decide whether he wants to fight Ugas again because he’s not going to wait around for a long time for him to make the decision.
Ugas didn’t say anything about his injured left bicep, which he recently revealed was hurt three weeks before his fight with Pacquiao. In the Zoom call, one could still see that Ugas’ left bicep is swollen.
If he’s going to need surgery to repair the problem, he should do it soon so that he had enough time to train for a potential rematch with Pacquiao in January. That’s only four months away.
