Yordenis Ugas sees his WBA Championship belt for the first time since beating Pacquiao

Image: Yordenis Ugas sees his WBA Championship belt for the first time since beating Pacquiao
By Boxing News - 09/07/2021 - Comments

By Chris Williams: Yordenis Ugas finally got his WBA Super World championship belt on Tuesday following his sensational 12 round unanimous decision win over Manny Pacquiao last month on August 21st.

After listening to Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39 KOs) complain bitterly over and over again about being stripped of his WBA 147-lb strap, Ugas (27-4, 12 KOs) went out and showed him WHY the World Boxing Association had made him the ‘Super World’ champ by beating him decisively in their fight on FOX Sports PPV at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The scores (115-113, 116-112, and 116-112 ) showed who the better man was on the night. What made the victory for the former Cuban amateur talent Ugas so good is that he beat Pacquiao using just his right hand because his left bicep was injured during training camp.

Pacquiao didn’t exactly take the high road after the fight, choosing to make excuses for his loss, blaming the defeat on his cramping legs.

The proud Filipino star appeared to have some sour grapes about getting beaten by Ugas, and it was a bad look on Pacquiao’s part. It’s too bad Ugas didn’t offer Pacquiao some cheese for his bitter-sweet whine.

Image: Yordenis Ugas sees his WBA Championship belt for the first time since beating Pacquiao

Yordenis Ugas sees his WBA Championship belt

All Ugas needed to beat Pacquiao was his powerful right hand and his excellent timing and defense. If there is a negative to the fight, are the reports of the lower than expected PPV numbers.

The Pacquiao vs. Ugas fight reportedly brought in low PPV results, which isn’t surprising because the original opponent, the Filipino star, was IBF/WBC welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. Boxing fans wanted to see Pacquiao take on Spence (27-0, 21 KOs), who is a big star and viewed as the #1 welterweight on the planet by many people.

In contrast, Ugas was a fighter that the casual fans had never seen or heard of before. As such, they weren’t pleased when Ugas was brought in as the replacement for Spence after he suffered a torn retina during training camp.

If Pacquiao, 42, wants a chance to be reunited with his former WBA Super World 147-lb title belt, he’s going to have to face Ugas in a rematch and attempt to win it back.

Pacquiao said recently that he felt that Ugas was one of the “easiest” fighters he’s faced before, and he felt that he would have won the fight if he didn’t suffer leg cramps in the fourth round.

If Pacquiao feels like he’s not up for the job, Ugas should look to face WBO champion Terence Crawford or Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman.

There’s also undisputed light welterweight champion Josh Taylor, who has been bragging about supposedly getting the better of Ugas during a sparring session in the distant past.