By Max Schramm: Mikey Garcia says Yordenis Ugas is a “dangerous” fight for Errol Spence Jr. to be taking with him coming off eye surgery last August. Spence (27-0, 21 KOs) is risking serious injury to his eye, says Mikey.
IBF/WBC welterweight champion Spence and Ugas (27-4, 12 KOs) will be meeting in April with three titles on the line for this pay-per-view fight. The exact date and location for the Spence-Ugas fight still have yet to be decided, but it should be revealed soon.
Should Spence have taken tune-up?
What bothers the former four-division world champion Garcia is that Spence, 31, has chosen to jump straight into a tough fight against one of the best fighters in the 147-lb division in Ugas.
Spence doesn’t believe in taking tune-ups, which is admirable of him, but it’s potentially foolish. If Spence does reinjure his eye, he could live to regret his decision to take this fight.
Mikey rates Ugas highly, feeling he’s one of the best fighters in the welterweight division. Ugas is a strong puncher who sent Manny Pacquiao into retirement in his last fight when he came in as a replacement for the injured Spence.
Spence is taking a risk
“That’s a tough one for Spence because he’s coming off eye surgery and all that,” said Mikey Garcia to Fighthype on Errol Spence’s next fight against Yordenis Ugas in April.
“We don’t know how his body will react from an actual fight,” said Mikey in expressing concern about Spence’s surgically repaired eye.
“If he gets hit, it could be a damaging blow. I don’t know. It could cause serious injuries. That’s a tough fight for a return fight after surgery like that for Spence.
“Big props for him for taking a fight like that, but that’s a dangerous fight. Stylistically, I think Spence is a better fighter, but Ugas is no pushover. Big size, strong,” Mikey said about Yordenis.
Even if Spence doesn’t reinjure his eye, he could lose if he fights with less aggression than he usually does.
Ugas won’t be injured, and he’ll be fighting hard just as he did in his victory over 42-year-old Pacquiao and in his controversial loss to Shawn Porter.
Some boxing fans believe Ugas performed better against Porter than Spence did but was robbed of a victory by the judges in that fight.
Mikey can’t pick Spence vs. Ugas winner
Ugas dominated Shawn Porter, and he looked a lot better against him than Spence.
In Ugas’ last fight, he dominated Manny Pacquiao, beating him soundly by a 12 round decision.
After the fight, Pacquiao resorted to making excuses for his loss by blaming it on his calves cramping up from all the running he had done in training camp. The truth is, Pacquiao likely would have lost even if his calves hadn’t cramped.
“He’s a world champion for a reason, you know?” Mikey continued about WBA welterweight champion Ugas.
“He fought very good against Porter. Some thought he might have won, and then he beats Manny Pacquiao. He’s big and strong too.
“It’s not an easy fight. It’s a tough one, and I can’t even tell you who is going to win. He might even fight a little differently, a little cautious based on the injury.
“He feels fine but he wants to be a little cautious about it. So he might fight a little differently than he usually is used to. That could play a factor. We’ll see, but it’s a good fight,” said Mikey about the Spence vs. Ugas unification match.
The fact that Mikey can’t pick a winner for the Spence vs. Ugas fight shows you how evenly matched these two fighters are.
Typically, Spence would be seen as the winner of the fight, but the eye injury, car crash, and long layoff from the sport make it difficult to pick him as the clear winner.
You don’t know how ell Spence will perform after what he’s gone through in the last three years.