By Huck Allen: Amir Khan says Yordenis Ugas will give Errol Spence Jr. a lot of problems when the two meet in a unification fight at 147 in April. Khan says Ugas’ skill set will make it difficult for IBF/WBC welterweight champion Spence (27-0, 21 KOs) to beat him.
WBA 147-lb champion Ugas (27-4, 12 KOs) is coming off a big win over Manny Pacquiao last August, and he’s got a lot of confidence from that victory.
We don’t know what version of Spence we’re going to see against Ugas because he’s coming off an eye injury and a year and a half layoff.
Spence didn’t look good before his long layoff in his last fight against Danny Garcia in 2020, so it’s reasonable to assume that he won’t look better for being inactive for that amount of time.
What Spence should be doing is taking a tune-up to get ready for the Ugas fight, but he’s choosing not to do that. According to Spence, only insecure fighters take tune-ups. With an attitude like that, Spence is asking for trouble.
Ugas also fought Shawn Porter in 2019 and performed better against him than Spence did, even though he didn’t win. I know for boxing fans that’s hard to understand, but it’s a reality.
In this sport, the famous fighters are almost impossible to beat by a decision unless it’s so one-sided that it would be ridiculous for the judges to give them the nod.
Amir talks Spence vs. Ugas
“I fought Ugas in the amateurs, and I beat him in the second round,” said Amir Khan to iFL TV when asked to give his thoughts on Yordenis Ugas fighting Errol Spence Jr. in April.
“I put him down twice. He’s a really good fighter. He messaged me the other day as well. Ugas, as a pro, is a really good fighter. As an amateur, he was a world champion when I fought him.
“Ugas is fighting Spence. I think with his skillset, Ugas has got, I think he will cause a few problems. I think Spence has got the power and the work rate to outpoint him,” Khan said.
As Khan says, if Spence isn’t 100% for the fight, Ugas will give him problems, and he might even beat him. It’ll be a hard fight for Ugas, though, as he’s getting up there in age at 35, and he would be fighting a more formidable opponent than his last match against 42-year-old Manny Pacquiao.
Ugas that Khan fought was much younger, and not the fighter is today. We’re talking about a fight that took place 18 years ago in 2004 in the world championships in Jeju Island, South Korea.
It’s fair to say that Khan would have problems with Ugas if he fought him now. Ugas has gotten better, whereas Khan has pretty much stopped fighting.
Khan says Benn beats Broner
“You got Vergil Ortiz. I think it’s a little too soon to fight those guys,” said Khan about Conor Benn not being ready to fight Vergil, even though he’s two years older at 25.
Vergil Ortiz Jr. (18-0, 18 KOs) is 23-years-old, and he had a more lengthy amateur background than Conor Benn (20-0, 13 KOs). That’s why Khan doesn’t feel that Benn, 25, is ready to take on Vergil.
Besides that, Ortiz can punch just as hard if not harder than Benn, and he would be a nightmarish opponent for the British fighter to face now. The mistakes that 37-year-old Chris Algieri repeatedly made in his recent fourth round knockout loss to Benn Ortiz wouldn’t make.
You would never see Vergil back up against the ropes against Benn, which is what Algieri did many times in his fight. Algieri has a lot of knowledge about the sport, but he fought like he had no common sense against Benn.
“To fight [Adrien] Broner, I think that would be a good fight for him [Benn], and he’d get a lot of recognition in America,” continued Khan. “To have that fight in the U.S would be even good for him as well.
“And to step up and fight these top guys to get your name out there as well. I think that’s a good fight for him. Yeah, I think so,” said Khan when asked if Benn could beat Broner. “It would be a hard fight, but I think he can.
“I don’t think Adrien Broner looks after himself as much outside of camp and outside of training. I think it’s a good fight for him to get on his record,” said Khan.
Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has already contacted the 32-year-year-old ‘The Problem’ Broner (34-4-1, 24 KOs) to try and set up a fight with Benn, but it’s still not happening.
Broner wants a tune-up fight at 140 before taking on Benn and hasn’t indicated that he’ll take the fight.
One thing that will make it difficult for Hearn to get Broner to agree to the match is his wealth, as he’s made enough money to where he doesn’t need to be rushed into the ring for a payday.
Broner has a net worth of $6 million, so he’s not going to agree to a fight with Benn without making sure he’s ready. He knows that Benn is too big of a puncher for him to go into the battle without a proper tune-up and in good shape.