By Allan Fox: Errol Spence Jr. believes he’s got all the advantages over Yordenis Ugas for their welterweight unification fight next month on April 16th.
Spence (27-0, 21 KOs) feels that Ugas isn’t going to be able to out-slug or outbox him the way he did in his last fight against 42-year-old Manny Pacquiao in August 2021.
Ugas (27-4, 12 KOs) was able to take advantage of Pacquiao’s poor defense to hit him repeatedly with looping right hands all night long to win a 12 round unanimous decision over him.
Spence says that Ugas won’t be able to land that same looping right hand against him as he did against Pacquiao, even though he’s a southpaw like the Filipino star.
For Ugas, he’s going to have to come with something different if he wants to connect with shots on Spence because he’s going to be ready for his right.
“I feel like I do everything better. Jab, come forward, back up, I’m fundamentally better sound than him and defense,” said Errol Spence to Fighthype when asked what he does better than Yordenis Ugas. “Basically everything, but he’s still a good fighter, though.
“If he can hold up to my punches, it’s going to be a great fight,” continued Spence. “He might do a little step back, but for the most part, he’s right there in the pocket exchanging punches. I think that makes for a great fight.
“Most of the fights that he’s in are very entertaining. I feel he’s a macho-type guy. If he gets caught with a good shot, he’ll want to get that shot back,” said Spence.
Typically, Ugas comes forward looking to put pressure on his opponents, and he doesn’t back up much. That could play into Spence’s hands if Ugas chooses to come forward all night, as that will make it easier for him to land.
“I’m sure his coach will have a game plan and will have stuff that he wants to do,” Spence said. “I feel like even if he’s not in the pocket and is on the outside, I’ll still hold the advantage because I can do that too.
“I’m not just going to focus on one thing that he does because he might switch it up or try to switch it up in the fight. I think it’ll come down to the fundamentals at the first start of the fight.
“At the end of the fight where you get tired, do you drop your hands or do you get tired and lackadaisical and get caught with shots your not supposed to get caught with?
“I think it’s going to be a mixture of everything. I think it’s a good shot; it’s a shot that a lot of international fighters throw,” said Spence about the looping right hand that Ugas was hitting Manny Pacquiao with all night in their fight last year on August 21.
“I don’t really care about that shot. He’ll have to do more than that to just land that shot,” Errol said of Yordenis’ primary weapon. “I feel like Pacquiao always gets hit with looping shots like that. So, I don’t think that’ll play much of an effect on me.
“I’m used to fighting orthodox fighters and have fought them my whole life. If I want to impose my jab, I’ll practice doing it. As they say, ‘Practice makes perfect.’
“I feel like if you practice it long enough in the gym, you’re going to get a better percent rate on it. It’s something I steadily practice on, and I’ve crafted it and perfected it pretty well.
“I feel like if he had a little bit more in the tank, he would have gone all out as he did with Keith Thurman because I feel like Pacquiao is a guy that if he has a lot in the tank, he’s going to release it and give it all he’s got,” Spence said about Pacquiao’s loss to Ugas.
“I feel like he wanted to, but he couldn’t. When you get to the point where you’re older, your mind wants to do it, but your body doesn’t do it.
“I think he got to the point where there were a lot of things he wanted to do, but he couldn’t do,” said Spence about the 42-year-old Pacquiao.
