Manny Pacquiao vs. Yordenis Ugasen Fight: Five of the biggest stories to watch before the PPV showdown

One of the greatest boxers of his generation returns on Saturday night with another Las Vegas PPV poster. Former eight-time champion Manny Pacquiao is back at the age of 42 when he formally takes on WBA head coach Yordenis Ugas. The main event of a Fox PPV PBC.

Pacquiao will once again fight for the 147-pound title he won in his last outing, a spectacular decision that was won by then-undefeated Keith Thurman. The showcase taken from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas this weekend will not be against the original unified champion Errol Spence Jr., who retired last week when his retina was torn.

Let’s take a look at some of the biggest stories coming into the Philippines ’hopeful return.

1. How is it possible that Pacquiao remains at that level?

Pacquiao will certainly not be the first legendary fighter to turn 40, returning to another great fight. But if you think Pacquiao is your favorite bet against the active champion, despite his long layoffs, and considering how much speed and explosion he has as a “PacMan” boxer, what he does at 42 is remarkable. To put things in perspective, Vergil Ortiz Jr. a rising welterweight competitor who won the biggest fight so far last Saturday before he ousted Egidjius “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas before calling him Pacquiao, who was still three years old. Pacquiao made his professional debut in 1995. However, here we are, 26 years and thousands of miles later, after Pacquiao leveled against the most dangerous enemies that are constantly on, he still continues to do so. Even Pacquiao’s contemporaries like Floyd Mayweather, while active, are largely returning to circus fights against MMA fighters and social media agents. History offers very little compared to what Pacquiao continues to do, which made Spence his initial intention to fight the pound-pound.

2. Ugas is Spence’s downfall, but not by much

It certainly changed dramatically from the betting tests to the commercial expectations of Saturday’s PPV fight. The name Spence was removed from the canopy. Ugas (26-4, 12 KOs), who has more technicians than a destroyer compared to Spence (they are both), is less likely to send Pacquiao to retirement through the playoffs to be sent to disaster. However, Pacquiao-Ugas is still in a tough fight, especially for the hard-core fans of the game who are now passing Ugas, a 35-year-old former Cuban star, who goes from traveling to a competitor and now seeing the champion. Great at the weight level, Uga will be tall and will gain an advantage against Pacquiao and is a tremendously disciplined puncher with the ability to advance when he senses a good defense and advantage. Although Ugas ’experience against elite fighters is not close to Pacquiao’s (or Spence’s) case, he has managed solid victories against Jamal James, Thomas Dulorme, Omar Figueroa Jr. and Abel Ramos. His best performance was probably the controversial loss, when he was robbed of the 12th round playoff match against Shawn Porter in 2019, which played a key role in the split defeat of the decision. While adapting to Pacquiao’s speed and awkward angles is never easy, Uga has the technical skill to make key adjustments that Pacquiao’s adaptations can provide. Porter’s struggle alone showed why Ugas Spence, Terence Crawford, Porter and Pacquiao had to be taken outside the 147-pound elite core.

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3. Will a two-year release be negative or positive for this version of Pacquiao?

Yes, it’s hard to look at the surface as Pacquiaori spends as much free time during the pandemic as anything that can be positive, especially at his age. Timing is everything that is inside the ring and one of the only ways for a fighter to stay fit is to stay active. In retrospect, the activity should be taken as a key part of Pacquiao’s latest comeback as a result of a lost conflict with Jeff Horn, who came out of his one-year release in 2018, when he fought three times in the next 12 months and reached the age. challenging victories against Lucas Matthysse, Adrien Broner and Keith Thurman. Even if he’s in front of Spence or Ugas, taking a lot of time has the power to get Pacquiao flat out. But if there is a silver coating on the hiatus, Pacquiao suffered no injuries and was able to heal the confusing injuries. One of the things that has allowed Pacquiao to maintain his endurance has been his passion for training and the intensity with which he works, even between fights. This is by no means a preferred scenario for adapting to the PPV level, but there does not seem to be a lack of motivation in terms of preparation, even with the late change of the opponent. Not only is the risk that Spence has brought to the table a good reason for Pacquiao not to be stoned in training, the fact that he is threatening to run for the Philippine presidency in 2021 means making such a fresh win from the round. Simply put: don’t expect Pacquiao to be less than the best he can still be at this age.

4. Win or lose, it could be the last time we see Pacquiao in a big fight

Considering his age, Pacquiao shows a bad loss of permanent retirement at any given time, roughly agreeing in a recent interview with “Morning Kombat” where he focused on his philosophy of waiting and seeing his future. . Given his political intentions, it’s as easy as imagining that Pacquiao doesn’t have time to train and compete if he were to fulfill his goal of becoming president of his hometown. Hall of Fame coach Freddie Roach shared another opinion, saying recently that one of Pacquiao’s other goals is to accept and win the fight as president. But Pacquiao was committed. Either way, we’re a lot closer to the end of Pacquiao’s boxing journey than the end, which is well worth celebrating this week as he continues to make big fights on the biggest stages of the sport. he and Mayweather gave the cane to Canelo Alvarez long ago because of the biggest face of the current boxing era.

5. There will be no shortage of fights if Pacquiao still wants them

Spence’s eye injury, just two years after he miraculously survived a dangerous car accident, certainly raises some questions about his future. Given Pacquiao’s level of uncertainty as a result of his age, the biggest call to see Pacquiao-Spence fall this weekend is the fear that the window of this action-packed fight will close before our eyes. But boxing fans have repeatedly learned never to say no, and if Pacquiao proves against Ugas that he has still succeeded and wants to continue to make the biggest fights, his chances will be overwhelmed. Having a weird network and a free promotional agent helps Pacquiao tremendously in this case. Weightlifting fights are a huge battle against a rematch with Spence, Crawford, Porter, Ortiz, Danny Garcia, Mikey Garcia or Thurman, as well as young fighters of about 135 pounds and about 135 pounds who appear ready to regain the sport. coming years. Representing Perviao portraying those like Gervonta Davis, Teofimo Lopez Jr., Ryan Garcia or Devin Haney, raising them in both departments to meet a challenge, is a welcome proposition for fans.