Manny Pacquiao continues to challenge Father Time to join another title against Yordenis Ugas

It was just over six years ago that welterweight champions Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao came together in the biggest fight in boxing to date to claim the title of best fighter of their collective era.

Although the fast-paced fight came five years late, after the prolongation of the delay soap opera, it was a match between two of the best fighters on the planet. Considering their respective ages – Mayweather was 38 years old, Pacquiao was 36 – there was a historical element at stake, each offering a final chance to define his legacy once and for all with a victory.

Pacquiao, who blamed the injured shoulder, would lose the fight convincing the decision and Mayweather, as expected, would definitely retire four months later from the “traditional” part of his wrestling career (although there were best-described return trios. Almost like exhibitions, if not complete ). Pacquiao, however, never stopped fighting.

An interesting aspect of Pacquiao’s legacy is that despite losing to Mayweather in a fight that would be crucial to most of their careers, the Filipino icon had already solidified his legacy, or apparently became the only eight-time boxing champion in 2010.

Few had guessed that from 2015 onwards Pacquiao would continue to fight at the elite level based on his age and style as a lesser fighter based on his speed and explosiveness against big opponents. Even less, he could have predicted that he would be fighting today, as the highest salary payment on the annual calendar for the weekend in Las Vegas would be expected.

However, here we are, a few days after Pacquio, 42 years old, when we enter as favorites of our favorite bets after two years of release Yordenis Ugas challenged WBA welterweight title holder in Saturday’s main event (PBC Fox PPVn, 9 p.m. ET), Ugas was a late substitute for 147-pound joint champion Errol Spence Jr., whose retina was torn just 11 days after he was torn.

Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) was just 16 years old when he made his professional debut in 1995 at 106 pounds. Surprisingly 26 years later, when his contemporaries, if active, are usually boxing MMA fighters and YouTube agents, Pacquiao doesn’t add to his legacy.

Although Mayweather’s immediate subsequent victories were tremendous for Timothy Bradley Jr. (in his trilogy) and Jessie Vargas, they had nothing to do with suggesting what would come next. In the 12-month span that began in July 2018, Pacquiao wrote a triple for the victories of Lucas Matthysse, Adrien Broner and Keith Thurman, who did not win at the time. The stunning revival earned him an honorary fighter of nearly 40 years and once again established him as one of the best P4P players in the game.

So how did we get there, apparently with Pacquiao finding the saying of a young source? Is the legend as simple as it is vivid, that in an unusual time he bound himself as hard as possible, the last creature of his race as a true geek of nature?

“Yeah, a little bit,” coach Freddie Roach said He told Morning Kombat last month. “His speed, strength and work ethic are still great. He trains very hard every day and has a great foot job.”

Roach, a Hall of Fame tutor who has served as Pacquiao’s father since he left the street for a fight in Los Angeles more than 20 years ago, has established PacMan’s passion for the sport. despite its fame and success it will be extinguished as a secret of its duration.

Pacquiao admitted, saying CBS Sports last week“My secret is training and, of course, discipline. [But] I’ve been happy for three decades and I’m enjoying what I’m still doing. ”

Can’t get enough boxing and MMA? Get two of the best deals in the newest world of wrestling sports. Subscribe to Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and in-depth news, including a full preview of Manny Pacquiao vs Yordenis Ugas followed by Rafe Bartholomew.

However, in terms of the reputation he has developed as a fighter who is constantly looking to return to his fans, not only is he fighting for the best, he is looking for opponents with a unique style to match his, Pacquiao has focused on his hobby. it does and gives others the opportunity to inspire as their main source of motivation. That’s why he looked for Spence first and that’s why it was the same to accept Ugas as a replacement in such a short period of time.

“I think that’s proof of being passionate about this sport, because that’s my passion,” Pacquiao said. “In addition to fighting and making money, it inspires boxing fans and encourages young fighters to work hard and make the decision to dream.”

Although Pacquiao was highly disciplined and a prominent gym rat, Roach admitted that his fighter was aroused by his loss to Jeff Horn in 2017 when he called Pacquiao, who appeared to be getting old at night in a damaging fight, when he arrived in Australia as a senator in his native Philippines. while he was doing it during a distracted training camp.

Pacquiao has ensured that he does a better job of balancing his civic duties, although it can be argued that the return of the current ring is politically motivated. In 2022 he introduced the presidential rumor.

How Pacquiao’s political hopes may affect his struggle in the future is uncertain. Roach believes that winning the election in Pacquiao’s final campaign and then winning one more boxing match is the president of the Philippines. Pacquiao was much more irresponsible when asked and stressed that he continues to fight the way he behaves and the way he feels.

In any case, Pacquiao’s ageless ways and his charitable reputation have become round in the return of boxing. It has partnered with Takeover Industries to make NXT LVL the face of the Hydrogen Water campaign. supplied with gas from the source water used for training and recovery.

Pacquiao has rarely been seen with the camera in the pre-fight construction, with the product in his hand or the logo covered on his team gear. Although it is expected to be an economically rich partnership for both sides. Takeover CEO Toby McBride said the drink made more than a million dollars online in the first 120 days before entering the retail market. to return.

After sending samples of the drink while he was training, Pacquiao liked his benefits a lot, he turned to the company to offer a partnership to market the product in Southeast Asia. This led to an agreement where the fighter’s Manny Pacquiao Foundation signed the NXT LVL Foundation to make them happier to receive a percentage of all sales.

“We’re helping around the world providing so many shelters and, of course, providing so much medical care,” Pacquiao said. “We have been building houses in Uganda [for example] and it is good. It is my heart and desire that I want to help people from the beginning, not only for my countrymen, but all over the world. I want to be an inspiration to everyone, as much as I can. ”

McBrid, who has had a history of launching successful beverage brands such as SoBe, Arizona Iced Tea and Xyience, said the health and anti-aging benefits of his product are not at all easy to match with Pacquiao’s enduring popularity.

“I’ve loved the guy since he started fighting. The fact that we can help his charity has sealed me,” McBrid said. “We can sell as much as we can and that’s going to be great, but if we can save lives and help people, I’ve done my job. He’s just an amazing man and that’s why I made the deal. He’s number one now. How do you feel, how do you do it?” you manage your days and how you should do your life. That’s what our product is for. ”

The story of Pacquiao defying Father Time turns into a great pre-fight story, but it’s inevitably rare for a boxer who isn’t the last to know that they’ve lasted a long time. How many roles will the two-year release play against Pacquiaori Ugas (26-4), a 35-year-old technician and former Cuban amateur star adorned who is tall and durable in weight?

“In my situation, [the layoff] it’s good for me, I’ve been boxing for almost 30 years, “Pacquiao said.” That’s uninterrupted, so it’s best for me to rest for two years. My body didn’t have time to rest [previously]. When I returned to training camp and fighting mode, I was very happy and content. What I’m doing now, I feel like I’m young again. I’m always inspired to work hard like I did when I was young. “

Asked about the danger his opponent (originally Spence, and now Ugas) poses to the ring against him at this age, Pacquiao quickly recalled that the only danger at the elite level is not being fully prepared – spiritually or physically – he promised it would not be a problem.

Pacquiao’s age, where he came from and what he did is a deep natural retrospective. Could you have imagined that a poor kid who sold donuts and cigarettes on the streets of Manila could one day run for president and be a confident Hall of Fame boxer, have you definitely left at a age when he is still strong?

The answer was simple.

“Where I come from, I can’t imagine from the beginning that I would accomplish all of these things,” Pacquiao said. “I’ve always believed that they brought me out of nowhere to help people and inspire everyone.

“If God gives me strength and good health and always protects me, I can continue to fight. But right now it’s one by one. I can’t talk about the next until I focus on this first. Then discuss and talk about the future.”