Manny Pacquiao Vs. Forecasts against Yordenis Ugas, odds, undercard, expert options, date, preview

From the point of view of commercial appeal, whatever he lost when he had great success over the summer, the return of Manny Pacquiao after his two-year release on Saturday shows a still fascinating style match.

Errol Spence Jr. After being forced to retire for just 11 days after the welterweight joint champion was forced to retire, Yordenis Ugas, a WBA holder, pulled out of his PPV main card to face Pacquiao in the main event of the Boxing Champions Premier card. Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena.

Even though Ugas (26-4, 12 KOs) did not threaten the power of the end of the fight at the same level as Spence without passing, the 35-year-old brings the technical knowledge of the time when he was a decorated and excellent Cuban amateur. the measure of division. He also feels comfortable exchanging firearms behind his great guard because of his defensive skills.

But one of the main reasons for 42-year-old Pacquiao and one of the main reasons the Filipino icon was willing to accept such a difficult fight to save the card in the short term, Ugas holds the WBA title that Pacquiao won in his last fight. When he gave Keith Thurman his first defeat since 2019. Ugas went on to become a champion in the middle of Pacquiao’s dismissal, as he didn’t get along well with the only eight-time boxing champion.

“I didn’t like that someone took my belt without challenging me in the ring,” Pacquiao said at Wednesday’s last press conference. “We’re both champions, but we’ll see who has the belt after Saturday.

“I only needed two days to adjust to fighting Ugas. I’ve fought a lot of right-wing fighters before. It would be harder to switch from training a right-back to a south winger. Most opponents have been right-wing, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

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Ugas, who was aiming to defend his belt against Fabian Maidana at the weekend, has made it 11-1 from 11-1 in 2016 to the best wave of his career, with victories such as Jamal James, Ray Robinson, Thomas Dulorme, Omar Figueroa and Abel. Branches. However, it was Ugas ’only failure that could have resulted in the most spectacular performance to date.

While he was challenged to win Shawn Porter’s WBC title in 2019, Ugas rose through the second half and led the fight directly to his equally aggressive enemy. Ugas not only made cleaner shots, but on the 12th day Porter appeared on the floor, even though it was not decided that the knockout. Porter made the decision of the majority discussed in the fight that Ugas should win.

Porter used the compact after a narrow victory to challenge Spence in the fight against PPV later that year, while forcing him to fight Ugas Pacquiao-Thurman’s underlying card. However, Ugas has shown the patience he has shown by giving and getting the most out of it when he called the phone offering an upgrade against Pacquiao.

“It’s been a long road for me,” Ugas said. “Of course, I learned very little that I was fighting Pacquiao, but I’m grateful for the opportunity and I’m ready to take advantage. We made the adjustments we made in the last two weeks. I’m ready for Pacquiao. We did everything we needed and are 100% ready to go on Saturday night.

“There’s no excuse to get into this fight. I’ve been taking short-term fights before, though of course I’ve never been against a fighter of Pacquiao’s level. I’m not worried, and I think we’ll both go ready for this fight.”

Pacquiao repeated the fight all week that he did not underestimate the challenge that Ugas poses, even though his prediction remained for Spence: a knockout victory. It is a potential result that Ugas did not swear.

“I’m sure he can’t get me out,” Ugas said. “I’ve done all the preparation over the last six years to get to this position. I’ve taken a step back and I don’t believe Manny can stop me.”

The card also features another fun game of good weight when Robert Guerrero plays alongside Victor Ortiz. Guerrero (36-6, 20 KOs) took a short retirement in 2017, following his third loss in a row and his fifth in the last seven. He returned in December 2018, however, and has scored three straight victories. It is noteworthy that Guerrero has not fought since September 2019. Ortiz (32-6, 25 KOs), meanwhile, has not fought since he drew a majority against Devon Alexander in February 2018, accused of sexual assault. These charges were eventually suspended in December 2020 as Ortiz wants to return to active competition.

In addition, Mark Magsayo, a prospective 26-year-old undefeated affiliate, has taken on former champion Julio Ceja in the featherweight title qualifiers. Magsayo carries tons of weight for this weight class in 15 eliminations in 22 professional fights. He has rarely fought in the state, especially in his hometown of the Philippines, but he has made quite an impression on his travels to America. Magsayo managed to beat Pablo Cruz in the TKO in April to win this shot against Ceja, who has fallen without a win since 2017.

Fight card, probability

• Manny Pacquiao vs. Yordenis Ugas +280, WBA welterweight championship
• Robert Guerrero -125 vs. Victor Ortiz -105, welterweight
• Mark Magsayo -280 vs. Julio Ceja +230, WBC featherweight title eliminator
• Carlos Castro -1100 vs. Oscar Escandon +700, feather weight

Forecasts

Campbell: Comparing Spence and Ugas ’abilities, it would be difficult not to turn off Spence’s classified pound advantage in almost every category. That’s why betting options changed so quickly from Pacquio to a 3-1 favorite after changing opponents.

But make no mistake, it’s a fight that Ugas should win, even if he understands the importance of what’s at stake at this level and what is required of those who come to Las Vegas to make such a big name. No doubt Pacquiao will have people in favor of the beloved star, he will probably have a similar default as the judges, because he is struggling with such a high output that the pressure to move forward is constantly increasing.

Ugas certainly has the ability to neutralize something that Pacquiao does best in terms of his size, defense, and technique, along with his strength as a counterattack. But unlike some Cuban contemporaries, like Erislandy Lara and Guillermo Rigondeaux in the biggest fights, he will have to keep in mind to keep his output high enough to have a shot on the scoring cards.

Matching Pacquiao’s effort and attack may be a clear proposition, of course. While it will be interesting to see the effects of the release early on, Pacquiao was just as fit and fresh as he was against Thurman over the years. He maintained his strength late in the fight and continued to be an attacker by freeing his patented combination from awkward drilling angles.

This should be a great test of Ugas ’chin and his willingness to get out of trouble if Pacquiao joins the big guard. Many fighters have come in with ideas on how to overcome Pacquiao, forcing the threats of quick punches they have never seen to force them into passivity.

Contrasting skills of the fighter, as well as questions about both Pacquiao’s dismissals and his inability to prepare long for Ugas ’style, can create an interesting game of chess with streams and flows, alternating between the two fighters alternating will. Ugas will have to walk the tight rope to avoid the blows to get the best Pacquiao in this type of fight, he will have to be quick to adapt to Pacquiao with high speed. in terms of experience against elite enemies of all shapes and styles.

Let’s just say there’s a reason Floyd Mayweather was able to think and maneuver over Pacquiao at a good weight in the entire 12 laps.

The outcome of the fight could be as simple as this: If Pacquiao loses a step, Ugas is skilled enough to impose his will and win the decision. But if “PacMan” looks like the round dervish that was still against Thurman, the oddsmakers have gotten it right.

Choose: Pacquiao via UD12

Brent Brookhouse, writer: Pacquiao is nowhere near the fighter he was at his best. In fact, he may not be as good as Keith Thurman when he won the WBA welterweight title in July 2019. However, Pacquiao is an extraordinarily good fighter who is accustomed to world title fights on the big stage. Pacquaio is now -360’s favorite to regain Ugas ’WBA title, as the WBA went from being a“ regular ”to a“ super ”champion through a combination of Pacquiao’s inactivity and attempts to fight for the unification of the WBA’s three belts. Between Ugas and Spence.

Ugas has a lot of talent and he certainly has the skills to beat Pacquiao. Ugas could be on the winning line in 12 fights – and maybe he should. The only loss in that span was the loss of a split decision with Shawn Porter. The judges who did not give Ugas cards against Porter are an indicator that this is a serious problem for Ugas. In his final fight, Ugas won a split decision against Abel Ramos, with scoring cards read 115-113 in Ugas twice and 117-111 in Ramos in the other. In all realities, Ugas won at the minimum 10 out of 12 rounds of that fight.

The sad reality of boxing is that close (and sometimes not so close) rounds overshadow the fighter with a bigger name and stronger promotional support. If Ugas were making the effort to get the rounds he deserved against Porter and Ramos, it’s easy to see the same thing happening against Pacquiao. It’s enough to add a little added value to Pacquaio’s attractive line with the +120 decision.

Choose: Through the Pacquiao decision