Manny Pacquiao Vs. Yordenis Ugas: Odds, Records, Prediction
Eight-division world champion Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao (67-7-2, 39 KOs) and WBA Welterweight World Champion, Yordenis “54 Milagros” Ugas (26-4, 12 KOs) headline the main event this Saturday, August 21, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (FOX Sports PBC PPV 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT). Let’s breakdown Manny Pacquiao Vs. Yordenis Ugas and place a bet on this fight.
“The Legend” vs. “The Olympian or “The Show Must Go On.”
Originally, Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. was scheduled for the bout but had to withdraw due to a retina injury on August 10. Much like Pacquiao who twenty years ago got a break when he was chosen as a late replacement for a fight against then-IBF super bantamweight champion Lehlo Ledwaba and ended up winning by TKO. Spence expressed his disapointment.
“I’m very disappointed that I won’t be able to fight Manny Pacquiao,” Spence said in a press release. “I was excited about the fight. Unfortunately, the doctors found a tear in my left eye and said I needed surgery on it ASAP and that there was no way I could fight with my eye in that condition.”
Ugas was bumped up from the undercard and was initially scheduled to fight Fabian “TNT” Maidana in the co-main event.
Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao
The 42-year old Pacquiao is currently a Senator from the Philippines, recently he has been mentioned as a Presidential candidate in next year’s May election. He last fought Keith Thurman and won a split decision in July 2019. Manny expressed his thoughts about the last minute change.
“I didn’t like that someone (Ugas) took my belt without challenging me in the ring. Both of us are champions, but we’ll see who has the belt after Saturday. I’m praying for a fast recovery from Errol Spence Jr. and that he can fight again soon. I, of course, felt bad when I first heard the news, but it’s a good thing that Ugas was ready to challenge me for the world title. I’m glad that we can settle that dispute about the WBA title. It’s always better to talk in the ring.”
Like a true professional, Pacquiao adjusted.
“It only took me two days to adjust to fighting Ugas. I have fought a lot of right-handed fighters before. It would have been harder switching from preparing for a right-hander to a southpaw. Most of my opponents have been right-handed, so there’s nothing to worry about”, said the eight-time world champion. I feel young right now. I’m just happy with what I’m doing because boxing is my passion. I enjoy training camp, and I’m excited to sacrifice and be disciplined every day to prepare for a fight like this.”
Pacquiao has been training hard for this fight and is confident he can outduel the Cuban Olympian.
“If there’s a chance for a knockout, then I’ll go for it because that’s what I want to give to the fans. I’m not underestimating Ugas, though. He has a lot of experience in boxing and fought in the Olympics. I know I have to be very good to win this fight.”
“Pacman” is a boxing legend, and even though his best days are behind him, he still has tremendous fan support around the world. The Philippine Senator stated,
“I never imagined what I would have accomplished in boxing from the beginning of my career leading up to now. I went from nothing to something in order to be an inspiration for people both inside and outside of the ring. This is going to be a good action fight and, I’m going to do my best Saturday night because I love to making fans happy.”
Yordenis “54 Milagros” Ugas
Yordenis “54 Milagros” Ugas is a veteran of the ring and an expert tactician. He is comfortable with mixing it up and going toe-to-toe at times. Ugas, 35, is the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist and last fought on September 2020 to a split-decision over Abel Ramos for the vacant WBA (regular) welterweight title. Ugas responsed to being selected at the last minute.
“We made the adjustments we had to in the last two weeks so that I’m ready for Pacquiao. We’ve done everything we had to, and we’re 100% ready to go Saturday night. There are no excuses heading into this fight. I’ve been in this position taking a short-notice fight before, although obviously never against a fighter the caliber of Pacquiao. I have no concerns, though, and I believe both of us are going to be prepared for this fight.”
The proud Cuban and former bronze medalist is 11-1 since 2016. His only defeat in five years is against Shawn “Showtime” Porter.
“I want to thank my whole team for this great opportunity. More than anything, I am a fighter who represents my country of Cuba. This fight is dedicated to all the people who are fighting for freedom in Cuba. I’m fighting for all of them.”
He knows he’s fighting an all-time great and a future first-ballot Hall of Famer. Ugas has high expectations for this fight and is very confident and composed.
“I have prepared for 12 hard rounds. If this is Pacquiao’s final fight, then he’s going to be up against a guy who brought his best and who is a world-class fighter.”
Ugas’ preparation and dedication to his craft will go a long way to show how much heart he has and predicts what won’t happen in the squared circle on Saturday.
“I’m certain that he cannot knock me out. I’ve done all the preparation over these past six years to get in this position, I’ve hit my stride, and I just don’t believe I can be stopped by Manny.”
Trainers
Pacquaio’s trainer, Freddie Roach, has his thoughts of how good training camp is and the preparedness of the Manny Pacquiao Vs. Yordenis Ugas fight.
“Manny Pacquiao has been the best fighter I’ve ever trained. To win titles in eight divisions and be in fights here at MGM so many times has been a dream come true. I’ve trained over 40 world champions throughout my career, but no one competes with Manny Pacquiao.”
Training camp started in Los Angeles before moving to Las Vegas.
“We’ve had a good training camp, and Manny has worked really hard for this fight. Putting a sparring partner on the canvas was a motivation for all of us. We’re going to bring that into this fight.”
According to Roach, Pacquiao has the same dedication as always and has a bold prediction.
“His work ethic today is as good as it was 20 years ago. He’s been unbelievable in training and sparring for this fight. I don’t know if it was a bigger confidence boost for me or Manny, but I’m expecting this fight to end in a knockout the way he’s been looking.”
Ugas’ Trainer, Ismael Salas, believes what will occur at the T-Mobile Arena.
“The experience that Ugas has from the Olympics and over 500 amateur bouts is going to be the most important thing for him in this fight. We’ve been on a roll for these last 12 fights since Ugas has started working with me. We’re going to keep it going on Saturday.”
He has mutual respect for Pacquiao.
“To fight Manny Pacquiao is an honor. To me, he’s a legend and a person who is an inspiration for millions of fighters. But when you look back at his recent fights, he hasn’t delivered a knockout in a long time. He’s dropped guys, but it’s been a while since he’s knocked someone out.”
Salas sees Ugas’ life experience in America as what drives his passion for boxing.
“Ugas fights for his pride and for his love of the sport. For a long time, he has been struggling here in the United States. We are immigrants, and every immigrant has to adjust to the way of living. Despite all of the changes he has been through, he has had success. He needs to keep working for what he loves, which is boxing.”
Salas and Ugas have worked hard in training and will try to overcome Pacman’s heart and experience.
“Pacquiao comes from a lot of angles, but so does Ugas. Ugas has mastered fighting southpaws, so we’ll see who is going to be able to see their opponent’s punches coming,” Salas said.”
Prediction
Vegas has Pacquiao as the favorite at -360 to regain his WBA belt, while Ugas, the underdog, sits at +280.
I predict that it will go the distance and to the scorecards with a unanimous decision for Ugas.
Enjoy the Manny Pacquiao Vs. Yordenis Ugas fight.
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Bernard Aguinaldo, a FreeHandicappingWagers.com contributing editor, has also provided coverage for ESPN, PA Sport and
STATS LLC. His work has also appeared in Yahoo Sports, USA Today, and The Daily News.
Bernard can be reached at bernardaguinaldojr.@gmail.com.
