“I’m the guy who, if I have to go from foot to toe, I’ll do it,” Spence said in his last press conference Thursday. “If I have to stay there and fight, I will do it. If we get to the clinch and start fighting, I don’t think it will go 12 rounds.”
“Spence promises knockout. I promise victory,” said Hugas. “Do not miss it!”
Spence (27-0, 21 KOs) will be fired 17 months after detached retinal surgery when he defends WBC and IBF titles at 147 pounds against Ugas (27-4, 12 KOs), the WBA title, at main event of a Premier Boxing Champions event to be shown on Showtime PPV (9 pm ET). The fight will not only provide further clarity on the road to a possible undisputed championship match for the winner against undefeated WBO champion Terence Crawford, but is expected to crown a new power broker within the category.
The fact that 35-year-old Ugas is in this position remains one of the stories with the best human interest in boxing. The former Cuban amateur star has endured everything, from a dangerous apostasy of his homeland to the continuous losses in 2014 that seemed, at that time, to characterize him as a failed candidate.
The only thing Ugas has done since then is to win, with the exception of the 2019 title loss to Shawn Porter, which most have failed to recognize even as a defeat. Not only did some observers believe that Ugas should have been given the nod on the scoresheet, but they stole a knockdown in the 12th round from referee Jack Reiss to change the score.
Two years later, Ugas added a late notice to replace an injured Spence against Manny Pacquiao and made his most impressive appearance to date last fall when he upset the Philippine legend to claim the WBA belt.
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“I’m a warrior. I’m a competitor. I’ve been having adversity since I was six or seven,” Ugas said. “I have been fighting since I was little. This is not something new for me. I promise you blood, sweat and everything I have to give for my country and for my fans.
“People know my story from now on. I came back from 15-3 [following a two-year layoff] in 2016 and since then, I have established myself as a member of the elite in this department. If [Spence] is the big fish, I belong to the same tank because I am willing to swim with the big fish anytime and anywhere. ”
Many of the pre-fight rumors have circulated around the fear that Spence, a 32-year-old from nearby Desoto, Texas, may not be the same fighter physically after eye surgery and drunken accident in late 2019. who had the good fortune to walk away from after being thrown from his vehicle.
“When people say I can not do this or I can not do this, I prove to them that they are wrong every time,” Spence said. “I’m the same guy I was before the accident and the injury. I feel better than the guy who fought Shawn Porter or Danny García.”
The main reason for Spence’s confidence despite these physical setbacks is that he discovered a work ethic that did not necessarily exist during his initial rise to become a champion. With his parties and weight gaining weight between races now behind him, Spence hired a nutritionist at this camp for the first time to avoid the difficult 147 kg weight cuts he had faced in the past.
There is no argument, however, that Spence has created the best 147 pound biography of this new era with Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather out of the picture. The Texan has beaten men such as Chris Algieri, Kell Brook, Lamont Peterson, Mikey Garcia, Porter and Danny Garcia in this series. And there is still the possibility of Crawford or former consolidated champion Keith Thurman being added to the line.
“Everyone knows my motives,” Spence said. “I’m fighting for my family, my friends, my city, the whole state of Texas. I want to be the single three – time world champion and I want to be the future undisputed welterweight champion of the world. The first to do it.
“This is my home. This is my hometown. I love the Dallas Cowboys to the death. I love the AT&T Stadium and appreciate them for hosting me and making me my home. Come Saturday night, I’ll win another championship at house of the Cowboys “.
Just below the main event is a trio of light and medium weights, as soon as the PPV starts at 9 p.m. ET. It all starts in the 147 pound category when undefeated contender Cody Crowley will face veteran Josesito Lopez. Then there is a showdown between Jose Valenzuela and Francisco Vargas before a veteran fight over Isaac Cruz and Yuriokis Gamboa at 135 pounds.
It’s going to be a busy night in Texas. Let’s take a look at the full match sheet with the latest odds from Caesars Sportsbook before making a prediction and picking the main event below.
Match card, odds
Errol Spence, Jr. (c) -650 vs. Jorden Hugas (c) +475, welterweight consolidation Isaac Cruz -1500 vs. Yuriokis Gamboa +850, lightweight Jose Valenzuela -1100 vs. Francisco Vargas +700, lightweight Cody Crowley -450 vs. Josesito Lopez +350, welterweight Eimantas Stanionis -130 vs. Radzhab Butaev +110, welterweight Brandun Lee -3000 vs. Zachary Ochoa +1300, medium junior
View information
Date: 16 April Location: AT&T Stadium – Arlington, Texas Start time: 9 p.m. ET | PPV Price: $ 74.99 How to watch: Showtime PPV | Stream: Showtime
Prediction, choice
The essence of this fight is simple. If Spence himself, who defeated Brooke, Porter and both Garcia, shows up at the AT&T Stadium, it will be enough to overcome a determined Huga. Anything less, however, and this is written everywhere.
Because both fighters are huge for the division, the strong advantage that Ugas had in recent battles over other select enemies will not exist in this case as Spence, who is half an inch taller, enters with a three-mile advantage. inches. Spence, a southern leg, is also one of the most well-rounded welterweights in recent history and has proven that he can fight for big wins (Porter) as easily as he can clinically control the terms by boxing from the outside (Mikey Garcia).
The key for Ugas will be whether he can entice Spence to fight at close range and, most importantly, at a pace that could reduce Spence’s advantage at the table as a fine boxer.
Ugas prefers to crowd his opponents behind his high guard because his defense is so technically sound. It is a style that does not differ from the Hall of Famer and the former undisputed junior middleweight champion Ronald “Winky” Wright. Because Ugas can operate at close range without being reckless, it constantly puts pressure on its opponents to fight off character and take risks.
One should not look beyond the Pacquiao race to see how devastating Ugas’ style can become when controlling the terms of the race. Ugas is associated with the insane 60% of the shot against Pacquiao and is very comfortable when he launches combinations inside.
If Spence can sustain this boxing match, everything from his length to his leg and his speed should be too much for Ugas in a competitive match. But Spence has been drawn into a war in the past by Porter, even though his corner had created a gameplan to do just the opposite.
The problem for Porter against Spence in 2019 was that he had the heart and aggression to make him the candidate of the year, but he did not have the firepower to give Spence his first defeat in favor. Ugas can be in the same difficult position, even if he manages to lure Spence into a more aggressive stance, so Ugas will need to get more chances than usual if he intends to dare to be big enough for to win the fight.
The good news is that this match has insidious potential to be a high-speed chess match of the most fun variety, especially in the second half when Ugas usually makes adjustments and starts to grow. But until Spence appears truly physically compromised in a league match, it is still hard to imagine that he does not have enough tools to find a winning method.
In this case, Spence’s piercing will be the key, as will his ability to get Ugas to pay to set up shop so close to him inside. This could result from Spence digging left hooks in the body or deciding that Ugas’s firepower is not enough to prevent him from appearing at key points.
The frustrating reality for Ugas is that he may be able to execute his game plan to perfection on Saturday and still not have the extra equipment needed to improve a historically relevant talent like Spence.
Option: Spence via UD12
Who wins Spence against Ugas? And what support is needed? Visit SportsLine now to see Brandon Wise’s best bets for Saturday, all from the CBS martial arts expert who smashed his boxing selections in 2021 and find out.
