By: Hans Themistode
Shawn Porter is one of the rare fighters in the welterweight division that has swapped fists with virtually all of the top names. So, with a one-of-a-kind perspective, Porter became intrigued when he began hearing rumblings of a showdown between unified champion Errol Spence Jr. and WBA belt holder Yordenis Ugas.
Initially, Ugas was due to defend his welterweight title against Eimantas Stanionis as part of a four-man tournament issued by the WBA. But while Stanionis was chomping at the bit to receive his first crack at a world title, he willingly stepped aside to allow both Spence Jr. and Ugas to unify titles.
On March 9th, 2019, Porter successfully defended his WBC welterweight crown against Ugas via split decision. Six months later, Porter would drop that aforementioned title to Spence Jr., ironically enough, also by split decision.
For a number of years, Porter was unmoved in his belief that if both Spence Jr. and Ugas faced off in the ring, that the powerful southpaw would do a number on his man. However, after watching Ugas upset the applecart by defeating Manny Pacquiao earlier this year, Porter is now viewing him in an entirely different light.
“I think Errol wins but I’m curious now,” said Porter on his podcast The Porter Way Podcast Clips. “At one point in time, I knew exactly what Yorgenis Ugas was going to do and I could tell you what would happen. He not only grew in the moment of the fight against Manny Pacquiao but he learned some things about himself as well.”
Originally, Pacquiao was set to take on Spence Jr. on August 21st, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Yet, despite showing exuberance, Spence Jr. was forced to withdraw from their showdown due to a torn/detached retina in his left eye which led to subsequent surgery.
Coincidently, Ugas was also looking for a dance partner. Though he was scheduled to make an appearance on the card in the co-main event against Fabian Maidana, his opponent also suffered an eye injury and pulled out of their contest. As a result, both Ugas and Pacquiao agreed to terms on a new deal and faced off in the main event.
Ugas, 35, headed into his showdown against Pacquiao as a considerable underdog. Still, despite the betting world doubting his abilities, Ugas proved them wrong. The Cuban native outboxed the future first-ballot Hall of Famer and ushered him into retirement.
As Porter looks closely at the skills of Ugas and his overall resiliency, the former two-time world titlist is now fully convinced that he’s grown by leaps and bounds since they last fought. More importantly, while Porter isn’t willing to fully back Ugas officially, he wouldn’t be surprised if he pulls off the victory.
“I think Yordenis now is at a point where he’s prepared to make any adjustment that he has to make to beat whoever is across from him. I’m actually convinced that he might be able to find a way to beat Errol Spence Jr. I think it’s a fight that Errol wins but more than anything, I want to see what Yordenis Ugas does.”