By: Sean Crose
Yordenis Ugas has certainly been keeping himself busy. After becoming the toast of the sport by smartly outboxing the legendary Manny Pacquiao last fall, the WBA welterweight titlist is now aiming to fight the WBC and IBF welterweight titlist Errol Spence in April. That fight – unless it were to end in a draw or no contest – would provide the world with a unified welterweight titlist. It would also possibly set up a match with WBO welterweight titlist Terence Crawford to see who the true king of the division is – no small thing. First, though, it looks like Ugas and Spence, who both fight under the Premiere Boxing Champions’ banner, are going to have to face each other.
“The fight’s in April,” Spence recently claimed on Instagram. “Man down, strap season. He already know what time it is.” Ugas also had this to say on the matter when he spoke to Ray Flores during last weekend’s Luis Ortiz-Charles Marin pay per view card: “We’re targeting March or April for the fight. It’s going to be for three titles that’s a fight that we want.” A springtime matchup between the two decorated combatants is clearly in play. Fortunately, the fact that each man fights under the same PBC batter should assure negotiations will run fairly smoothly.
Ugas is inspiring to those who feel losses don’t disqualify a fighter from being truly prominent. Although he’s lost 4 of his 31 bouts, the Miami based 35 year old Ugas has proven by winning a title against Pacquiao that one can still succeed at the highest levels of the sport without a perfect resume. As for Spence, the undefeated 27-0 titlist was actually supposed to be the man who faced Pacquiao in 2021. An eye injury removed Spence from the bout, however, and allowed Ugas to step in and attain the glory. Spence’s last fight was a late 2020 win over Danny Garcia. It’s been a while since he last saw action, but the Texan still has one of the best resumes in the entire sport, having beaten Chris Algieri, Kell Brook, Mikey Garcia, and Shawn Porter.
Like a shark just off shore, however, Terence Crawford waits to strike. After thunderously knocking out Shawn Porter in November, the Omaha native has unquestionably become the most feared man in the division. And one who can no longer be easily avoided. No doubt Crawford will have a keen interest in how a Spence-Ugas fight will play out.