There is going to be a huge unification match in the welterweight division in the near future. Nearly all of the recognized belts at this weight class will be up for grabs when the WBC and IBF champ Errol Spence Jr. goes against the WBA champ Yordenis Ugas in their upcoming match. The Errol Spence Jr vs. Yordenis Ugas fight will happen on Saturday, April 16, at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The match will be shown on Showtime pay-per-view. Spence got back from the car accident he suffered three years ago with a great match against Danny Garcia. He was predicted to go against the legendary boxer Manny Pacquiao in his next match. But he got a fractured orbital bone when he was in the training camp and had to withdraw from the match. Ugas took his place. He went on to defeat Pacquiao to get the WBA belt. Now, both the boxers must fight with the chance of an undisputed match in the near future as the WBO belt holder Terence Crawford searches for his next rival.
In the co-feature of the Errol Spence Jr vs. Yordenis Ugas fight night, Isaac Cruz will seek to make a comeback to winning ways after his very close loss against Gervonta Davis. Cruz will go against Yuriorkis Gamboa in a lightweight match. Gamboa is a former unified featherweight titleholder but has suffered consecutive losses to elite rivals. He has been outboxed by both Devin Haney and Davis. In another match on the undercard, Francisco Vargas and Jose Valenzuela will take on each other in a lightweight match. The latter had a great show half a year ago. He was very good against Austin Dulay and showed his unique style to the fans. Vargas is a former WBC titleholder in the super featherweight division. But he lost his last match against Cruz in a clear decision. The match was quite rough and filled with fouls.
Fans are also eagerly awaiting the welterweight match between Josesito Lopez and Cody Crowley. Some months ago, the latter was coming off a huge upset of Kudratillo Abukakhorov. He had gone into that match as the top contender for the IBF belt. Lopez has not been involved in a match in the past couple of years but has lost only a single match in the past six years. The rising star Vito Mielnicki Jr. will also be involved in a super welterweight match against Dan Karpency. This will be a Premier Boxing Champions event and will not be televised. Further action will involve tough cruiserweights as the knockout artist Efetobor Apochi takes on the Dallas native Adrian Taylor.
The trainer of Errol Spence Jr. thinks that the Errol Spence Jr vs. Yordenis Ugas match will be like a match of chess. The boxer will be defending his WBC and IBF welterweight championship belts against Yordenis Ugas. He will be coming back to the boxing ring after twelve months. The boxer has a tough task because his rival has defeated Manny Pacquiao in his previous match. But the sensation Errol Spence Jr. is not looking to take it easy against Yordenis Ugas in their upcoming match. The match could witness a capacity crowd in Texas at the AT&T Stadium. The boxer will be up against a tough challenge from Yordenis Ugas. The latter is an Olympic gold medal winner and has overcome Manny Pacquiao in his previous match. It became the final professional match for Manny before his retirement. The match was originally scheduled to take place between Manny and Spence. But Spence got a retinal tear in his eyes some months before the match.
In the Errol Spence Jr vs. Yordenis Ugas unification match, the boxer has the chance to further his undefeated record. It is the type of match that is in favor of Spence. But at the same time, his rival has shown in his previous match against Manny that he does not get overwhelmed by the big occasions. The trainer Derrick James has given his thoughts regarding the Errol Spence Jr vs. Yordenis Ugas match. He said it could be a fight of wits. He said, "I think it could possibly be a chess match during a recent interview. I think that Ugas is a great fighter, he's a great competitor, and he's a great counter puncher, so I think it's all about being intelligent, I mean because he has to be cautious as well because Errol counterpunches also, so I think it could be a great chess match."
Spence said, "This is going to be a great fight. Ugas always come to compete. With all respect to Pacquiao, I'm a far different fighter than Pacquiao, and at this point, I'm a better fighter. You keep bringing up Pacquiao, but that's like Larry Holmes fighting [Muhammad] Ali [mismatch] or Terry Norris beating up Sugar Ray Leonard. Or [Marcos] Maidana beating up Erik Morales. Pacquiao is way past his prime. It was the passing of the torch to myself, but I missed the opportunity, so I'm just going to put on a great performance. Ugas is a real warrior, but I'm hungry too. I'm not letting this opportunity pass by me. I'm going to put on a great performance for my crowd. Ugas is a tough fighter. You saw when he fought Shawn. He was waving for Shawn [Porter] to come in, getting pumped up. So, if I get the same Ugas that want to trade and fight, it could be an early knockout. If you can outpoint me and beat me, I'm going to make it a dog fight, and we're going to go to war. So, if I can beat you and outpoint you, that's what I'm going to do. I feel like he accomplished his American dream and isn't as hungry as he was."
The match between Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. has been a long time in the making. Several fans and experts think that the match is not going to happen. But Spence has suggested that the long-anticipated match between the two could come to fruition if he overcomes his rival in the Errol Spence Jr vs. Yordenis Ugas match. But fans cannot contain their excitement about the probability of a match between Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. All the fans of the sport would like to see a unified welterweight champ. Terence Crawford holds the WBO championship title at present. We think he will be watching the Errol Spence Jr vs. Yordenis Ugas match closely. Ugas has a great capacity to fight. But the fans have been waiting for a long time to experience a match between Spence Jr. and Crawford. This year might be the time that the match finally happens.
Spence said, "We'll see. I already told them what I want [Terence Crawford]. It's easy for me to make this weight. I'm older now. I'm not young like I used to be, and losing eight pounds in a day is not easy. I told them this [Crawford] is the fight I want, and after that, I'm moving up. It's two more fights, Ugas and Terence, and then it's over for me. I'm going up."
Errol Spence Jr vs. Yordenis Ugas Statistics
|
Boxer Name |
Errol Spence Jr |
Yordenis Ugas |
|
NickName |
The Truth |
54 Milagros |
|
Age |
31 |
35 |
|
Height |
5’10 (178 cm) |
5′9 (175 cm) |
|
Country |
American |
Cuban |
|
Reach |
72″ (183 cm) |
69 (175 cm) |
|
Stance |
Southpaw |
Orthodox |
|
Record |
27-0-0 |
31-27-0 |
|
KOs |
21 |
12 |
Errol Spence Jr vs. Yordenis Ugas – 12 rounds, for Spences' WBC & IBF welterweight titles and Ugas' WBA(Super) Welterweight Title
Radzhab Butaev vs. Eimantas Stanionis -12 rounds bout for Butaev's WBA "regular" welterweight title
Brandun Lee vs. Zachary Ochoa – 10 rounds junior welterweights bout
Cody Crowley vs. Josesito Lopez – 10 rounds welterweights bout
Isaac Cruz vs. Yuriorkis Gamboa – 12 rounds lightweights bout
Jose Valenzuela vs Francisco Vargas – 10 rounds lightweights bout