Via Chris Williams: Errol Spence Jr coach Derrick James said Yordenis Ugas broke his ribs and nose in his tenth round last Saturday night during their unification fight in Arlington, Texas.
James claims that 35-year-old boxer Ugas (27-5, 12 KOs) “will never be the same” due to the hefty punishment he received in his loss to the IBF/WBC weightlifting champion at the Stadium AT&T in Arlington, Texas.
The fight was stopped in the tenth round on the advice of the ring doctor because Ugas’ right eye was swollen and closed. Also, Ugas’ entire face was swollen from the big punches that Spence (28-0.22 KOs) landed in the competition. Spence landed 216 out of 784 punches with a 28% connection rate.
Of the 216 punches Spence connected, 194 of them were power punches. Let that sink in for a second. Spence doesn’t mind using his stab much in teamfights, as he’s looking for a single kill throughout the entire skirmish.
It’s understandable why Spence wouldn’t mind his stab because Ugas was countering him with a straight punch every time he threw those. Spence might think to himself: ‘Damn with the stab, I’ll count my shots.’
“I said he didn’t face the same kind of competition” Coach Derrick James told Fight Hub TV about Terence Crawford not facing warriors on the same level as Errol Spence.
WBO weight class champion Terence Crawford has had an easy time since his promotion to 147th in 2018, battling a lot of old agers made it easy for him to win the title and keep it. .
Spence will be a huge step up in class for Crawford as the two battle for the next undisputed championship.
Crawford’s fights at 147:
- Jeff Horn
- Jose Benavidez Jr
- Amir Khan
- Kell Brook
- Shawn Porter
- Egidijus Kavaliauskas
“He did well. We know him [Ugas] James said. “I think Ugas realized how difficult it was for him. If Errol lay down, he [Ugas] would be great.
“With Ugas, you have to beat him. You have to break him. There’s no way you can beat him. You have to break him.
“The knockout is a shot. It’s over. You may be in for a bit of a shock. To recover after that, you can never fight again,” James said of taking down Ugas at the hands of Spence.
“He took too many difficult scenes. His ribs are probably broken. We know his face is probably broken. Knockout is probably the best thing that can happen to someone.
“Fight like this from round to round. I know how hard he is [Spence] punches, man. James said.
