WBA Welterweight World Champion Yordenis Ugás showed off his skills at a media workout in Las Vegas on Wednesday, as he neared his 147-pound belt with the 147-pound champion. WBC and IBF rival Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. takes place live on Saturday, April 16 on SHOWTIME PPV during a Premier Boxing Champions event from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Just the 12th unification match in the welterweight division’s rich history, Spence vs. Ugás will take part in other classic unification fights in the weight division such as “Sugar” Ray Leonard vs. Thomas Hearns I and Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao. Ugás grabbed this opportunity in his most recent bout, successfully defending his title against future Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao in August 2021.
Ticket for the April 16 live event at AT&T Stadium, promoted by the TGB Promotion and Man Down Promotion, is currently discounted and can be purchased at SeatGeek.com, Ticket Provider Official AT&T Stadium.
Ugás hosted the media at Salas Boxing Academy with his trainer Ismael Salas, in an event that was streamed live on the Sports YouTube Channel SHOWTIME and can be viewed in its entirety HERE. Spence will practice tomorrow at 4pm ET/1pm Pacific Time in a live stream event available HERE.
Here’s what Ugás and Salas had to say on Wednesday:
YORDENIS UGAS
“I am very grateful to everyone who has supported me. I’m super ready for this fight and to give the fans a great performance on April 16. It’s been a great training camp and I can’t wait.
“I’m excited to be fighting in Spence’s backyard, because they have great fans in Texas. It just adds momentum.
“We had a great training camp in Las Vegas with Ismael Salas. We always make sure that hard work pays off. We will bring our best into the ring.
“I’ve been out of the ring for quite some time, but when I came back and lost the first loss of Jamal James’ career, I knew I was going to have big things coming. Everything changed for me that night and it all led to this.
“The match against Pacquiao was a great night for me. After that war, my life changed in many ways. But I always keep myself humble. I showed everyone who the WBA champion is. I have an eye on continuing to make history.
“Being a weaker person means nothing to me. I was the underdog before Pacquiao and now again against Spence. I’ve always been the underdog and that doesn’t discourage me.
“It is an honor to be in the ring with Errol Spence Jr. We are fighting for the three belts, but it is more important to fight for honor and respect.
“Fans can expect me to fight like a fighter. I will train hard on April 16.”
ISMAEL SALAS, Coach of Ugás
“I watched Errol Spence vs Shawn Porter and then I watched Errol Spence vs Danny Garcia, after Spence got into an accident. It’s not like Errol Spence Jr. I believe he lost something in the middle of the fight between Porter and Garcia.
“The training camp has been fantastic. We’ve had a long camp and we’re now in the phase where Ugás is starting to make the adjustments he’ll need to get ready for what Spence has to offer.
“I want to face the best Errol Spence Jr, because I want the fans to have a great show. This is one of the biggest battles of the year. If he’s in top shape, then Ugás will be ready to give him a hell of a fight.
“Yordenis came to us with three losses and since then we have beaten the invincibles and have progressed step by step up to this point against the top fighters. Manny Pacquiao was the biggest fight of his career and Ugás clearly beat him. It was the same Pacquiao who beat Keith Thurman in his previous bout.
“We need to absorb Spence’s power. Everyone knows he’s a front-footed boxer who bombs from start to finish. It’s no secret that we need to use Spence’s belligerence and make it work in our favor.
“It was a process for Ugás to get back to this moment. He had to regain his confidence when he first joined our gym. We had to switch from the Cuban style and make him more aggressive. Yordenis Ugás is a master of the middle distance. He knows how to make you miss and make you pay.”
