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Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021 | 2 a.m.
Combat sports have a long history of championship fighters rising back to the top late in their careers after being counted out, with Manny Pacquiao emerging as the best recent example.
• When: Saturday, August 21, undercard 4 p.m., main card 6 p.m., main event around 9 p.m.
• Where: T-Mobile Arena
• Tickets: $190-$6,000 at axs.com
• Pay-per-view: $74.95 through Fox Sports
Many wondered if the 42-year-old Filipino legend was done for good after a shocking 2017 loss to Jeff Horn, but he has since rallied to win three straight fights against some of the biggest names in boxing. “PacMan” now has a chance to break his own record as the oldest welterweight champion in boxing history on August 21, when he’ll meet WBA belt-holder Yordenis Ugás in Pacquiao’s first-ever fight at T-Mobile Arena.
“In the end, I want to win the belts,” Pacquiao said in a virtual news conference. “I’m so excited for this championship fight, and I don’t care if I’m the challenger or champion coming into it.”
Pacquiao (62-7, 39 KOs) will be fighting for a belt he never technically lost; he claimed it in July 2019 with a split-decision win against Keith Thurman but was later stripped for inactivity. The 35-year-old Ugás (26-4, 12 KOs) won the vacant title last year while Pacquiao was focused on his job as an elected official in the Philippines.
The Cuban Ugás has a comeback story of his own: He retired in 2014 after two straight losses without having ever captured a major championship before returning refocused two years later. Since then, he has gone 10-1, with the only loss coming to longtime local champion Shawn Porter via controversial split decision.
“When I went away from boxing, I was focused on family and spending time with my son,” Ugás said through a translator. “At that time, I never thought I would be defending a title against Manny Pacquiao. But for the past five years, I’ve been one of the most active and successful boxers out there, and I’m ready to prove myself again.”
It’s a life-changing opportunity for Ugás to face Pacquiao, and it came as a complete surprise less than two weeks before the scheduled fight date. Pacquiao was set to challenge undefeated WBC/IBF champion Errol Spence Jr., with Ugás in support defending his own title as part of the pay-per-view undercard.
But doctors discovered Spence had a torn retina during pre-fight medical exams and pulled him from the fight. The loss of a headlining bout the magnitude of Spence vs. Pacquiao would typically mean the cancellation of the whole event, but Pacquiao wasn’t interested in postponing what could potentially be his final fight.
He offered the opening to Ugás, who didn’t hesitate to accept.
“Fighting Manny Pacquiao is very significant to me. It means the world to me,” Ugás said. “I’m not fighting for the money. I’m fighting for my legacy and for my country. This is the most important fight of my life.”
The card does lose some luster with Ugás filling in, as some boxing pundits suggested Pacquiao beating Spence would be the greatest achievement for a fighter more than 40 years old. Although Ugás is accomplished in his own right—perhaps most notably as a bronze medalist at the 2008 Olympics—he’s considered far less dangerous than Spence.
Pacquiao went from around a 2-to-1 underdog against Spence to a 1-to-3 favorite over Ugás.
“This is definitely not an easy fight,” Pacquiao said. “Ugás is a champion because they gave him my belt. Now we have to settle it inside of the ring. I cannot take him lightly, because he’s the kind of fighter who will take advantage of that.”
There is some risk in such a late opponent change, something many boxers of Pacquiao’s stature would rather avoid. Spence and Ugás aren’t all that similar stylistically, as the former is known for attacking from all angles out of a southpaw stance. Pacquiao spent months preparing for Spence’s relative awkwardness and now must pivot to Ugás’ orthodox stance and more straightforward approach.
“I consider myself a bipartisan boxer,” Pacquiao said. “I am happy to fight either right-handed or southpaw fighters. It’s no problem for me at all to switch styles that I’m going to face.”
The plan is for the winner to fight Spence once he’s recovered, but Pacquiao’s political aspirations could prevent that from happening. He’s reportedly gearing up for a presidential campaign next year in the Philippines.
Pacquiao has been able to balance fighting professionally with serving as a senator, but the time demands would likely be too much if he was elected president. None of Pacquiao’s fights, therefore, should be taken for granted.
He might have appeared ageless over the past few years, but his fighting career won’t be endless. “If there was no Ugás on the undercard, it’s possible we would have canceled the fight,” Pacquiao said. “It’s a good thing we had another welterweight champion on the card for this scenario that happened.”
This story appeared in Las Vegas Weekly.
