Home Boxing News Eddie Hearn says he expected Yordenis Ugas to defeat Manny Pacquiao

Eddie Hearn says he expected Yordenis Ugas to defeat Manny Pacquiao

Yordenis Ugas vs Manny Pacquiao. Photo credit: Getty Images

Eddie Hearn has revealed he thought WBA welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas 27-4 (12) would upset Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao 62-8-2 (39) when they clashed at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada last Saturday night.

Cuban Ugas, 35, retained his title by unanimous decision with scores of 115-113, 116-112 and 116-112.

The 42-year-old Pacquiao was in the fight through the first six rounds but found it increasingly difficult to penetrate Ugas’ tight defence while the champion continued to work him over with his clever jab and sneaky right hand.

Ugas landed the fight after original opponent WBC and IBF 147-pound champion Errol ‘The Truth’ Spence Jr 27-0 (21) was forced to withdraw 10 days out from the bout after failing his pre-fight medical with a torn retina.

Ugas was scheduled to fight on the undercard.

“On about Thursday or Friday, I thought to myself, ‘I’ve really got a strange feeling Ugas is gonna win this fight’,” Matchroom Boxing boss Hearn said on The DAZN Boxing Show.

“And I was gonna tweet it. But I thought, ‘No, I don’t just in case you look silly.’ And then when I woke up Sunday morning, I should have tweeted it.

“But I just think it’s very difficult. We’ve seen it time and time again, for fighters to adapt to a changing opponent, especially so late in a camp, I know that.”

Southpaw Pacquiao, who turned pro in 1995, was having his first fight since winning a split decision over then-undefeated American Keith ‘One Time’ Thurman 29-1 (22) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in July 2019.

During that same timeframe Ugas fought three times, earning victories over Omar Figueroa Jr, Mike Dallas Jr and Abel Ramos. In March 2019 he lost a split decision to then-WBC welterweight champion Shawn ‘Showtime’ Porter 31-3-1 (17).

After his loss to Ugas, Pacquiao blamed leg cramps for hindering his movement in the ring. But Hearn suspects the late change of opponent had as much to do with the loss as anything.

“Manny is super experienced. He’s boxed a lot of styles before. But when you’ve been training for Spence for eight or nine weeks, it’s different,” Hearn said.

“And in terms of Ugas, it’s a different kind of stuff. So I think that he probably underestimated the opponent change a little bit, or how easy that would be. And he’s just not the fighter that he once was. It’s only Father Time.

“I’m not taking anything away from Ugas. He’s a good fighter as well. But Manny Pacquiao in his prime would deal with Ugas and I was actually quite pleased.

“Although I do think it has a little bit to do with style and changing your opponent, I was actually quite pleased it wasn’t Spence in the ring with him because I think the bigger guy, the more destructive guy [would win].”