This fight was originally supposed to see Manny Pacquiao taking on Errol Spence Jr. for the unified welterweight title. Unfortunately, Spence suffered a retinal tear in training 11 days before the fight, leading to him being replaced by current WBA (Super) welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas. While this is a step down, Ugas is a solid, experienced fighter that it might be difficult for Pacquiao to prepare for on short notice.
When: Saturday, August 21, 2021
Where: T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada
Why: WBA (Super) welterweight belt
Manny Pacquiao vs Yordenis Ugas Betting Odds
Manny Pacquiao -500
Yordenis Ugas +351
The boxing betting odds have Pacquiao installed as a substantial favorite. The eight-division world champion is -500 against Ugas, meaning that a $500 wager on him would return $100 if he were to win. These odds moved substantially after they opened, as Pacquiao was initially a -300 favorite when it was announced that Ugas would be replacing Spence.
As the fight nears, there will be decision betting too. You will be able to bet on whether the fight is decided by KO, TKO, or decision, and you can bet on which boxer will win the fight in that fashion as well.
Manny Pacquiao vs Yordenis Ugas Preview
This will be Manny Pacquiao’s first fight in over two years. Pacquiao is one of the most decorated boxers of the modern era, but he has largely been living his life outside the ring over the last five years. Since his loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in May 2015, Pacquiao has only stepped in the ring six times. Most notably, he has been a senator in the Philippines since May 2016, and he has somewhat transitioned to life outside of boxing.
The long-time champion still has what it takes to get the win when he puts on the gloves though. Pacquiao dominated Timothy Bradley in a unanimous decision win a little over five years ago, and he secured a unanimous decision victory over Jessie Vargas to reclaim the WBO welterweight title in November 2016. He was upset by Jeff Horn in Australia in his next fight though, losing a somewhat controversial unanimous decision.
Pacquiao’s next two fights were much more decisive. He secured a seventh round TKO against Lucas Matthysse to win the WBA welterweight belt in July 2018. That was followed up with a unanimous decision victory over Adrien Broner to defend the title, and he took on Keith Thurman in his last fight in July 2019. Pacquiao won a narrow split decision to win yet another title, becoming the oldest welterweight champion in boxing history with the win.
Yordenis Ugas was a decorated amateur as part of the highly regarded Cuban amateur boxing circuit. He won the bronze medal in the lightweight division at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, and he became a professional boxer in July 2010.
Ugas won his first 11 fights before losing a surprising split decision to the unheralded Johnny Garcia. He responded well shortly after the temporary setback, but then he lost consecutive bouts to Emmanuel Robles and Amir Imam in 2014, putting his career as an elite boxer in serious jeopardy.
That inspired him to buckle down, and Ugas won his next eight bouts to set up a shot at the WBC welterweight strap. Ugas faced Shawn Porter, and he fared well against the champion, losing a split decision in March 2019. He won his next two bouts to secure a title fight against Abel Ramos, and Ugas defeated Ramos by split decision to become a world champion.
This will be the first title defense for Ugas. He was originally supposed to face Fabian Maidana in the primary undercard for the main event of Pacquiao and Spence, but Maidana had to pull out of their bout on Monday after suffering an injury in training.
Log into BookMaker to bet on Manny Pacquiao vs Yordenis Ugas. BookMaker is the nation's leading online sportsbook and the premier site to bet on boxing.
