SPORTS SHORTS 206: THE RING WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION REMAINS VACANT, MANNY PACQUIAO SLIDES AND YORDENIS UGAS RISES IN ALL RANKINGS
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 30 Aug 2021
It’s been six years that the welterweight champion of The Ring Magazine rankings remain vacant since Floyd Mayweather relinquished the title in September 2015.
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Supposedly, the winner of the August 21 showdown between WBC and IBF unified titleholder Errol Spence Jr. and the eight division champion Manny Pacquiao will become the first Ring welterweight champion since Mayweather.
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Other Ring Magazine welterweight champions include Hall of Famers Henry Armstrong, Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran. One of the two welterweight greats Spence and Pacquiao would have won the most prestigious title if the championship fight would have pushed through.
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But the match was cancelled due to Spence's retinal eye injury and Pacquiao lost by unanimous decision to underdog Yordenis Ugas. The upset would permanently delete the original Pacquiao-Spence Ring welterweight title fight.
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The decision to put the welterweight championship at stake in the Pacquiao-Spence matchup was a difficult one. Spence is the Ring’s No. 1 rated welterweight, and Pacquiao that time was at No. 3. Normally, a vacant title will be at stake when the No. 1 faces the No. 2 contender.
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But a battle between Spence and three-weight world titleholder Terence Crawford, the No. 2 welterweight contender, remains a dream due to promotional complications.
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The Ring championship policy states: “If a fight between the No. 1 and 2 contenders cannot be made and No. 1 fights No. 3, the winner may be awarded The Ring belt if the Editorial Board deems the No. 3 contender worthy.”
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All three members of the editorial board agreed that Pacquiao-Spence qualifies and worthy of a Ring welterweight title fight.
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But Ugas substituted Spence and pulled off a surprise win over Pacquiao and the rest is history. Had the 42-year-old Pacquiao scored an upset on Spence and the fight had not been cancelled on August 21, we would have seen Pacquiao becoming the first four-weight Ring Magazine champion in boxing history.
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Ugas surged to No. 3 from No. 5 and Pacquiao is now down to No. 5 from No. 3 at The Ring welterweight latest rankings.
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The Ring welterweight rankings:
Champion - Vacant
1. Errol Spence Jr. of United States (27-0-0, 21 KOs)
2. Terence Crawford of United States (37-0-0, 28 KOs)
3. Yordenis Ugas of Cuba (27-4-0, 12 KOs)
4. Shawn Porter of United States (31-3-1, 17 KOS)
5. Manny Pacquiao of Philippines (62-8-2, 39 KOs)
6. Vergil Ortiz Jr. of United States (18-0-0, 18 KOs)
7. Danny Garcia of United States (36-3-0, 21 KOs)
8. Jaron Ennis of United States (27-0-0, 25 KOs)
9. Kudratillo Abdukakhorov of Uzbekistan (18-0-0, 10 KOs)
10. Eimantas Stanionis of Lithuania (13-0-0, 9 KOs)
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In the updated BoxRec welterweight rankings, Ugas was elevated to No.4 from No. 5 while Pacquiao is now at No. 5 from inactive status.
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BoxRec welterweight rankings:
1. Errol Spence Jr.
2. Terence Crawford
3. Shawn Porter
4. Yordenis Ugas
5. Manny Pacquiao
6. Danny Garcia
7. Mikey Garcia
8. Kell Brook
9. Abel Ramos
10. Vergil Ortiz Jr.
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The Transnational Boxing Rankings Board (TBRB) had its welterweight champion vacant when Floyd Mayweather Jnr retired in April 2016. Pacquiao became its No. 8 contender while Ugas rose up from No. 4 to No 3.
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TBRB welterweight rankings:
Champion - Open
1. Errol Spence Jr.
2. Terence Crawford
3. Yordenis Ugas
4. Shawn Porter
5. Vergil Ortiz Jr.
6. Danny Garcia
7. Jaron Ennis
8. Manny Pacquiao
9. Mikey Garcia
10. Kudratillo Abdukakhorov
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In the latest ESPN rankings, Ugas and Pacquiao changed places in the welterweight division. Ugas became No. 3 from No. 6 and Pacquiao fell from No. 3 to No. 6
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ESPN welterweight rankings :
1. Errol Spence Jr.
2. Terence Crawford
3. Yordenis Ugas
4. Shawn Porter
5. Vergil Ortiz Jr.
6. Manny Pacquiao
7. Jaron Ennis
8. Keith Thurman
9. Danny Garcia
10. Mikey Garcia
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LeBron James and Kevin Durant are two great players who have dominated the NBA over the last decade. The two players were the most successful players in the last decade. They have won 6 of the last 10 NBA championships in the league. They played in 10 of the last 11 NBA Finals series.
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The rivalry between the two MVPs seemed like a seesaw affair. James had the edge, especially during his first year with the Miami Heat. But the league domination shifted to KD when he joined the super team Golden State Warriors and won two NBA championships defeating James and his teammates.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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