MASAM SPORTS 51: ERROL SPENCE AND YORDENIS UGAS WANT TO UNIFY ALL FOUR WELTERWEIGHT BELTS BY FIGHTING TERENCE CRAWFORD NEXT
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 07 Mar 2022
WBC and IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. will clash with WBA welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas on April 16. Spence is the favorite to come out the winner, but Ugas is once more ready to prove the oddsmakers otherwise.
He asserted that he had proven most fans wrong when he overwhelmingly defeated Manny Pacquiao to retirement last August 21.
Ugas is ready to defy sports betting books again and thump Spence during their unification match at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Both welterweight champions recently were at the 80,000 capacity stadium to formally launch their three-belt championship bout, promoted by Premier Boxing Champions and to be shown on pay-per-view by Showtime.
"I've fought since I was six years old, and I have overcome any and all challenges," said Ugas as quoted by Insider. "I was ready for Pacquiao, and I'm going to be ready for Spence."
Ugas admitted that he wants the Spence bout because he is not hesitant to engage in "the biggest challenges" and "fight the best."
"I'm here, and I'm ready to prove that everything I've done so far wasn't a fluke at all," declared Ugas as quoted by Boxing Scene.
"You know how long I've been calling for this fight and how long I've wanted this fight? Four years. I have wanted this for so long. Spence is one of the best in the world, and I'm so glad that I get to face him like I've wanted for the past four years."
Three of the four major titles, the WBA, WBC, and IBF in the welterweight division will be at stake in Spence and Ugas showdown while the WBO belt will still be held by Terence Crawford.
Spence and Ugas are united in pushing for the making of an undisputed welterweight champion. Spence named it "strap season" and said he will do everything he can to own all the title belts.
"At the end of the day, I want to be the undisputed welterweight champion of the world," said Spence. "This is another step toward that goal. I've been the shot caller. I'm the big fish at 147."
Spence said Ugas will be a strong opponent. "He's a tough competitor who comes to fight. I thought he beat Shawn Porter in 2019 and then he beat Pacquiao with an arm injury."
"He's a great warrior, but I believe that it's my time to show the world that I'm here to win another belt," added Spence.
Ugas called it a fight between two of the best welterweights in the world and the winner is going to be the "king of the division" and will be the one that will call the shots from now on.
Asked on why Spence didn’t opt for a tune-up fight before facing Ugas, he said he rejected the idea. "I just don’t believe in the tune-up thing. I feel like it’s on me, and to fight somebody like Ugas’ caliber is gonna push me to the next level, gonna keep me training hard."
"So to fight somebody of Ugas’ caliber I know that I have to be prepared 100%, I gotta push my body to past his limit to beat a guy like Ugas.”
“We’ll see,” Spence said when he was asked about fighting Crawford. “Like I said, I’ve gotta get past [Ugas] first. So, once I get past him, we’ll definitely see.”
Crawford has been the WBO welterweight champion for almost four years, one year less than Spence was the IBF title holder he won by knocking out Kell Brook in May 2017.
He has long wanted to fight Spence, but as a free agent he will possibly have to be with Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions to sign a fight contract with Spence.
Crawford currently have no fight scheduled. His last outing was against former IBF and WBC welterweight champion Shawn Porter whom he stopped in the 10th round on November 20 at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino’s Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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