Welterweight champions Yordenis Ugas and Errol Spence Jr. are already hard at work getting prepared for their April 16th unification fight at the AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas.
WBA 147-lb champion Ugas (27-4,12 KOs) is looking more active in his training today than the robotic southpaw Spence (27-0,21 KOs), and you would tell right now which of the two is putting more energy into their work.
Ugas is coming to take away Spence’s IBF & WBC titles on April 16th, and you best believe he’s going to have an excellent game plan from his coach. The Spence that we saw in his last two fights against Danny Garcia and Shawn Porter might not be good enough to beat this version of Ugas that will step foot inside the ring.
In some ways, it would be better for boxing if Ugas wins this fight because he has a better chance of taking the fight with WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford than Spence, who has never seemed interested in fighting the talented Omaha, Nebraska native for some reason.
The 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Ugas isn’t afraid to fight anybody in the welterweight division, and that goes for the 34-year-old Crawford as well.
Ugas looks more active in training for Spence
“I’m 200% one of the best fighters in the division,” said Yordenis Ugas to Fight Hub TV. “It’s going to be a great fight, a tough fight against Spence. I’m just working hard towards that goal. I’m going to be ready.
“I saw him fight against Danny, and I’m getting ready to fight the best version of himself,” said Ugas about Spence not having lost anything since his car crash and eye surgery.
“He’s still #1 or #2 in the division, and I consider him one of the best in boxing overall. There’s no doubt about that. I’m a competitor; I’m a warrior,” said Ugas when asked why he believes he’ll beat Spence on April 16th.
“I’ve proven night after night that I can fight against the best, and you should put your money on me because I come after it night after night,” said Ugas.
It’ll be a shock to some boxing fans if Ugas deals Spence his first career defeat but not to this writer.
Spence, 31, is a shell of the fighter he once was since his car crash in 2019, and his latest potent career-ending eye injury from last August leaves a lot of doubt whether he’ll be able to make it through his fight with Ugas.
If this is the end for Spence on April 16th, he’s got a lot to be proud of in his career for the things that he’s achieved. He’ll be remembered for his wins over Danny Garcia, Shawn Porter, Kell Brook, Mikey Garcia, Lamont Peterson, and Chris Algieri.
Hearn says Spence doesn’t want to fight Crawford
“I don’t think Errol Spence wants to fight Terence Crawford. He’s got a fight against Yordenis Ugas,” said promoter Eddie Hearn said to Fight Hub TV. “Those guys have got to lose a little bit of their chip on their shoulder to think they’re bigger than each other.
“‘I got more pay-per-view numbers than you.’ Neither of you is massive draws on your own. Fight each other if you want to prove who is the best,” said Hearn about Spence and Crawford.
“Unfortunately, in boxing, we don’t see that too much,” said Hearn.
It’s pretty evident that Spence wants nothing to do with Crawford, which has nothing to do with the other side of the road argument. It’s a bad match-up for Spence to take on the highly skilled Crawford, and he knows it.
If Spence beats Ugas on April 16th, this writer guarantees that he WON’T fight Crawford.
Instead, we’ll probably see Spence take on Keith Thurman and then either move up to154 or take on Vergil Ortiz Jr. Crawford will continue to be ignored by Spence for the remainder of his career. That’s this writer’s finalpredicction.