Pacquiao can make adjustments rematch with Ugas – says Shawn Porter

Shawn Porter believes Manny Pacquiao can make adjustments to potentially beat WBA Super World welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas in a rematch.

He’d like to see Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39 KOs) face Ugas (27-4, 12 KOs) in a second match-up in Manila in the Philippines and then call it a day.

For Pacquiao to beat Ugas, he’ll need to increase his work rate and work on his punching power.

Doing less roadwork would be a good idea for Manny, as he complained that both of his legs cramped up on him starting in the fourth.

Pacquiao hadn’t fought a Cuban

“At the end of the fight, I think he said, ‘My legs were hurting’ or were cramped. I just got to wonder in his language, would he have said it differently?” said Shawn Porter to Fighthype. “Would he have been able to expound on what he meant.

“I’m not saying he’s ignorant in terms of his English. I just wonder if it would have come off different, and not really that it came off as an excuse.

“When you’re so great, and in one of your fights, we don’t see all of the greatness; I just want more of why.

“There’s always things that happen in camp that we don’t disclose because we don’t feel like we should introduce that to our opponent. But coming out of camp, they [Team Pacquiao] sounded ready.

“The other part that I find very interesting is that in 70 fights, has Manny Pacquiao ever seen a Cuban fighter? He’d never seen a Cuban. So there were things that happened in the ring that he just wasn’t prepared for,” Porter said.

The style of Ugas seemed to have Pacquiao confused, but more than that, it was the power.

Pacquiao hadn’t tasted that kind of power since his fights with Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto over a decade ago.

Manny couldn’t find his rhythm

“Yordenis Ugas was well-prepared for this fight,” said Porter. “He was prepared for this fight probably two or three years ago when he lost to me.

“Ugas was extremely prepared, and I think some things happened in the ring that Manny wasn’t really prepared for. I think before he could make any kind of adjustments, the routine had set in.

“More than anything, when he says his legs were hurting, he was referring to fatigue, which can set in for the second half of a fight, especially when your 42.

“It was still an exciting fight. We definitely have to give salutes to Yordenis Ugas and his camp [Ismael] Salas. They did a terrific job. It was definitely good tactics and good boxing from Ugas.

“Yordenis Ugas did a terrific job of holding his ground and knowing what he had to do in terms of how he was going to defend Manny Pacquiao and what he was going to do to offset Manny Pacquiao.

“The questions he posed from the opening bell never allowed Manny to find a rhythm.

“So when you’re talking about my legs were fatigued, and I was tired, I know from experience. When a fighter gets you here [mentally], everything else goes.

“Before you think that the 42 got him, realize that Ugas did some things to stop that 42-year-old from doing any of the things he did when he was 40 against Keith Thurman and anything he did before that.

“What Ugas did to start the fight set the tone and carried itself out. I just thought it was terrific. I love boxing, I love the art of boxing, and I love what Ugas did a couple of nights ago,” said Porter.

The power of Ugas kept Pacquiao from getting settled into his routine, and the fight fell got away from him in the second half.

It was knotted up through the first six rounds, but then Ugas took over down the stretch with his power.

Pacquiao should rematch Ugas in Manilla

“I think you’re going to have one last fight at home in Manilla, take Yordenis over there, pay that man, make your adjustments and show your greatness,” Porter said.

“I would still love for him to retire tomorrow. My option A is to retire, but if you’re going to keep going, we don’t want to see you against Robert Guerrero.

“The road only gets harder. The road doesn’t get easier beyond Ugas. I say take Ugas to Manilla, pay that man, make those adjustments, show your greatness, beat him, and then call it a day.

“I will go on record that given a second chance, Manny Pacquiao and his corner could make adjustments and come into the ring differently.

“I would wonder if Salas would prepare for any more or less they prepare for. Obviously, with a full camp to prepare for Pacquiao, what do they bring differently to the ring?

“Come on, a rematch makes sense, and a rematch would be great because we saw #1 and #1 was damn good if not great.

“I wonder what Floyd would do against Ugas. Floyd is good at analyzing his opponents and knowing what to do.

“I got to wonder if Floyd got a look at that, and he’s licking his chops a little bit,” Porter said about his farfetched vision of Mayweather coming out of retirement to fight Ugas.

Well, Porter can forget about 44-year-old Floyd Mayweather Jr. coming out of retirement to fight the dangerous puncher Ugas. Mayweather knows what would happen if he fought Ugas, and it wouldn’t be pretty.

Mayweather is too slow, too weak, and too old to compete with Ugas. Floyd would take a serious beating if he came out of retirement to fight Ugas, and he’s not about to do that. Mayweather is focused on selling his fights against YouTubers and MMA fighters to the public.

He’s not going to break that routine to fight a real boxer, particularly one with the power like Ugas.

It would be admirable if Pacquiao chooses to face Ugas in a rematch in the Philippines or anywhere for that matter, but it’s doubtful he’ll take the risk. Pacquiao felt the power of Ugas and knows it’ll be worse for him if he faces the Cuban talent again.

If Porter doesn’t get beaten by Terence Crawford, a rematch between him and Ugas would be a great fight for the boxing public.

Porter wants credit for the win over Yordenis

“You got to respect me a little bit more,” said Porter in wanting to receive credit for his controversial 12 round split decision win over Ugas in 2019.

“At the time I fought Ugas, he was my mandatory. I told my dad, ‘Let’s do it.’ When we took on Ugas, the timing was right for us, and when Ugas took on Manny, certainly the timing was right for him.

“I think that should make me a little bit better. I think people should say, ‘Hey, what would Ugas do in a second fight with Shawn Porter?’

“When you take a look at the fight with me and Ugas, and you look at the fight with Manny and Ugas, I think Ugas did 50% of what he did to Manny.

“I don’t think he used his entire arsenal, and I think the things that I did prevented him from doing that.

“Styles make fights. I can’t really answer whether a rematch between myself and Ugas happens, but I’m looking forward to seeing what Ugas does next.

“That was one night of greatness. I would love to see if Ugas can be bigger, better, and greater than he was against Manny Pacquiao,” said Porter.

It’s somewhat pathetic that Porter wants to be given kudos for his controversial 12 round split decision win over Yordenis from 2019.

For Porter to be talking about wanting to receive a pat on his back for his win over Ugas from two years ago suggests that he hasn’t been paying attention to what boxing fans have been saying about him in that regard.

The fans that saw the fight, by and large, had Ugas winning. Some had Ugas winning big, 10 rounds to 2. I’ve seen the fight several times, and I had Ugas winning a wide 12 round decision by a 118-110 score.

At best, Porter won two rounds, and even those two rounds could have easily gone to Ugas.

Yordenis basically dominated all 12 rounds against Porter, which is why it’s troubling that Shawn is so deluded about what fans think about the fight and what actually did happen.

To be sure, fans would give Porter credit for beating Ugas if they thought he actually won, but they don’t.

They saw the fight as robbery in which the more popular fighter, Porter, was given the decision by two of the judges that scored it for him.

The third judge saw the fight how it really was in scoring it 117-111 for Ugas.