MORE than the World Boxing Association super welterweight crown will be at stake when Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao and Cuban YordenisUgas tangle this Saturday (Sunday in Manila) at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Still battling formidable foes younger than him in the twilight of his illustrious career, Pacquiao wants to prove that, at 42, when most of his peers have retired, he can still defy Father Time and that none of his vaunted speed, power and skills have waned despite a 25-month layoff.
“No, I am 24,” Pacquiao quipped when his age was mentioned during a well-attended pre-match conference yesterday with Ugas.
Pacquiao will fightwith a chip on his shoulder as he goes up against an opponent who took his WBA super welterweight belt without lifting a finger, after the Panama-based world boxing body stripped the fighting senator of the title last January for “inactivity.”
Ugas, who was the No. 1 contender in the WBA’s welterweight division, was promoted as the new champion while Pacquiao was unceremoniously declared as a “champion in recess.”
This is the same championship that Pacquiao won fair and square when he scored a well-earned split decision win over erstwhile unbeaten Keith Thurman on July 20, 2019 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.
The Pinoy ring icon sounded ominous at the press conference, acting like he was the defending champion.
“It’s really important to get back the belt. It’s not good for the WBA to strip my belt without (someone) fighting me. It’s good that Ugas wants to challenge me in the ring for the WBA championship,” Pacquiao noted. “I think it will be good for us to ‘talk’ in the ring on Saturday and settle it. It will be a good fight.”
But he hedged when asked if he considered Ugas the champion, declaring “both of us are champions.”
A 3-1 favorite by oddsmakers, Pacquiao, who has won 62 times (39 KOS), against seven losses and two draws, is eyeing an impressive win that will serve as a springboard to what many back home believe will be his bid to run for president in next year’s national polls.
Standing in the way is Ugas, a former Olympic bronze medalist and defector who has been championing the rights of his compatriots in Cuba.
Ugas, who has a record of 26 wins, 12 by knockout, against four losses, has “Patria y Vida,” (Country and Life) as his motto.
He stressed that he won’t be a pushover against Pacquiao. much less being knocked out, in reaction to reports that his Filipino foe had had stopped one of his sparring partners in training.
“I am 100 percent certain that he (Pacquiao) cannot knock me out. I’ve done all the work and all the preparation these past six years. I’ve really been hitting my stride and I don’t think Manny Pacquiao can knock me out,” Ugas stressed. “I am prepared to fight for 12 hard rounds.”
