Manny Pacquiao vs Yordenis Ugas: Air time, how to live stream, predictions about title bout
After winning over Keith Thurman two years ago, Manny Pacquiao is coming back to the ring to face Yordenis Ugas for a shot at the world title belt in the welterweight division. Reports said that it's possible that fans would see the 42-year-old Pacquiao fighting for the last time since he’s deliberating retirement from the sport. His opponent, Ugas, was not in the scene initially. Pacquiao’s original opponent was Errol Spence Jr, but he had to withdraw because of his eye injury, followed by surgery on a torn retina this week. And, now the moment belongs to the 35-year-old Cuban, who has held the WBA welterweight title since January.
Earlier, in a statement, Spence had said, “I was excited about the fight and the event. Unfortunately, the doctors found a tear in my left eye and said I needed to get surgery on it ASAP and that there was no way I could fight with my eye condition. I’d like to apologize to everyone. You know I’ll be back soon. We’ve come back from worse.”
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While Pacquiao expressed his thoughts about his future. Speaking to Salvador Rodriguez of ESPN.com, he mentioned retirement before adding: “I don’t know if this is going to be my last [time in the ring], we are going to see fight by fight. But if I have the possibility of making one more fight, then I would like to face the best — either Terence Crawford or Errol Spence.”
Below is everything you need to know about Pacquiao vs Ugas.
Fight date and start time
The main card will be on Saturday, August 21, at 9 pm ET/2 am BST, followed by the main event at 11:30 pm ET/4:30 am BST.
Where to watch and stream?
For the US audience, they can purchase the Pacquiao vs Ugas main card on Fox Sports PBC pay-per-view for $74.99. They can also stream it through FOX Sports App and FOXSports.com. For the UK fans, the fight will be available on Sky Sports.
Who is hosting the Pacquiao vs Ugas title fight?
The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas is the host of the fight. It’s the 22nd time for Pacquiao to fight there while for Ugas, it’s his sixth time.
What are the predictions?
According to Nissi Icasiano, editor, International Business Times, “Stylistically, this fight against Yordenis Ugas favors Manny Pacquiao. One of the reasons [for that] is because I see Ugas being too tentative inside the ring. He may have the height and the length, but his movement is limited to two directions. It will be a big problem for him when Manny starts to press the action, moving in and out with ease. It's safe to say that this will be an uphill battle for Yordenis Ugas. I don't see [in Ugas] the [same] qualities of boxers who were able to solve the pesky style of Manny Pacquiao. What I mean by that is that he doesn't have the counterpunching, chin, or the grit of Juan Manuel Marquez.”
Icasiano added, “He doesn't have the finesse of Floyd Mayweather, though he is a product of a lauded and proud Cuban amateur boxing program. It's hard to tell if he has a real fighting chance against Manny Pacquiao, especially since he floundered against the likes of Shawn Porter. But I think by making it a dog fight, as rough as Jeff Horn did a few years ago, it's the only chance he has to at least keep up with the Filipino. But again, I still doubt if he can hold out when he decides to engage at that kind of pace. I wouldn't be surprised if Pacquiao gets the finish within six rounds, or at least dominates the fight like he did against Chris Algieri.”
Drian Francisco, Former Boxing World Champion, said: “Ugas is a very busy fighter with a solid right straight and a decent body attack. But he tends to fight wide open, and is at a considerable speed disadvantage. He leaves himself too vulnerable when he goes to the body, and that’s going to be a huge mistake against Manny. Manny will use his speed and power to hurt Ugas, landing that bullet-like left straight down the middle to great effect. For every one punch Ugas throws, Manny will come back with four or five of them. One thing going for Ugas, however, is that he’s bigger and taller than Manny. He could use his range to stay away, and he has a thick body to absorb shots better. Manny needs to hurt him early to put him on the defensive. If Ugas is unable to withstand the power and the pressure, Manny knocks him out late. Otherwise, he shuts him out in a decision.”