KEY POINTS

  • Manny Pacquiao says that the Yordenis Ugas fight is one of the easiest bouts in his career
  • He blames his cramping legs for the loss since he couldn't move much
  • Pacquiao's future remains in the air as he will take a month off to decide

Manny Pacquiao looked every bit as old as his age suggests in his fight against Yordenis Ugas for the WBA welterweight title last Saturday, August 21.

The Filipino legend was originally scheduled to face Errol Spence Jr., but an eye injury to the American caused a change of plans two weeks ahead of the bout.

Ugas utterly dominated Pacquiao throughout the match as he was able to catch the “Pac-Man” with punches that he would have been able to slip through with ease back then.

The Cuban retained his title and gave Pacquiao his first loss since that terrible unanimous decision loss against Jeff Horn in 2017.

The future Hall of Famer opened up about his views on Ugas as a fighter in an interview with The Athletic after the fight.

“In my entire career, [Yordenis] Ugas was one of the easiest opponents. He only had one style and I should’ve been able to easily move away,” said Pacquiao.

The highly mobile and bouncy Pacquiao of old was nowhere to be seen during the fight as he was seen plodding and breathing heavily for most of the match, and the Senator from the Philippines placed the blame on his legs.

“My two legs were cramping. That’s why I can’t move around,” he said after the loss.

The difference between the two fighters was highly evident as Pacquiao uncharacteristically stood in the pocket and traded shots with Ugas, leaving him on the receiving end of most exchanges.

According to CompuBox, Pacquiao only connected on 16 percent of his 815 total punches while Ugas landed 37 percent of his 405 total shots.

Pacquiao’s future hangs in the balance as he announced after the fight that he would take the next month off to contemplate whether he runs for president of the Philippines or he continues his boxing career.

Should he choose the latter, Pacquiao can opt for a rematch against Ugas or look for another big money fight on the horizon.

Spence should be more than excited to face this version of Pacquiao since Ugas was able to force the Filipino boxer into a tough fight that left his face bruised.

If Pacquiao opts to call it a career, no one will blame him for doing so since he has nothing left to prove to anyone, and him being the lone eight-division champion should be more than enough to cement his place in boxing history.

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