Manny Pacquiao will return to the ring for the first time in two years when he takes on Yordenis Ugas Saturday night in Las Vegas. Pacquiao was initially supposed to face a different opponent, and it’ll be a surprise if he’s on the losing end of the newly scheduled welterweight title fight.

Superstar welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. withdrew from the bout against Pacquiao on Aug. 10 because of a torn retina in his left eye. Ugas took Spence’s spot, immediately flipping Pacquiao’s chances.

When Spence was Pacquiao’s opponent, Pacquiao was a +170 underdog at DraftKings Sportsbook. Against Ugas, Pacquiao has been named a heavy favorite with -360 betting odds. Ugas is a +275 underdog.

The fight is expected to go the distance. Pacquiao has +110 odds to win by decision and +175 odds to win by knockout. With +1000 odds, a knockout victory for Ugas is considered to be the least likely outcome.

Pacquiao has only been knocked out once in the last two decades. A right hand from Juan Manuel Marquez in December 2012 sent Pacquiao to the canvas.

In his last fight, Pacquiao defeated Keith Thurman by split decision on July 20, 2019. Pacquiao has won three straight fights since his shocking and controversial loss to Jeff Horn in July 2017.

Ugas has a 26-4 career record with three straight victories. The 35-year-old has never beaten an opponent of Pacquiao’s caliber.

The pay-per-view starts at 9 p.m. EDT from Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena. It costs $74.99 to buy the PPV.

Manny Pacquiao
Manny Pacquiao Getty Images | Michael Owens
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