Manny Pacquiao vs. Yordenis Ugás: Everything you need to know
Manny Pacquiao will return to the Mecca of Boxing — Las Vegas, Nevada — once again Saturday night, looking to make more history in the process.
Pacquiao will square up with Cuban veteran Yordenis Ugás in the main event. Ugás stepped in to replace an injured Errol Spence Jr. (eye).
Both Pacquiao (62-7-2) and Ugás (26-4) have much to gain and much to lose beyond bragging rights when they step into the ring.
Here is everything you need to know about Saturday's welterweight showdown.
What's on the line?
In this case, it will be Pacquiao looking to win a belt and Ugás looking to defend one — his WBA (Super) welterweight title, which he won in a 2020 bout against Abel Ramos.
How can I watch?
Fight fans can watch the welterweight tilt on FOX Sports PBC pay-per-view. Order today!
What is Pacquiao's career status?
Well, it's legendary and forever will be.
Pacquiao is the favorite entering Saturday, and for good reason, considering that he has a significant experience edge over Ugás, having participated in more than 40 world title fights.
Pacquiao also won the WBA (Super) welterweight title — the one Ugás now owns, after Pacquiao was stripped of the title due to inactivity — by defeating Keith Thurman via split decision on July 20, 2019, his most recent appearance in the ring.
Still, it's worth noting that Pacquiao has not fought in more than two years — 25 months and one day come Saturday, to be exact.
This represents the longest layoff in Pacquiao's 26-year career, and the Pac-Man will enter the ring at 42 years old, nine years older than Ugás.
What is Ugás' career status?
Although he hasn't earned the legend status of Pacquiao, Ugás brings a stellar career with him to the ring Saturday.
He enters the weekend having won 11 of his past 12 fights and boasting a 5-0 career record in Vegas.
The lone loss in his previous 12 fights was a controversial split decision defeat to veteran tough guy and PBC analyst Shawn Porter back on March 9, 2019, in Ugás' first attempt to capture a world title.
Shawn Porter's Keys to Success
As previously mentioned, Porter fought Ugás with a belt on the line, and even though he hasn't fought Pacquiao, he is familiar with his style as well, simply based on how long Pac-Man has been in the game.
For Ugás, Porter pinpointed three keys to victory: (1) a long, strong jab, (2) a relentless body attack and (3) make Manny fight with pressure.
For Pacquiao, Porter feels his keys to victory are: (1) speed and quickness, (2) create an angle for straight left and (3) finish strong.
Check out Porter's full breakdown below:
Porter's prediction
So who does Porter have coming out with a victory on Saturday night?
Watch the one-minute video to find out!
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