Yordenis Ugas has caused a boilover, defeating Manny Pacquiao by unanimous decision (115-113, 116-112 x 2) on Sunday as he defended the WBA welterweight title.
Pacquiao had admitted in the lead-up to the fight that he was unsure if it would be the last of his career.
The 42-year-old looked a very different version of himself to the own that fought Keith Thurman, struggling to deal with Ugas’ counter game.
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It was not just Ugas’ jabs that gave him the advantage though with his right hand too troubling Pacquiao all night.
“It was a hard time, making an adjustment about his style and I think that was the problem for me because I didn’t make an adjustment,” Pacquiao said post-fight.
“The right hand has thrown him off balance, made him cover up, he has found a home for it,” Brian Kenny said in commentary.
It leaves his career in doubt, with it unclear whether Pacquiao would retire after a defeat, with Joe Goossen asking in commentary: “Is this the end of a legend?”
Pacquiao did not had an answer to that question when asked after the fight.
“I don’t know,” he said.
“Let me rest first and relax and make a decision if I continue to fight.”
Pacquiao was the heavy favourite for the bout, with Ugas taking the fight on just 11 days notice after Errol Spence Jr. pulled out with an eye injury.
Pacquiao was controversially stripped of his WBA title on grounds of “inactivity” earlier this year despite the global disruption to boxing caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The WBA instead handed the belt to Ugas, a fact that upset Pacquiao.
Pacquiao showed his power early with a right hook and two left hands to the side of Ugas’ head.
Ugas though was using his jab well to keep his distance and also went to the body late and a left hand ended with Pacquiao hitting the ground but no knockdown was scored.
The 35-year-old Cuban was not throwing as much but more accurate early, using his distance effectively.
At 42 years old and with 71 fights under his belt, Pacquiao has seen it all in the ring and yet Shawn Porter declared in commentary that the Cuban was giving him a “puzzle to solve”.
Pacquiao brought the crowd to its feet in the third with a big left and lunge that sent Ugas to the ropes, finishing the busier of the two with solid flurries to end the round.
Pacquiao continued to pepper Ugas with spurts of intensity but Ugas countered them perfectly and was giving him a world of trouble.
That puzzle Porter referred to earlier had still not been solved and the question then turned to whether Pacquiao, at 42 years old, had the energy left in him to pick up the pace.
Instead, Ugas turned up the heat for the following rounds and Pacquiao could not find the knockout blow, falling short.
MONSTER KO STUNS
Filipino Mark Magsayo introduced himself to Sin City in wild fashion on Sunday with a stunning 10th round knockout of Julio Ceja in their bruising WBC featherweight title eliminator.
The undefeated Magsayo dropped Ceja in the first round with a monstrous left hook, before the Mexican fought his way back into the fight and dropped Magsayo in the fifth.
But just when it looked like Ceja had taken control, Magsayo, Pacquiao’s protege, found a second wind; a big right hand in the 10th putting Ceja out against the ropes, before the 26-year-old landed one more to put his rival on the canvas.
Two special right hands ultimately saved Magsayo, who was behind 87-82, 86-83, 86-83 on the scorecards at the time of the stoppage.
Ceja, who at a stage looked to be cutting Magsayo in half, was motionless for a while before regaining consciousness. He will head to hospital after being helped out of the ring.
Magsayo did a backflip to celebrate his 23rd professional win and 16th knockout.