Fight organizers wasted no time presenting Manny Pacquiao and his new opponent to the boxing world. Pacquiao and WBA champion Yordenis Ugas both made themselves available to the press via virtual conference on Wednesday.
Manny Pacquiao was all set to face Errol Spence on August 21. Fight fans were in shock on Tuesday when learning Spence would not make their fight date. The WBA and IBF welterweight belt holder pulled out of the fight due to a recently discovered retina tear.
Manny Pacquiao wished Spence well and asked everyone to join him in prayer for the injured champion. Pacquiao wanted fans to know he is excited about the challenge before him and is not overlooking Ugas.
Pacquaio says he is happy he will still be fighting on August 21. He did not want the hard work he put in for the fight with Spence to go to waste. “It will be a great fight,” Pacquiao promises boxing fans. “I will be aggressive and make the fans happy.”
Yordenis Ugas was already fighting on August 21. But the original plan was for him to defend his WBA title against Fabian Maidana on the Pacquiao-Spence undercard. Ugas knows he is the underdog against Pacquiao but says he plans to lay it all on the line when he steps into the ring with the boxing icon.
Yordenis Ugas is 35 years old and has been boxing since he was six years old. He says his fight with Pacquaio is the biggest boxing match of his career.
“I am someone who comes to fight and leave everything,” Ugas told members of the press. “I will not disappoint the fans who support me.”
Manny Pacquiao and WBA champion Yordenis Ugas already share a bit of rivalry outside the boxing ring. Pacquiao won the WBA welterweight championship from Keith Thurman in 2019.
Ugas defeated Abel Ramos to become the WBA regular champion but became the primary champion for the organization when Pacquiao was inactive for two years. There will be no doubt about which of the two fighters is the WBA champion after leaving the ring on August 21.