Yordenis Ugas is fresh off an impressive unanimous decision victory against Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquaio. Ugas took the fight on 11 days’ notice, and many fans felt the eight-division champion would prove too much for the challenger.
Ugas, a Cuban native, controlled the fight from start to finish. The performance earned him the WBA welterweight championship. But Ugas now complains that the WBA is treating him as anything but a champion.
The problem began with Ugas seeking a fight with WBC and IBF champion Errol Spence. Both champions want the match and revealed recently that both men have already agreed to a contract.
The WBA says Ugas must complete his obligations as part of a current tournament before fighting in a unification bout. The plan is for Ugas to fight Eimantas Stanionis in the not too distant future. The winner of the Ugas-Stanionis fight would then fight the winner of the upcoming Jamal James-Radzhab Butaev to determine a tournament winner.
Yordenis Ugas Calls Out WBA
Yordenis Ugas feels disrespected by the WBA and says a champion fresh off a fight with a legend should not have to fight what amounts to two mandatory contests with lesser-known prospects. The situation is worse for Ugas since the 35-year-old has a three-belt unification bout available to him.
Ugas says that only “a lack of respect” can explain why he must fight in a tournament to decide a title he has already earned. “I beat Jamal James. I just beat Manny Pacquiao.”
Yordenis Ugas also asks why the super champion in every decision is not subject to the same process. He points out no other WBA super champion has ever fought a mandatory.
Ugas says he and Errol Spence agreed to a contract that would have them fight in February. He thinks the fight would be a perfect setup for an undisputed megafight at welterweight since Terence Crawford and Shawn Porter fight for the WBO title in December.
Yordenis Ugas is especially angry with WBA president Gilbert Mendoza. Ugas alleges that Mendoza told him there would be no mandatory if better opportunities present themselves.
“He told me on the phone, Ugas, I want the best fights for you,” Ugas recounts a previous phone conversation with Mendoza. “If you fight a rematch with Pacquiao, if you fight to unify with Spence, there will be no mandatory.”
“The president of the WBA is a man without words and without honor,” Ugas expresses his anger. “I say it, and I will put it wherever I want.”