By
Mortz C. Ortigoza
After
that breaking news exploded in the boxing world at early dawn of
August 12 (August 11 in the U.S) that the biggest boxing event for
this year scheduled in August 21 between Super Welterweight's icons
Manny Pacquiao versus Errol Spence, Jr. was off because the latter
got a torn retina, many fans were dismayed while some were
furious.
“Who
was that 39 years old 5’ 9" feet Cuban’s Yordenis
Ugás?” I even asked myself after I
read the jarring news – as if I was hit too by Manny’s phantom right cross
that decked out the loquacious braggart Keith Thurman in the first
round of their skirmishes.
“Can
we interview you now about your pre-fight analysis between Pacquiao
versus Ugas?” Bombo Radyo-Pangasinan’s Chief of Anchors Ed
Abubo called me by phone while I was in my car.
“Bilis
naman (Too fast)! Give me two days as I’m preoccupied
overseeing the arrivals of our Davao Puyat export variety durians and
class A pomelos for the huge three million populated mammoth Pangasinan market,” I answered him.
|
Photo Credit: Philboxing.com |
In
my supposed analysis of the Pacquiao -Spence fight, I found it easier
since in the last four tussles of Spence (Carlos Ocampo June 6, 2018;
Mikey Garcia March 16, 2019; Shawn Porter August 28, 2019; and Danny Garcia
December 5, 2020) he fought a haymaker – just like the whirling
dervish Filipino Senator sans his heavy punches – Porter.
Spence
struggled how to deal with Porter in their 2019 World
Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation's Welterweight diadem that
without the right
hook knockdown
that hit the latter face in Round
11,
Porter chalked up a draw to the judges or even won that brawl before the eyes of many boxing aficionados.
When
Spence fought Danny Garcia – after the former survived a horrific
Ferrari car accident in 2019 - he was slower (than his 2019 outing with Porter) to a calculating Danny.
“Bakit
bumagal ito, epekto ng car crash? (Why he was slower, was it
an effect of the car crash?),” I quipped when I first
saw their battle.
Manny
would gobble him in case they consumed their contracted August 21
competition, I added.
***
Despite
my busy schedule juggling my editorial work at Northern Watch
Newspaper and supervising the family business – damn, I browsed the last four matches of Ugas in BoxRec and this yokel smiled.
I
ain’t need to watch his tussles with Omar Figueroa Jr., Mike Dallas Jr., and Abel
Ramos,
because the other one was the exciting Shawn Porter himself who
attack ferociously the enemies like Pacquiao.
Porter
got a split decision with Ugas.
Many
boxing kibitzers said that the deft Cuban won that fight because of his clean
punches, his propensity to hit by his heavy uppercuts the body of
Porter, and his counter punching that slowed down his opponent who
fought like a devil against Thurman, Spence, and Garcia.
He
lost because he was a challenger in the first defense of Porter of that March
2019’s Welterweight crown for the World
Boxing
Council in Dignity
Health Sports Park , Carson City, Nevada.
“The
lighter punching Porter even shook him in the second half of the rounds,”
I told myself while watching the duo in their chess match.
Ugas
lost because he did not aggressively pursue Porter. A challenger must
be truculent to hit the defending champion unless his name is Floyd
Mayweather or Juan
Manuel
Márquez
who
gave jarring clean punches to the face and torso of Pacquiao and muster the ring
generalship to win the favors of the three judges.
Or an oppoent whose name is Jeff Horn who – damn the torpedoes – mixed in a dog fight with Pacquiao where the latter lost in a unanimous decision.
(But
Terence
Allan "Bud" Crawford
easily
handled Horn (Technical Knocked Out (TKO)) - after the Pacquiao's tussle - like Horn transformed into a neophyte by Crawford quick counter
punches and foot speed that could outclass Pacquiao and Spence. But
that’s another column for you folks, te-he!)
Although
Ugas is the defending champ after the WBA crown was stripped off from
Pacquiao in January 29, 2020 (the Flips, er Filipinos’ presidential
candidate won’t defend it), he should triple his hitting activity against
Porter when he and Manny fight next week.
Although
Ugas, a Cuban Olympian, is no fluke compared to the likes of Adrien
Broner, Lucas Martin Matthysse, Jessie Vargas, and Jorge
Solis,
he is not at the league of Manny’s lightning
hand and foot speed.
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