Ugas retains WBA Welterweight title after defeating Pacquaio in a decision
Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines (left) looks at Yordenis Ugas of Cuba after being knocked down during the WBA Welterweight Championship boxing match at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. AFP PHOTO
Cuban boxer Yordenis Ugás claimed the biggest victory of his boxing career after dominating Filipino ring icon Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao in their welterweight showdown, Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Ugás, who took the fight on 11 days’ notice after Errol Spence Jr. had to withdraw due to injury, retained the WBA “super” welterweight title.
Scores were 115-113, 116-112, 116-112, giving Ugás his 27th victory as a professional and legitimizing his reign as the “super” champion.
The Cuban had been elevated to “super” champion status by the WBA in January, when the sanctioning body stripped Pacquiao of the title and declared the Filipino a “champion in recess.”
For Pacquiao, it was the eighth defeat of his career, and his first since a disputed loss to Australia’s Jeff Horn in July 2017. His record dropped to 62-8-2.