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WBA welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas 27-4 (12) says he always wanted the fight against WBC and IBF counterpart Errol Spence Jr 27-0 (21) who he will face at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on April 16.
“I not only accepted this fight, I pushed for this fight because I wanna fight the best,” Ugas said. “And like I mentioned before, here we are, two of the best three welterweights in the world [along with Terence Crawford]. So, I want the biggest challenges. I’m here and I’m ready to prove that everything I did so far wasn’t a fluke at all.
“You know how long I’ve been calling for this fight? How long I’ve wanted this fight for? Four years. I have been wanting this for so long. Spence is one of the best in the world. And I’m so glad now that I get to face him, like I have wanted for the past half decade.”
The 35-year-old Ugas who hails from Cuba but boxes out of Miami, Florida, won the black belt by outpointing Filipino legend Manny Pacquiao 62-8-2 (39) on short notice at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada last August.
Ugas was awarded the victory by scores of 116-112 twice and 115-113. Pacquiao announced his retirement in the months after the bout.
Ugas stepped in to replace Spence after the 32-year-old Texan southpaw suffered an eye injury that forced him to withdraw from the fight against the future hall of famer.
“I don’t regret it at all. Everything happens for a reason,” Spence said.
“If I would’ve fought him, I probably would have been blind in my eye and lost my career. Everything happens for a reason. I just got to take the punches and roll with it.
“I’ve been looking forward [to this fight] since I dropped out of the Pacquiao fight. I knew I’d be looking at either Pacquiao or Ugas. It’s Ugas now.”
The talent-rich 147-pound division will present many options for the winner. WBO titleholder Terence Crawford 38-0 (29) is as talented as anyone at the weight.
Ugas says if he is successful against Spence he will be zeroing in on a fight with Crawford for a rare four-belt unification bout to determine who is the best welterweight of the current era.
“I do think that Spence is a better fit for my style,” Ugas said. “I will be a little bit different with Terence Crawford, that’s for sure.
“I have to stay focused on this fight. This is a tough enough challenge. I can’t think about anything else other than to beat Errol Spence.
“But yes, if God blesses me with a victory on April 16, the goal is to become undisputed champion and to have that fight with Terence Crawford. By no means can I afford to overlook Errol Spence.”
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