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Manny Pacquiao vs. Yordenis Ugas: Fight Odds, Time, Date, Live Stream, TV Info
August 18, 2021
After two years off from fighting, Manny Pacquiao is back.
The Filipino superstar is in Las Vegas in search of another world title, although the one he'll be fighting for this weekend isn't the one that originally brought him out to the desert.
Pacquiao, 42, is set to challenge Yordenis Ugas (26-4, 12 KOs) for the WBA world welterweight title Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena. He was supposed to be fighting Errol Spence Jr., but the IBF and WBC champion had to pull out earlier this month due to an eye injury.
So instead of two titles, Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) is fighting for just one, and it just so happens to be the belt he had up until a few months ago.
Pac Man won the WBA welterweight title in his last bout, a decision win over Keith Thurman in 2019, but was eventually stripped of it earlier this year due to inactivity. The WBA then awarded the belt to Ugas, whose reign may be short-lived if he's not careful against the future Hall of Famer.
"My title was given to Ugas," Pacquiao said, per Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole. "That is not how you become a champion. You earn it by winning it inside the ring. We will fight for the title. That is the proper way a champion is crowned."
Pacquiao vs. Ugas Fight Info
When: Saturday, Aug. 21 at 9 p.m. ET (main card)
Where: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas
TV: Fox PPV ($74.99)
Live stream: Fox Sports PPV, FITE.TV PPV
Moneyline Odds (via FanDuel): Pacquiao -430, Ugas +300
While many boxing fans will be disappointed that Pacquiao isn't facing Spence, who is undefeated and widely considered one of the sport's best pound-for-pound fighters, the matchup against Ugas could prove to be an entertaining one.
The Cuban, 35, isn't afraid to go after his opponents and has both height (5'9" to 5'5½") and reach (69" to 67") advantages over Pacquiao, per BoxRec.com. He has also been more active than his opponent and is in solid form, having won his last three fights (two by stoppage) following a tough split-decision loss to Shawn Porter in early 2019.
Porter believes Pacquaio will win the fight but says Ugas has a chance if he picks the right strategy, per BoxingNews24.com's Allan Fox.
"I do think this can be a more exciting fight than a lot of people expect if Yordenis Ugas can force Manny Pacquiao to go toe-to-toe with him," he said. "If we can get a toe-to-toe battle, it could go either way. I'm not going to sell y'all on that."
The big unknown for Pacquiao is how much he has left in the tank. He's more than a quarter century into his professional career, and few boxers have found success in their early 40s. At some point, the speed and stamina will give out.
However, if the same Pacquiao that has beaten Thurman, Adrien Broner, Lucas Matthysse and Jessie Vargas in recent years shows up Saturday night, Ugas will have his hands full.
On his best day, Pacquiao is a tricky, relentless southpaw who throws quick combinations and can call upon devastating power shots seemingly at will. If the training clips circulating on social media are any indication, he's still in great shape and deeply committed to the sport that has brought him so much fame and fortune.
While Pacquiao seems hell bent on proving he can beat the best well past the prime of his career, his legacy is already secured. There is much more riding on this fight for Ugas, who has mostly fought under the radar but could turn an upset win into prime matchups with the likes of Spence or perhaps even Terence Crawford, the WBO welterweight champion.
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