Post-Fight Breakdown: Pacquiao vs Ugas
Source: Boxing News 24/7
WBA champion Yordenis Ugás secured the biggest win of his career after he successfully defended his welterweight title against Manny Pacquiao by unanimous decision.
Ugás has made his first defense of the WBA (Super) title and is now in prime position to unify the titles at welterweight.
The bout was a close one, with the judges at ringside scoring the fight 116-112, 116-112, and 115-113.
Ugás was able to establish the jab early and neutralize Pacquiao. Ugás’s reach advantage would continue to give Pacquiao trouble as he had difficulty evading the lead hand.
According to CompuBox, Ugás landed 37% of his total punches compared to 16% landed by Pacquiao. Ugás was also able to land 59% of his power punches while the future hall-of-famer landed 26%.
The champion was the more precise puncher throughout the fight. He was able to take control after round six as he was finding more openings to land his jab and powerful right hook.
Ugás did a good job at keeping Pacquiao at a distance and preventing him from boxing on the inside.
As for Pacquiao, father time is undefeated. He did not look bad at 42 years old, but he did not look the same.
Pacquiao had moments where he was quick with his hands, but it was not consistent.
He was having difficulty getting on the inside of Ugás. He was also uncharacteristically stationary throughout the fight.
Pacquiao was uncharacteristically inaccurate in the bout. According to CompuBox, he threw a total of 815 punches and landed 130. Although throwing a lot of volume, a majority of the flurries were insignificant.
Now that the fight has happened and we know the result, what is next?
For Ugás, this solidifies his status as a top-3 welterweight. This fight also puts him in prime position for a matchup against WBO champion Terrence Crawford or WBC and IBF champion Errol Spence Jr.
For Pacquiao, this might be the last time fight fans will see him compete in the ring. He told ESPN reporter Bernado Osuna that he is 60/40 about retirement.
If this is the last time we see him in the ring, the legacy that he has carved out for himself is like no other. And even in his advanced age, he still competed at the highest level, wontitles and put on great fights.
Aug. 21, 2021 will go down in history as one where one legacy began and another possibly coming to an end.