This archive report was first published on 22 August 2021.
On a dramatic Saturday night in Las Vegas, Cuba's Yordenis Ugas sent Manny Pacquiao spinning to a stunning upset defeat, outclassing the Filipino boxing icon with a composed unanimous points victory at the T-Mobile Arena on August 22, 2021.
Ugas, 35, dominated the fight with a stinging jab and cleaner punching, making the most of his opportunity after being drafted in to face Pacquiao earlier this month following Errol Spence Jr.'s eye injury in training.
Despite being aggressive throughout, Pacquiao, 42, was made to look every bit of his years as Ugas retained his WBA welterweight belt with a convincing win on all three cards, with one judge scoring it 115-113 and two others 116-112.
"That's boxing," a deflated Pacquiao said afterwards. "I had a hard time in the ring making adjustments. My legs were tight. I'm sorry I lost tonight, but I did my best."
Ugas, who had been awarded the WBA title after Pacquiao was stripped of the belt earlier this year for inactivity, was thrilled with his victory, improving to 27-4 with 12 knockouts.
"I'm very excited but most of all, I want to thank Manny Pacquiao for giving me this opportunity in the ring today," Ugas said. "We only had two weeks of training but I listened to my corner and it all worked out."
The defeat is almost certain to renew doubts about Pacquiao's future in the sport he has graced through 72 fights spanning 26 years since 1995.
