LOS ANGELES — Manny Pacquiao could have postponed or canceled his boxing comeback when opponent Errol Spence Jr. dropped out less than two weeks before their Aug. 21 showdown.
Pacquiao didn’t hesitate to replace Spence with Yordenis Ugas , the Cuban WBA welterweight champion, just 11 days before the pay-per-view show at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Spence has a retinal tear that requires surgery, but he didn’t know about it until a prefight medical exam. Ugas was scheduled to make his first title defense against Fabian Maidana on the undercard in Las Vegas, but he got the call to replace Spence on the same day Maidana revealed he had a huge cut underneath his left eye, likely forcing him out of his fight with Ugas anyway.
“This means the world to me,” Ugas said. “I’m fighting not for the money, but for my legacy, for my country, for my own story that’s going to be told. This is the most important fight of my life. … I’m well aware that Pacquiao is the favorite, but at the same time, I’m a champion. Ever since I came back five years ago, I’ve overcome so much. I’ve had fights stolen from me, I’ve beaten tough opponents, and even though I have a challenge, I have confidence in myself.