Pacquiao vs. Spence Jr is Off; Yordenis Ugas is Manny’s New Opponent

NEWS FLASH – Errol Spence Jr has been forced to withdraw from next week’s match with Manny Pacquiao because of a torn retina in his left eye. The match between the undefeated 31-year-old Spence (27-0, 21 KOs) and the iconic 42-year-old PacMan (62-7-2, 39 KOs) was to take place on Saturday, Sept. 21, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The chief supporting bout would have matched Yordenis Ugas against Argentina’s Fabian Maidana, the younger brother of former two division world title-holder Marcos Maidana.  Ugas will now step in and face Pacquiao. He will be defending the WBA belt that he won in his last outing.

According to various sources, the injury to Spence’s left eye was discovered yesterday (Monday) during a routine medical exam by Nevada State Athletic Commission doctors. Spence reportedly will have the retinal tear surgically repaired in Dallas tomorrow.

By a quirk of fate, Fabian Maidana was injured in sparring and would have had to pull out of his fight with Ugas. That left Ugas temporarily without an opponent until today when a bigger opportunity fell into his lap.

Now 35 years old, Yordenis Ugas represented Cuba in the 2008 Olympics and defected to the United States two years later. In 2014, he had a rocky patch, losing back-to-back fights to rising prospects Emmanuel Robles and Amir Imam. That preceded a 28-month layoff and when Ugas returned to the ring he was a new man. In his first comeback fight he upset Jamal James who is currently 27-1 and holds one of the WBA’s welterweight title belts.

Ugas is 11-1 since coming back. The lone blemish in this stretch was a narrow and somewhat controversial setback to Shawn Porter.

About that WBA title: It’s actually the WBA’s “super” 147-pound title. Ugas won the “regular” version of this title with a split decision over Abel Ramos on a chilly night at an outdoor show in Southern California. The WBA would subsequently strip Manny Pacquiao for inactivity which elevated (if that is the word) Ugas to its “super” category.

The fight between Pacquiao and Errol Spence Jr was far and away the most anticipated fight on the August docket. The early money was on the Filipino legend and at last glance Spence Jr was a consensus 2/1 favorite. No odds have yet been posted on Pacquiao-Ugas which on paper is a very competitive fight, albeit not as compelling as Pacquiao vs. Spence Jr.

The event, although having lost luster, is still a “go” for Sept. 21. It will reportedly remain a pay-per-view. The undercard is currently in flux but there will reportedly be three supporting bouts on the pay-per-view portion of the telecast. Masks are required for those attending the event in person.

This is a breaking story so check back for further developments.

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