De La Hoya learned this in his loss to Pacquiao. Then again, the openings are usually there for old fighters their hands just can’t react quickly enough and take advantage of them. He often leaves his chin exposed, after throwing his jab and when leaning back to dodge punches. Ugás, who weighed in at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds, loops his right hand. Unlike many other products of Cuba’s vaunted amateur program, Ugás isn’t much of a mover, perhaps in part because he’s also old. Pacquiao, who weighed in Friday at 146 pounds, will be taking on a particularly hittable opponent.
“Every day in training, to add more rounds,” Pacquiao said. Pacquiao pointed to his recent workouts, which he compared to his first training camp with Roach at the Wild Card gym in Hollywood in the early 2000s.
“I don’t think God is a good matchmaker,” Roach said.Įarlier this week, Pacquiao pushed back against the perception that he was in danger against the undefeated Spence, who at 5 feet 10 is four inches taller. The same conversation with Roach later shifted to the sense of safety Pacquiao feels because of his religious convictions. “They’re all beatable on a good night for Manny,” Roach said at the time, “but you can’t really count on having a good night every time at 40 years old.” (John Locher / Associated Press)īefore Pacquiao's decision victory over the powerful but technically limited Keith Thurman in 2019, trainer Freddie Roach identified Spence as one of two boxers he didn’t want Pacquiao fighting. Manny Pacquiao, left, and Yordenis Ugas pose for photographers during a news conference Wednesday in Las Vegas. The next link in the chain was expected to be Spence, a hard-punching champion who at 31 still doesn’t have a signature victory.
The passing of the torch is a particularly distasteful process, a diminished veteran taking a one-sided beating from his appointed successor in exchange for a hefty payday.Ī shopworn Julio César Chávez was mauled by Oscar De La Hoya, who a decade later was whipped by Pacquiao. He should retire, and retire soon.īecause if Pacquiao wants to continue fighting, this business will continue indulging him until it has squeezed every nickel from his once-explosive, 5-foot-6 frame.īoxing’s ecosystem has long relied on fading stars to create the next generation of main attractions. He’s expected to run for the Philippines' presidency next year. Hopefully, this isn’t a desperate sales pitch to sell a pay-per-view show involving an unknown opponent. “It could be my last fight, or there could be more,” Pacquiao said. So, if the hints he dropped this week about retirement were a source of optimism for some, they were a reason for concern for the more self-interested parties in the industry. He is the last of his kind, the fighter who transcends both his sport and ethnicity. Pacquiao is more than a decade removed from his peak, but he remains a valuable commodity in a field short on star power. He’s still alive and still fighting, his next assignment Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena, where he will take on Yordenis Ugás, a late injury replacement for welterweight world champion Errol Spence Jr. “I’m still alive,” a smiling Pacquiao reminded me. Pacquiao was on my computer screen by this point, cracking up as he settled in for a video conference set up by the ever-jovial Sternberg.
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