Coach Ismael Salas on Yordenis Ugas: “He’s going to show the world why he’s in this position”
By: Sean Crose
“Everybody has to look forward to the fireworks tomorrow,” said Yordenis Ugas coach Ismail Salas. FightHype on Friday. “It will be a great fight. Two people fighting great. “The match Salas is talking about is, of course, the unification of the title tonight between his boxer Ugas and fellow champion Errol Spence. A year ago, Ugas was a famous boxer, but not particularly famous. Then came last summer, when the whole world watched Ugas outplay the great Manny Pacquiao. However, the fact that Spence is considered a pound boxer, coupled with the fact that Pacquiao was over forty when he fought Ugas, has made Spence the star attraction of tonight’s fight in his hometown. Your Texas. Salas, however, is confident.
“Ugas is going to show the world why he is in this position,” said the veteran coach. When asked if Ugas felt good after gaining weight, Salas made it clear that weight simply wasn’t an issue for his man. “Ugas is a natural welding weight,” says Salas. “He’s huge. He’s a big and natural weight. So for Ugas to gain weight, for example, last night we had a nice dinner, not big but a proper dinner. . ” Feeling comfortable with his warrior status going into the weekend, Salas also made it clear why he feels Ugas can score against Spence.
“They have something there,” Salas said, pointing to Spence and his team, “not many people see.” Salas went on to point out that Spence wasn’t the same man when he returned from a horrific car crash to face the notable Danny Garcia heavyweight in late 2020. “If people had been watching Errol Spence’s final fight with Danny,” Salas said, “I don’t.” I don’t know if people feel it’s not like Spence, but it’s more than that. Every time Danny moves to his right, he’s empty. So since then, I know he (Spence) got into some sort of situation with his eyes.”
What makes Salas’ comment unique is the fact that Spence injured his eye after his fight with Garcia, when he was preparing to fight Manny Pacquiao. Indeed, an eye injury forced Spence to retire, paving the way for Ugas to upset Pacquiao and claim the iconic Philippines WBA title. Not that Salas would reveal all of his warrior’s secrets. When Ugas and Spence answer the bell tonight at Dallas’ AT&T Stadium, there’s bound to be a specific strategy – or strategies – laid out for the other.
