Errol Spence Jr. and Yordenis Ugas head for a united rally after Eimantas Stanionis agreed to step aside
By: Hans Themistode
Yordenis Ugas pleaded and begged the WBA to change its mind.
Since defending the welterweight title against Manny Pacquiao as a late substitute earlier this year, Ugas has made it clear his feelings that he wants to take on unified champion Errol Spence Jr. .
But, despite voicing his wishes, Ugas’ voice still fell on deaf ears. Instead, the 35-year-old Cuban star was selected to participate in a four-man boxing tournament aimed at ending the rise of world titles in the WBA sanctioning body. At one end of the round, Radzhab Butaev brought down former WBA titleholder “Regular” Jamal James in a make-up match in the ninth round.
Next, Ugas is set to take on undefeated opponents Eimantas Stanionis with the winner taking on Butaev in the second half of 2022. However, as first reported by BoxingScene.com, Stanionis has agreed to step up. aside for Ugas to continue Spence Jr. in a three-belt unification match. As a replacement, Stanionis will now take on Butaev. The winner of their newly formed competition will reign supreme as the WBA’s mandatory challenger.
With the Spence Jr vs Ugas confrontation now on track to materialize, Gilberto Mendoza, the longtime president of the WBA sanctioning body, is making the best of his Santa Clause impersonation.
“Stanionis has agreed to withdraw from the mandatory title fight,” said Mendoza, longtime. “Now he will fight Butaev. Errol Spence and Yordenis Ugas, Merry Christmas to both of you and have a great battle. ”
As for Spence Jr., the 31-year-old is going through a difficult 2021. After proving he was back to his old dominant self following his horrific car wreck with a decisive one-way win over Danny Garcia in December 2020, the Dallas native failed to make it into the ring. in this year.
Originally, the powerful Southpaw was set to take on Manny Pacquiao in a legacy showdown. However, those plans were immediately canceled when it was discovered that Spence Jr had a retinal tear/detachment in his right eye, forcing him to have further surgery. Ironically, Ugas gave notice weeks in advance. And, as mentioned earlier, despite being a heavy underdog, he’s going to land the biggest win of his career.
However, regardless of his recent setback, Spence Jr is confident his latest illness will be harmless. The incorporated employer was recently allowed back into training and has been spotted working with head coach Derrick James.
