Boxing

Freddie Roach: “I wish we had battle fences instead of Ugas”


Posted on 04/24/2022

By: Hans Themistode

beautiful pictures

Even though Freddie Roach has learned to live with the results, the Hall of Fame coach remains steadfast in his pursuit of how things ended for his former star, Manny Pacquiao.

The former eighth world champion is determined to prove that even at 42, he’s still the top dog at 147 pounds. While many were surprised at first by Pacquiao’s decision to test his skills against the younger, fresher and older Errol Spence Jr, the Filipino native was eager for the challenge.

When the two were scheduled to go head-to-head on August 21, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2021, Roach was salivating as he elaborated on what he believes to be a bulletproof game plan. However, despite Roach’s courage, the Hall of Fame student received unfortunate news.

With about a week and a half left before the two comedy stars shared the ring, Spence Jr was forced to withdraw, citing a torn/separated retina in his right eye. When the Dallas production reluctantly underwent surgery, Yordenis Ugas, who was supposed to appear in the co-main event, stepped in to replace him.

Despite the change of opponents, bookies believe Pacquiao’s experience and overall explosive power will prove to be too much. However, Ugas rose to the occasion, scoring a decisive victory pretty widely, and after that, Pacquiao would retire.

Despite 20/20 hindsight, Roach admits that going up against the former Olympic bronze medalist in such a short time is not a good thing.

“I wish we had fought Spence instead of Ugas,” Roach told FightHype.com. “We ended that fight in two days. There’s no way you can get ready for a big fight two days in advance. He has a foresight and is a bit clumsy. I wish we would wait for Spence to get well. “

Ugas’ reward for usurping Pacquiao was an instant date with the man he just replaced. Both Spence Jr and Ugas engaged in a back-and-forth fight in front of nearly 40,000 fans at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on April 16.

Although Ugas believed his victory over Pacquiao would be his guide to defeating Spence Jr., the powerful nampaw presented Ugas with a difficult puzzle to solve. While the Cuban production has his moments, Spence Jr will eventually let his man down, forcing a ring doctor to stop their duel.

Despite Spence Jr.’s dominant performance, Roach persisted with his gun. However, the longtime coach was completely impressed by Spence Jr.’s ability to look him straight in the face and not blink an eye.

In October 2019, a month after a decisive split win over Shawn Porter, Spence Jr was involved in a horrific car wreck. The Dallas-born man was violently thrown from his sports car, resulting in several facial lacerations.

Needing more than a year to recover from an injury, Roach initially believed that the once-dominant boxer and weight star would never be the same. However, undaunted by Roach’s words, Spence Jr continued to lead his contest.

Admittedly, thanks to the abilities of Spence Jr. in the ring and unwilling to rush in the face of external adversity, Roach has become an avid fan.

“I like Spence a lot. What he’s been through, the car accident, I don’t think he’ll come back that well. In the last two games, he looked very good. He’s back where he was.”





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