By: Hans Themistode
There was a time when Yordenis Ugas could only dream of the position he currently holds.
With the world title wrapped around his Cuban waist, Ugas has come a long way compared to the boxer who suffered consecutive defeats at the hands of Emanuel Robles and Amir Imam in 2014.
With the milestone of victory in 12 of the 13 teamfights over, Ugas is just a few weeks away from the most important match of his career. On April 16, in front of a packed crowd at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Ugas will play unified champion, Errol Spence Jr. If Ugas proves the bettors wrong by winning, he will be the proud owner of three of the world’s four major titles at 147 pounds.
While Ugas was putting all his time and effort into his upcoming bout with Spence Jr., Josh Taylor, the current champion in the 140-pound division, caught his eye.
Following a controversial win over Jack Catterall on his most recent journey to the ring, Taylor revealed that his period as a 140-pound athlete is officially over. While it’s unclear when Taylor plans to debut his welterweight division, Ugas was nervously raising his hand if Taylor needed an opponent.
Regardless of how his upcoming match against Spence Jr plays out, Ugas believes the showdown against Taylor is a simple one that has to happen.
“That fight has to be between me and Taylor, 200%,” Ugas told Behind The Gloves. “I want that fight, Taylor we want you.”
Usually soft-spoken and low-key, Ugas turns serious when discussing his desire to confront Taylor in the near future. But, despite the sudden change in his attitude, Ugas quickly turned his attention back to the monumental task that stood before him.
In Spence Jr., Ugas will face an undefeated unified champion who has dominated the ring. Although the Dallas native has been inactive since the end of the year, having spent several months recovering from eye surgery to repair a detached retina, Spence Jr seems to be in top physical shape.
Considering what his fellow champion has to offer and although he can’t deny his desire to take on Taylor, Ugas admits that Spence Jr has been at the forefront of his mind for a long time.
“My boot camp was getting ready for the best version of Errol Spence. That’s all I’m thinking about.”
