By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Errol Spence Jr. showed the world that he is still one of the top pound-for-pound boxers after defeating Yordenis Ugas via technical knockout (TKO) and unified the International Boxing Federation (IBF), World Boxing Council (WBC), and the World Boxing Association (WBA) “super” welterweight title belts.
Months after a dangerous left eye surgery that forced him to pull out of the Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao fight, Spence Jr. seemed like he didn’t take a backseat and looked like a rejuvenated champion against Ugas.
It was all business from the get-go as Spence Jr. immediately attacked Ugas’ body while using his signature three-punch right jab setup combination.
Ugas’ efficient right straight-left jab combination helped him score in the earlier rounds but Spence Jr. kept on pressuring him and kept him on his backfoot for the most of the exchanges.
Things got interesting in the sixth round when the Cuban challenger perfectly landed two right straights that hurt Spence Jr., putting most of the crowd on their feet.
Spence Jr. then retaliated with a strong seventh round and continued his efficient and technical striking through his sneaky jabs and well-timed leftie counter punches.
As the rounds progressed, Ugas’ facial injuries worsened including a huge swelling on his right eye that forced the ring referee to cut the fight several times and have it checked by the doctor.
All hell broke loose in the 10th round when Spence Jr. suddenly shifted gears and attacked the hurting Ugas at will with his relentless combinations.
After taking too much beating, referee Laurence Cole halted the fight for another technical timeout and when the doctor advised to stop the fight, Spence Jr. was then hailed as the winner and is still the king of the welterweight division.
Moments after his fight, fans began to cheer Terence Crawford’s name and is already being eyed as the next fight between the top 2 welterweight champions.
