Manny Pacquiao says Yordenis Ugas was gifted ‘my belt’ and has welcomed ‘aggressive’ world title fight with new opponent
“Ugas is a champion because they gave him my belt. Now, we have to settle it inside of the ring,” Manny Pacquiao is relishing an “aggressive” world title fight against new opponent Yordenis Ugas on August 21
Manny Pacquiao has vented his frustration at Yordenis Ugas by insisting his new opponent was gifted “my belt” ahead of this month’s world title fight.
The Filipino star will now battle Ugas for the WBA welterweight belt in Las Vegas on August 21 after unified champion Errol Spence Jr was forced out of a fight against Pacquiao due to an eye injury.
Pacquiao claimed the WBA ‘super’ title with a points win over Keith Thurman in July 2019, but the governing body has since stripped him of the belt, elevating Ugas to ‘super’ champion.
“I want to say that I’m praying for Errol to make a fast recovery from his injury,” said Pacquiao.
“Health is always the priority and the most important thing. I did my best in training and in preparation for this fight, so I wanted to make sure my hard work was not wasted.
“Ugas was ready to fight and challenge me on August 21. So it’s a great thing that I can show off my hard work in the gym when we face each other on fight night.
“I’m not disappointed at all in what happened because my hard work will not be wasted. Ugas stepped up and is bringing his WBA championship into the fight, which I’m excited to fight for.
