Weekend News: Ugas Wins, Guerrero, Castro, Magsayo, Martin Win Tenth, Dawejko Falls
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Las Vegas, NV (August 22, 2021)– Yordenis Ugas, the World Boxing Association World Welterweight champion, 27-4 with 12 knockouts, Miami, Florida, by way of Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, the 2008 Lightweight Bronze medalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Won his 12th major fight in his last 13 outings and retained the the World Boxing Association Super World Welterweight title with a 12 unanimous decision in the main event at-T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on saturday, August 21, 2021, with a 12 round decision over Manny Pacquiao, a former WBA World Welterweight titleholder. 62-8-2 with 29 knockouts, General Santos City, Philippines. The super title had been stripped from Pacquiao in January 2021.
Ugas, who was supposed to defend his WBA belt against Argentina’s Fabian Maidana, who switched opponents to Pacquiao on 11 days of notice, wants to fight and unify with Errol Spence Jr. next. A rematch with Pacquiao is still a possibility if the rematch money is right, and the public wants it. In round 12, Pacquiao appeared to need a knockout to win, and with only one knockout in his last 17 bouts going back over a decade, he had no shot. The scorecards were ultimately very close, but still no dice or free pass win. Money usually talks and B.S. walks, the way of boxing and professional sports today.
Overall, it was a good scrappy attempt by Pacquiao, but inactive and in his forties, Pacquiao cannot rely on innate natural talent, any more than Floyd did against Jake Paul, and Muhammad Ali did again Lyle Alzado, Larry Holmes, or Trevor Berbick.
Result: Yordeni Ugas Win 12 Manny Pacquiao, Welterweights
Ugas Retains World Boxing Association Super World Welterweight title
Pacquiao, age 42, had been inactive for over 25 months, and with trainer Freddie Roach, had been expected to be served as big draw big payday opposition soup to World Boxing Council and international Boxing Federation World Welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr., but their bout got scrapped when Spence incurred a torn left retina requiring immediate surgery.
Ugas lost only a controversial split decision in March 2019 at Dignity Sports Park in Carson, California, to Shawn Porter for the World Boxing Council World Welterweight title, a credible performance. The Cuban has been peaking at 147 pounds. Ugas, age 35, used consistent jabs and counter right hands. Ugas, at 5’9″ with a 69 inch reach, used his height and reach edge to outwork Pacquiao, 5’5 ½” with a 67 inch reach reach. Ugas defended well, and in rounds eleven and twelve, his right hand was getting through to Pacquiao when Pacquiao needed it to be the other way around. Ugas simply outworked Pacquiao much like a Sugar Ray Robinson or Henry Armstrong workhorse.
Ugas set himself up for a shot at Errol Spence Jr., a rematch with Porter, or a defense against any major contender from Terence Crawford to Danny Garcia, from Keith Thurman to Robert Guerrero, who won in the preliminary to the main event.
Egas landed 151 of 405 punches overall, to 130 of 815 punches overall for Pacquiao. More importantly, unlike last week’s televised oddball Jones World Boxing Organisation world bantamweight title bout between bantamweights Joel Riel Casamiero and Guillermo Rigdondeaux at Dignity Health Sports park in Carson, California, in stark contrast Ugas stood his ground, did not run, fought Pacquiao and threw real punches in a real fight.
Ugas landed 101 of 171 power punches, to 88 for 340 for Pacquiao. Ugas landed 50 of 234 jabs, while Pacquiao landed 42 of 375 jabs. Aggression can sometimes impress judges, and running and holding can work against fighters on the scorecards.
For Ugas, though, disciplined accuracy and consistency told the story. There was no man in a distance 12 round fight the judges in glitter glitz promoter favoritism Las Vegas were going to give Pacquiao the decision over Spence, and there was no way Pacquiao could knock Spence out. Pac Man was inactive over two years, and needed some transition bouts before jumping into the maelstrom they call the boxing ring against a disciplined Olympian who had been both active and had the right type of experience.
Pacquiao looked much liked an aged Alexis Arguello trying to beat Scott Walker at 147 pounds some years ago. The bout was closer for Pacquiao, but against a disciplined champion, Pacquiao needed to win all of the championship rounds, but more often than not missed in frustration. Since moving to 147 pounds in 2016, Ugas is 4-0 against southpaws, a statistic Freddie Roach overlooked in taking Ugas as the last minute opponent to save the card. Pacquiao was going in for a payday, not the win, and this sort of mentality does not serve a fighter well in the long run.
Pacquiao would have had to turn two more rounds to salvage only a majority draw on the scorecards. The judges did not have Canelo Alvarez or Floyd Mayweather Jr. stars in their eyes for Pacquiao, only the bookies did by giving Pacquiao unrealistic 4 to 1 odds in Las Vegas due to his name. This reporter picked Ugas, much like the lone reporter who picked former world heavyweight champion Max Schmeling over Joe Louis the first time they met, simply because nobody else had picked Ugas to win. Ugas also had noted cut man Stitch Duran in his corner, who is almost always on the ‘W’ side wherever he goes.
Result: Yordenis Ugas Win 12 Manny Pacquiao, Welterweights
Ugas retains World Boxing Association Super World Welterweight title
Scoring: 116-112, 116-112, 115-113 Ugas. Referee: Russell Mora.
In the preliminary to the main event, former world lightweight and welterweight champion Robert ‘The Ghost’ Guerrero, age 38, 37-6-1 with 20 knockouts, Las Vegas, Nevada, won a unanimous 10 round decision over former world welterweight champion Victor Ortiz, age 34, 32-7-2 with 25 knockouts, Ventura, California. Ortiz, inactive for three years, has not won a bout since 2017, and like Pacquiao, could not come up with any mysterious magic to defeat Guerrero, a winner of four straight top flight comeback bouts in the past 32 months.
This was a seesaw southpaw inside gutter war battle royal. Ortiz held more from the sixth round on. Guerrero’s left eye was swollen shut, but his jabs, uppercuts, and work rate were better than Ortiz’ working the body. Ortiz could have had a 95-95 draw across all three scorecards if he had scored a knockdown or turned one more round. Close bout, but Guerrero clearly won this battle of the old welterweight bad boys. Like Pacquiao, inactivity did not serve onetime contender Ortiz well, though he was ready for this bout, and both men clearly came in to win. The close but unanimous decision was clear for Guerrero.
Result: Robert Guerrero Win 10 Victor Ortiz, Welterweights
96-94, 96-94, 96-94 for Guerrero. Referee: Mike Ortega
T-Mobile Arena Under Card Results
Mark Magsayo KO 10 Julio Ceja, Featherweights (0:50)
Magsayo down in fifth round. Ceja down in first and tenth rounds, then down and out.
Magsayo, 23-0 with 26 knockouts, Manila, Philippines, is a former WBC, WBO, IBF regional title holder.
Carlos Castro TKO 10 Oscar Escandon, Featherweights (1:08)
Vacant World Boxing Council Continental Americas Featherweight title
Escandon down in tenth round, and out. Referee: Celestino Ruiz
Mexican American contender Castro is now 27-0 with 12 knockouts, Phoenix, Arizona.
Frank Martin Win 10 Ryan Kielczweski, Lightweights
Scoring: 100-90, 100-90, 100-90 for Martin.
Indianapolis southpaw Frank “The Ghost” Martin, 14-0, 10 knockouts, wins every round.
Angel Antonio Contreras Win 8 John Dato, Featherweights
Scoring 77-76, 77-74, 78-73 Dato. Referee; Robert Hoyle
Contreras, 11-4-2 with six knockouts, Monterrey, Mexico, scores a minor upset on the ten bout T-Mobile card, dropping the previously undefeated Dato, now 14-1-1 with six knockouts, Bangar, La Reunion, Philippines, in the third round.
Dato’s record, with exception of one previous bout in Las Vegas, was padded in Mexico. Dato is not yet an eight round fighter. Contreras lost a questionable eight round split decision in January 2021 for the NABA-USA Super Bantamweight title to Ramon Cardena, a performance tipoff to the Dato camp this was perhaps a matchup too soon. Dato has never fought a pro bout in Philippines, where local experience is a prerequisite to stardom.
Joe Valenzuela TKO 4 Donte Strayhorn, Lightweights (1:29)
Strayhorn down in round one, stopped in fourth. Referee: Raul Caiz Jr.
Valenzuela is 9-0, six KOs, Seattle Washington by way of Las Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico
Burley Brooks Split Draw 6 Cameron Sevilla Rivera, Light Heavyweights
Scoring: 58-56 Rivera. 59-55 Brooks. 57-57 draw. Referee: Robert Hoyle.
5-2-1 Dallas Veteran Brooks and 9-6-4 Rivera draw with three different scorecards.
Steven Torres TKO 1 Justin Rolfe, Heavyweights (2:33)
5-0 Reading, Pennsylvania prospect Torres takes out Maine’s 6-3-1 Rolfe for first time.
Mickel Spenser Win 4 Eliseo Villalobos, Lightweights
Pro debut for Spenser, now 1-0, Linden, Michigan. Scoring: 40-36, 40-36, 40-36 Spenser.
Opening bout of the ten bout T-Mile card. Villalobos falls to 1-2, Simi Valley, California.
Universum Gym, Hamburg, Germany
Zhan Kossobutskiy TKO 2 Joey Daweko, Heavyweights
Kossobutskiy retains World Boxing Association International Heavyweight title
Southpaw Kossobutskiy, 16-0, 15 knockouts, Kostanay, Kazakhstan, doubled Dawejko over with a body shot, then dropped Dawejko with a punch to the left side of the head as Dawejko turned away. Dawejko who went down face first, and subsequently claimed he was hit behind the head. Referee Oliver Brien appeared on point. Film footage from the angle displayed showed the back of Dawejko’s head did not get hit. There could have been a viewpoint from a different angled camera. In any case, you cannot turn away as Joey did.
Dawejko, 28-9-1 with 12 knockouts, was stopped by KO or TKO for the first time in his career. A 2013 bout against future International Boxing Federation World Heavyweight champion Charles Martin was ended by referee Hedgpeth after the fourth round, and Dawejko had been down in the fourth round. Dawejko, a career high 264 pounds for his last bout with Joe Jones, at 2300 Arena in Philadelphia in April 2021, looked shorter, fat and not fully prepared next to skinny Kossobutskiy at the Universum card weigh-in on YouTube. It was not clear how much time Dawejko had to prepare for this payday bout.
Centro Cultural y Polideportivo Los Hornos, Los Hornos, Argentina
Ayrton Gimenez TKO 7 Nicholas Herrera, Super Featherweights
Gimenez retains World Boxing Association Fedebol Super Featherweight title
Super featherweight prospect Gimenez, 11-0 with six knockouts, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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