From middleweight champ to presidential hopeful? That’s what looms ahead for Manny Pacquiao.
The 42-year-old boxing legend squares up against Yordenis Ugas on Saturday, Aug. 21 for the WBA “super” welterweight title, which Ugas is defending. You can check out the fight through G&G Closed Circuit Events.
“[Pacquiao’s] one of the greatest fighters of all time, there’s no question about it. It’s going to be a pleasure and honor to share the ring with a legend. But once the bell rings, all that goes out the window and it’s a fight. — Yordenis Ugas
It’s a fight that was decided in the 11th hour as Pacquiao and Ugas were set for different fighters who had to both bow out due to injuries.
Ugas, a Cuban defect, won bronze at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing but had to leave his home in pursuit of his boxing dreams.
“I never expected to fight Manny Pacquiao, especially at his age and how much more ahead [of me] he was,” Ugas said, per ESPN. “He’s one of the greatest fighters of all time, there’s no question about it. It’s going to be a pleasure and honor to share the ring with a legend. But once the bell rings, all that goes out the window and it’s a fight. It’s not, ‘I’m fighting Manny Pacquiao.’ I’m fighting for my life.”
Pacquiao meanwhile is fighting to further cement his status as an all-time boxing great having already claimed world championships across four decades. The fight may also serve to sway voters as Pacquiao is set to run for president in next year’s elections in his native Philippines.
For Ugas, this fight could certainly stand to be his most lucrative and undoubtedly opens the door to more high-profile fights.
“A win over Pacquiao,” said Ugas’s manager Luis DeCubas, “sets him up for life.”
For more information, visit ggccevents.com.
