Promoter Eddie Hearn had a feeling Manny Pacquiao would suffer an upset loss at the hands of WBA welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas. (photo by Ryan Hafey)
Ugas accepted the fight on ten days notice, after WBC, IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence was forced to withdraw when a serious eye injury was discovered during a pre-fight medical examination.
Pacquiao had trouble with the Ugas' style, which is completely different when compared to the fighting style of Spence.
Additionally, Pacquiao is 42-years-old and coming off a two-year layoff.
Hearn believes Pacquiao's age, combined with Ugas' style, led to the upset decision.
“On about Thursday or Friday, I thought to myself, ‘I've really got a strange feeling Ugas is gonna win this fight.' And I was gonna tweet it. But I thought, ‘No, I don't just in case you look silly.’ And then when I woke up Sunday morning, I should have tweeted it. But I just think it's very difficult. We've seen it time and time again, for fighters to adapt to a changing opponent, especially so late in a camp, I know that," Hearn told The DAZN Boxing Show.
“Manny is super experienced. He's boxed a lot of styles before. But when you've been training for Spence for eight or nine weeks, it’s different. And in terms of Ugas, it’s a different kind of stuff. So I think that he probably underestimated the opponent change a little bit, or how easy that would be. And he's just not the fighter that he once was. It's only Father Time.
“I'm not taking anything away from Ugas. He's a good fighter as well. But Manny Pacquiao in his prime would deal with Ugas. And I was actually quite pleased. Although I do think it has a little bit to do with style and changing your opponent. I was actually quite pleased it wasn't Spence in the ring with him because I think the bigger guy, the more destructive guy.”
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