Manny Pacquiao vs. Yordenis Ugas: A Head to Toe Breakdown

Welcome to a Manny Pacquiao fight week.

For the first time in better than two years—and for the third time since he turned 40—the multi-divisional Filipino will climb into a boxing ring with a chance to add another bullet point to a remarkable resume.

Now 42, Pacquiao has captured full-fledged sanctioning body titles in seven weight classes from 112 to 154 pounds, and he'll have the chance to re-acquire a belt he's already won when he faces WBA welterweight claimant Yordenis Ugas in a scheduled 12-rounder at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The fight will top a Fox PPV card set to begin on Saturday at 9 p.m. ET.

Pacquiao was initially scheduled to challenge for the IBF and WBC shares of the 147-pound empire against dual-champion Errol Spence Jr., but the unbeaten Texan pulled out last week after being diagnosed with a torn retina in his left eye that will require surgery.

Ugas, who was scheduled to fight on the card, immediately stepped in to take the main-event slot.

Spence said on Twitter that he'll return in time to fight Saturday's winner.

Pacquiao is ranked third in the division by The Ring, two slots ahead of Ugas, 35, a native of Cuba now based in Miami who turned pro in 2010. Pacquiao, on the other hand, has been fighting for money since January 1995, when his imminent opponent was 8 years old.

It's a compelling watch to see if the future Hall of Famer can adjust his game plan to handle a new foe, and if the lower-profile champion can handle a hastily arranged pay-per-view spotlight.

The B/R combat sports team took a head-to-toe look at each principal as an early primer for a weekend extravaganza. Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought or two of your own in the comments.

What: Manny Pacquiao vs. Yordenis Ugas

Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas

When: August 21

TV: Fox PPV

What's At Stake: Now that Spence is sidelined, Pacquiao is unquestionably the A-side in this one. But some may not realize Ugas is actually the champion here. He has the WBA's top-tier belt, though it was one the Filipino held by virtue of beating Keith Thurman in 2019 before it was stripped earlier this year.

None of that nonsense matters, though. It's a chance to watch a ring legend show his wares. His legacy alongside Ugas' chance to establish himself as a top-shelf 21st century commodity are what's at stake. The jewelry is superfluous and should be regarded as such.

Nickname: "Pac Man"

Record: 62-7-2, 39 KOs

Height: 5'5 1/2"

Weight: 145.5 pounds*

Reach: 67"

Age: 42

Stance: Southpaw

Rounds: 486

All stats per BoxRec.com.

*Official weight at last fight in July 2019.

Nickname: "54 Milagros"

Record: 26-4, 12 KOs

Height: 5'9"

Weight: 147 pounds*

Reach: 69"

Age: 35

Stance: Orthodoz

Rounds: 196

All stats per BoxRec.com.

*Official weight at last fight in September 2020.

If you're looking for sublime boxing this weekend, look elsewhere.

Neither Pacquiao nor Ugas is a boxer in the sense that they'll flit around the ring using technique and defense to avoid violence. Instead, both have shown a willingness to engage in a fan-friendly manner while utilizing hand speed, body punching and intelligent use of ring space.

Ugas, to be sure, is not your typical slick Cuban operator. He chooses to fight up close or at mid-range and isn't shy about involving himself in exchanges. He does have edges in height (5'9" to 5'5 1/2") and reach (69" to 67") that could enable him to fight more strategically, but it's not his go-to mode.

He does work well behind a busy jab, however, a tactic that'll be accentuated by the aforementioned physical advantages. It's hard to imagine him simply keeping Pacquiao on the end of a jab all night, but if he's able to use it to keep the Filipino at a desirable range for lead rights, the better his chances.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao has been as successful as he's been because he can do a lot of things well.

He throws punches in combinations and with speed that's better than most. He moves his feet well to provide punching angles for himself and offset countering attempts from foes. And he does it all with a fondness for combat that he signals by slapping his gloves together.

Pacquiao has been foiled by the likes of Floyd Mayweather Jr., whose impeccable defense and precise replies prompted him to lower his work rate; and Juan Manuel Marquez, whose ability to stay in the pocket while absorbing punishment and countering with power shots once rendered Pacquiao unconscious. 

But Ugas is neither of those guys.

If this one comes down to boxing ability—at least the way these two define it—it's a Pacquiao edge.

Advantage: Pacquiao

Ugas is not an elite power puncher.

He's got 12 KOs in 26 victories, which is respectable enough, but exactly half of those stoppages came within his first 12 victories, which means he's only stopped six of his last 14 victims since 2012.

He's punched out early for two of five wins at the 12-round championship distance, but the names Ray Robinson (no, not that one) and Mike Dallas Jr. are hardly worth mention as a prelude to Pacquiao.

If he scores a KO here, it'll be a stunner on a level not seen in quite a while.

As for Pacquiao, his reputation precedes him. Even if it's more reputation these days than reality.

True, he's scored 39 KOfs in 62 wins.

But only one—against a badly shopworn Lucas Matthysse three fights back—has come since a final-round mugging of Miguel Cotto 12 years ago in his welterweight championship debut.

So while a one-punch KO either way is unlikely, the edge in stinging, range-changing power is certainly still on Pacquiao's side of the ledger.

He dropped Thurman to win the WBA belt two years ago, had Matthysse down three times in that debacle and scored a combined three knockdowns in two other title-fight wins—against Jessie Vargas and Timothy Bradley—since the desultory loss to Mayweather in 2015.

Bottom line, if this fight is won based on the landing of heavy punches, it won't be Ugas winning it.

Advantage: Pacquiao

Neither Pernell Whitaker nor a reasonable defensive facsimile will be fighting Saturday night.

But while Ugas and Pacquiao don't exactly remind anyone of a prime "Sweet Pea," they're not sustaining punishment on the level of Arturo Gatti either.

Ugas uses his length and activity to keep opponents from prolonged opportunities to batter him, not to mention prudent placement of his arms and gloves to ward off incoming blows.

Pacquiao, to be sure, is not a one-dimensional offensive fighter either.

He's greatly improved the defensive of things as the years have progressed, working particularly on footwork, proper entry and exit angles and an increased dedication to blocking and parrying shots.

He's far less of a risk-taker than in earlier years and keeps his hands in a guard position more often.

Advantage: Even

Yordenis Ugas' X-Factor: Welcome to the Big Time, Kid

It's a fact that Ugas is a world champion in one of the sport's marquee divisions.

He's won 26 fights across an 11-year career, including 11 of 12 since returning from a two-year layoff from 2014 to 2016. In fact, the only loss in that stretch came via split decision to then-champ Shawn Porter—a verdict Ugas was adamant in suggesting he deserved.

“There's no doubt about it, I was robbed,” he said. “After the first round I figured him out and dominated the fight. He had no answer when I was pushing him back. I dominated the fight in my opinion.”

But what's just as true as those things is the fact that none of the foes, Porter included, that Ugas has encountered have been on nearly the level of what he'll see in front of him Saturday night.

And it's the first time he'll share the marquee on a significant pay-per-view card.

If he's everything he says he is, the sudden change in magnitude won't mean a thing.

But if he looks across the ring and suddenly realizes he's in deeper than he's ever been and with more people watching, it might not be pretty. 

Manny Pacquiao's X-Factor: How Much is Too Much?

It happens to everyone.

No matter how wonderful the career and how undeniable the talent, every championship-level athlete wakes up one day and discovers it's just not there anymore.

And it typically happens well before fighters close in on age 43.

Ray Leonard was beaten up by Hector Camacho at age 40. Muhammad Ali was brutalized by Larry Holmes at 38. And Mike Tyson was splattered by Lennox Lewis at 35.

Considering Pacquiao has had more fights than any of them since he turned pro as a teen, it's not ridiculous to suggest Saturday could be the night he waves the wand and finds no spells remain.

"One of these nights he will reach for his MP magic and it won't be there," former HBO blow-by-blow man Jim Lampley told Bleacher Report. "Manny did beat Thurman. Was that a harbinger of more celebrations? Or the ghost of Christmas past?"

If it's the latter, Ugas is certainly a good enough fighter to take advantage.

Let's not kid ourselves, Manny Pacquiao is a big favorite in this one.

And he should be.

He's done more on the championship level. He's fought and beaten better opposition. He's been among the sport's pay-per-view stalwarts and seems completely at home on the biggest of stages.

It'd be one thing if Ugas was a slugger who might be able to land a fight-changing blow, but the idea that a lanky scrapper with no predominant advantages can beat him, even at this stage, seems unlikely.

But not impossible, says Randy Gordon.

The ex-chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission and current SiriusXM radio host doesn't buy the idea that Pacquiao—particularly an aging, inactive Pacquiao—is infallible here.

"Remember, we haven't seen Pacquiao in action for two years," he told Bleacher Report. "Ugas is no slouch. He has lost four times, all by decision. He has the skills to nullify an attacker. Manny will need to be at least the Manny of 2019 to beat Ugas. We don't know what the 2021 version of Manny is like."

And that's why we'll watch come Saturday.

If Pacquiao circa 2021 is in anything less than optimum working order, he could have problems.

Big ones.

But the guess here is that he'll be fine. Maybe not vintage, but still good enough for a buzz.

Prediction: Pacquiao wins by TKO, Round 9