Earlier this year, Oscar De La Hoya expressed the desire to end his long feud with UFC President Dana White. While White was willing to accept De La Hoya's apology, he said he has no intentions of rekindling their friendship.
"I feel like De La Hoya’s apology was sincere, but there’s no way that he and I can ever be friends again,” White said during a fan Q&A with GQ Sports (h/t Jed Meshew of MMA Fighting). “He and I were actually friends. I used to go to his fights. I used to watch his fights. I used to promote his fights. That guy did way too much damage for us to ever be friends again. I appreciate his apology. I get it. We’re cool, but we’re never going to be that cool."
White and De La Hoya's feud dates back to the 2017 fight between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather, which White helped co-promote. De La Hoya said the matchup was "disrespecting the sport of boxing," which obviously didn't sit well with White and sparked their rivalry.
De La Hoya had challenged White to a fight several times during their back-and-forth. White has said a slew of disparaging remarks about the former boxing world champion over the years.
Terence "Bud" Crawford (37-0, 28 KOs) will put his WBO welterweight title on the line for the fifth time on Saturday night when he takes on two-time welterweight champion Shawn Porter (31-3-1, 17 KOs) in a pay-per-view bout at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas.
Crawford, 34, has been at or near the top of the major pound-for-pound rankings for several years. He was a world champion at lightweight and then an undisputed junior welterweight champion before moving up to his current perch at 147 pounds. His talent is undeniable, but many feel his resume is lacking because he hasn't fought many marquee names and lacks a signature win. Taking on Porter is a big step toward changing that perception.
Porter, also 34, isn't as highly regarded as Crawford, but there's no doubting his quality. He's taken on the likes of Errol Spence Jr., Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia and a prime Adrien Broner. Win or lose, Porter's aggressive and sometimes awkward style forces his opponents to use every ounce of their skill. His fight against Crawford shouldn't be any different.
Crawford vs. Porter Fight Info
When: Saturday, Nov. 20 at 9 p.m. ET (main card)
Where: Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas
How to Watch: ESPN+ pay-per-view (US), Sky Sports Main Event (UK)
Odds: Crawford -700 (bet $700 to win $100), Porter +500 (bet $100 to win $500)
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Preview and Prediction
In 13 years as a professional, no one has been able to solve the challenge posed by Crawford in the ring. The Omaha, Nebraska, native is as slick and as skillful as they come.
His fights often start slowly, with Crawford patiently reading his opponent's patterns and getting his own timing down. When he's ready to go to work, he can be exacting and relentless. Crawford has an eight-fight stoppage streak, and there's a variety to his finishes. He dispatched Julius Indongo with a body punch, used a vicious right uppercut to set up a finish against Jose Benavidez Jr. and, in his most recent fight, pummeled Kell Brook with a volley of punches to the head.
If his power and accuracy weren't enough, Crawford can also go from southpaw to orthodox as easy as flipping a light switch, a talent he used to great effect in a TKO win over Egidijus Kavaliauskas in 2019.
So even though Crawford hasn't always had the best opposition, there's plenty of support for his status as a top pound-for-pound fighter. That doesn't mean he's going to be overly confident against Porter on Saturday, though. Crawford is well aware of the threat posed by the challenger.
"I respect everything Shawn does," said Crawford, per Bad Left Hook's Scott Christ. "He's athletic, he can box, he can bang. He can move around the ring and cut corners, take angles. I'm not gonna sit here and say I don't respect anything he does. I just think I do a lot of things better than Shawn."
If there's a fighter out there who can disrupt Crawford's precise calculations, it's Porter. He's happy to come forward and get into big exchanges. He can also make it tough for opponents to get into a rhythm with clinching and a nose for close-range combat. According to ESPN Stats & Information (h/t ESPN's Ben Baby), Crawford's last five opponents have averaged 36 punches per round, while Porter averages 54 punches per round.
"I live in disrupting your living," Shawn Porter told reporters earlier in November. "I live in figuring out what makes you uncomfortable."
If Porter can make the fight difficult and uncomfortable for Crawford from the start, he will have a shot at winning. Crawford probably has the deeper bag of tricks fighting at a distance, so Porter could have a hard time swaying the judges if that's how the fight plays out.
It's entirely possible Porter looks like the better fighter for a few rounds and pushes Crawford to the edge of his ability. However, Crawford has been in a few firefights in the past and is as calm as they come in the ring. Eventually, he will figure out how to slow down Porter and will land the more impressive punches. However, his stoppage streak might come to an end, as Porter has only been knocked down twice in his career and has always made it to the final bell.
Prediction: Crawford by unanimous decision.
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Yordenis Ugas put on a clinic in the biggest win of his career to date, utilizing a fantastic jab and nullifying Manny Pacquiao's attacks en route to winning by unanimous decision Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The judges scored the bout 115-113, 116-112, 116-112 in favor of Ugas, who was a late replacement for the injured Errol Spence Jr.
Even though the crowd was on Pacquiao's side for most of the fight, CBS Sports' Brian Campbell felt the judges made the right decision:
Ugas retained the WBA world welterweight title with the win. The belt had been awarded to him after the WBA stripped the title from Pacquiao earlier this year because of inactivity. On Saturday, Ugas showed he was a worthy successor.
Pacquiao, 42, was the far more aggressive fighter, doing everything he could to get into close range and string together combinations. Ugas was steadfast in his approach, controlling distance with the jab and countering with his accurate right hand.
The punch stats reflect those approaches, as CompuBox showed:
Pacquiao threw twice as many punches as Ugas but was far less accurate. The Cuban did a good job of either blocking the legend's shots or firing off a jab so that he could get back to a more comfortable distance.
Ugas, 35 also picked his spots well, landing 59 percent of his power punches over the 12 rounds. Those power shots became more apparent in the later rounds, when he took advantage of Pacquiao's fatigue and landed repeatedly with his right hand.
According to ESPN Philippines' Carlo Pamintuan, Ugas' performance was a textbook example of how to handle a southpaw like Pacquiao:
This exchange from the third round shows how even when Pacquiao was able to get Ugas on to the ropes, the crafty Cuban was able to create space and move back to the center, as shared by Fox Sports PBC:
Pacquiao did have his moments, such as at the end of the fifth round. Even in those instances, though, Ugas was able to make the most of his punches.
Boxing trainer and ESPN analyst Teddy Atlas praised Ugas' strategy and tactics:
It was a spirited performance from Pacquiao, but he couldn't overcome age and ring rust. His previous fight was more than two years ago, a split-decision win over Keith Thurman, and it seems like some of his speed (both hands and feet) diminished in that time. When asked on the Fox Sports pay-per-view broadcast whether he was planning on retiring after the loss, Pacquiao said "I don't know."
As for Ugas, he's in a good spot to try to put together a lucrative title-unification bout, either against Spence or Terence "Bud" Crawford. He has some name recognition after beating Pacquiao and would be wise to try to capitalize on that as soon as a top-tier opponent becomes available.
Yordenis Ugas saw an opportunity, took it and changed his life forever.
Ugas was brought in as a late replacement to fight Manny Pacquiao on Saturday night on a pay-per-view card after the boxing icon's original opponent, Errol Spence Jr., was diagnosed with an eye injury and forced to withdraw. Not only did Ugas show courage in taking on Pacquiao, but he was also able to win the fight by unanimous decision and retain his WBA world welterweight title.
The judges scored the bout 115-113, 116-112, 116-112 in favor of Ugas, who dictated the fight from the beginning. He planted himself in the center of the ring, using his length to keep Pacquiao at bay. His jab was strong and accurate, and he did a fine job of using it to set up combinations.
Even at 42, Pacquiao's hand speed was impressive. He threw more punches than Ugas and did well to keep up the pressure, especially early on. However, Father Time seems to have finally started catching up with him. Pacquiao's legs weren't quite there in the latter stages of the fight, and he struggled to find consistent openings.
It was a disappointing result yet entertaining fight for the pro-Pacquiao crowd at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Pacquiao's ring walk was the first highlight of the evening, as he strutted to the ring with "Eye of the Tiger" blaring over the speakers.
Between the ropes, it was Pacquiao forcing the action and Ugas doing an excellent job of taking what was given to him. The first two rounds saw Ugas essentially batting away the feisty Pacquiao with his long left hand. He didn't waver and got the results he wanted.
The third round saw Pacquiao finally find a crack in Ugas' armor. Here's a look at the exchange, via Fox Sports PBC:
Another big exchange came at the end of the fifth round. Pacquiao loaded up on the Cuban but again struggled to make meaningful connection. Still, it was another sign that he was getting his timing down after struggling mightily in the first two rounds. Here's the action, as shared by Fox Sports PBC:
Again, there were plenty of strong moments from Pacquiao, but this was Ugas' show. He was feeling it and did a little celebrating following the seventh frame:
To his credit, Pacquiao kept coming after Ugas. Here's a look at a late combination that did some damage:
Ugas did plenty of his own damage, however, rocking Pacquiao in the later rounds with some great one-two combinations. Pacquiao struggled at times to get away from Ugas' right hand. When it was all said and done, Ugas got the deserved win and retained the WBA title, which belonged to Pacquiao before the WBA stripped him of the belt at the start of the year for inactivity.
Coming into this bout, many wondered whether this would be Pacquiao's last fight. He said he wasn't ready to make a decision right then and there, per Fox Sports PBC:
Ugas, 35, is a veteran fighter who's had a solid career but never quite caught on as a big name. He has a chance at cashing in now after defeating Pacquiao, who could end up retiring after the eighth loss of his brilliant career. After the bout, Ugas said he would like to take on Spence in a title-unification fight. He's earned the opportunity with a strong performance on the biggest stage of his career.
Yordenis Ugas stunned the boxing world with his win over the iconic Manny Pacquiao on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao was originally supposed to fight Errol Spence Jr. for the IBF and WBC world welterweight titles, but Spence had to pull out because of an eye injury. Ugas stepped in on short notice and used a stiff jab, great counterpunching and sharp defense to earn a unanimous-decision victory over Pacquiao to retain his WBA welterweight title.
The judges scored the bout 115-113, 116-112, 116-112 in favor of Ugas. NBA superstar Damian Lillard felt they made the right call:
The Philippine Star tweeted a note of support for Pacquiao:
Fox Sports' commentator Skip Bayless thought Pac-Man might have a chance on the cards because he was the more active fighter:
Pacquiao's work rate was impressive considering he's 42 and was more than two years removed from his most recent fight, a split-decision win over Keith Thurman. He tried to throw punches in bunches and work his way inside on Ugas, but the latter held his ground, commanding the center of the ring with his jab and an increasingly potent right hand.
American boxer Regis Prograis noted that Pacquiao was taking some hard shots during the fight:
ESPN Philippines' Carlo Pamintuan loved what he was seeing from Ugas:
Based on this tweet, it seems like Spence was wishing he could have been in the ring Saturday night:
Ugas was an underdog coming into the bout, but you couldn't tell that from the way he fought. He looked calm and confident in his game plan despite only having a couple of weeks to prepare for Pacquiao. After securing the win, former boxer and current analyst Andre Ward suggested the Cuban could have a big payday ahead of him:
The big question for Pacquiao was whether he would retire after the loss. His legs and footwork weren't up to his usual standard against Ugas, and he's also reportedly considering a run for president in the Philippines.
"I don't know. Let me relax and make a decision," he said when asked about retiring after the bout, per TalkSport's Michael Benson.
Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports and Bayless reacted to the possibility of Pacquiao calling it quits after 26 years in professional boxing:
If this is it for Pacquiao, he can walk away with pride. He's the only eight-division champion in boxing history and once held world titles across four weight classes at one time. He's a surefire Hall of Famer, one of the best to ever do it. This loss doesn't change any of that.
For Ugas, he should be angling for a unification fight with either Spence or Terence "Bud" Crawford, the WBO welterweight champion. Spence might have a long recovery from his eye injury, but Crawford would be a compelling option. If those fights can't be made, Ugas can rest assured there will be a solid challenger awaiting in the 147-pound division.
Two-division world champion Robert Guerrero (37-6-1, 20 KOs) still has something left in the tank. The 38-year-old out of Gilroy, California, kept his late-career comeback alive with a unanimous-decision win over Victor Ortiz (32-7-3, 25 KOs) on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The bout was the co-feature of the pay-per-view card headlined by Manny Pacquiao and Yordenis Ugas.
The judges scored the bout 96-94, 96-94, 96-94 in favor of Guerrero, per the pay-per-view broadcast.
This makes it four wins in a row for Guerrero, who briefly retired in 2017 after a difficult losing streak where he said he "spiraled out of control," per RingTV.com's Dan Rafael. He's looking to turn himself into a contender again at welterweight, years after his best run in the division saw him win the WBA interim world title in 2012.
Ortiz, 34, had been inactive for more than three years after turning himself in to authorities on multiple sexual assault charges in late 2018. Prosecutors dropped the charges against him last year. He's still looking for his first win since knocking out Saul Corral in July 2017.
After an even first round, Guerrero scored the first big punch of the fight with a left uppercut late in the second. Ortiz held his position fighting on the inside and returned the favor with a right hook just before the bell sounded.
Here's a look at the exchange via Premier Boxing Champions:
Even though both fighters' glory days are far behind them, BoxingScene.com's Cliff Rold was pleased with the action:
The two southpaws spent the fight going toe-to-toe, digging at each other with power shots, hardly an inch of space separating them. Guerrero used the jab a bit more often, trying to create gaps to throw uppercuts. Ortiz would move in close to try and smother the shots, getting his forehead on Guerrero's and ripping away at the body. By the middle rounds, Guerrero's left eye was nearly swollen shut, while Ortiz had a small cut under his right eye.
NYFights.com's Michael Woods enjoyed the close-range action:
The fight slowed down considerably after the sixth round. Ortiz, the more accurate of the two boxers, began clinching more than he had in the earlier rounds. Guerrero did well to keep his work rate up, but the punches were less accurate and crisp, allowing Ortiz to block and counter them.
In the end, Guerrero didn't make any glaring mistakes, while Ortiz couldn't come up with a fight-altering punch, and the judges felt Guerrero had put in the better shift in a back-and-forth match.
While Guerrero has worked hard to keep himself in contention at welterweight, he might find it difficult to line up a title fight. The 147-pound division is one of the deepest in boxing, and there are plenty of fighters worthy of getting a shot at a world title. That said, "Ghost" does have good name recognition and his fights tend to have a lot of action, so he may yet end up on a couple more high-profile cards if he decides to stay on the comeback trail.
Twenty years ago, Manny Pacquiao got a big break in Las Vegas. He was chosen as a late replacement for a fight against then-IBF super bantamweight champion Lehlo Ledwaba and ended up winning by TKO. It was his first fight in Sin City and helped springboard his legendary career.
On Saturday, Pacquiao will be on the other side of the equation in Las Vegas, as Yordenis Ugas steps in to replace an injured Errol Spence Jr., offering him a chance to get a signature win against the Filipino superstar in a pay-per-view showdown.
It's not a complete role reversal because Ugas is the one with some hardware in this fight, having been awarded the WBA welterweight title earlier this year. Of course, Pacquiao believes the WBA title should still belong to him, as he won it off Keith Thurman in 2019 but had it stripped from him because of inactivity.
So Pacquiao is looking to right a perceived wrong and add yet another title to his impressive ledger. Ugas has the opportunity to score a massive upset in his highest-profile bout to date. It's not quite as compelling as Pacquiao taking on the undefeated Spence—who holds the IBF and WBC titles and is in the prime of his career—but it could still be an entertaining contest.
Here's a look at how the two fighters stack up.
Tale of the Tape and Fight Stats
Manny Pacquiao
Age: 42
Height: 5'5 ½"
Weight: 146 pounds (weigh-in results via Bad Left Hook)
Reach: 67"
Stance: Southpaw
Record: 62-7-3 (39 KOs)
Pacquiao's record speaks for itself. He's been fighting professionally since 1995, with only a handful of losses scattered across a Hall-of-Fame worthy career. He's the only boxer to win world titles in eight divisions, defeating the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto, Erik Morales and more along the way.
Pacquiao is 5-1 since losing a superfight to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2015, which came when both were already past their in-ring primes. He's done well for himself during the final run of his career. Even the lone loss, against Jeff Horn in 2017, is deceptive because many felt Pacquiao deserved to win the fight.
A whirlwind of fists at the height of his career, Pacquiao has slowed down with age, but not by much. The southpaw still does a great job of throwing difficult combinations and keeping his opponents off balance. He also still flashes some power, having scored a TKO win over a worn-out Lucas Matthysse in 2018 and knocking down Thurman in the first round en route to a split-decision victory that was more comfortable than the scorecards indicate.
Perhaps the most important number to take away from Pacquiao's tale of the tape is the first one listed: 42. Boxing is a brutal sport, and few prizefighters have found success against quality opponents at Pacquiao's age. The fact that he hasn't retired is something of a miracle. Pacquiao looked good against Thurman two years ago, but we won't know how much of that version of him is intact until he steps in the ring.
Yordenis Ugas
Age: 35
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 147 pounds (via Bad Left Hook)
Reach: 69"
Stance: Orthodox
Record: 26-4 (12 KOs)
Ugas' list of career highlights isn't nearly as long as Pacquiao's, but to be fair, he was just eight when Pacquiao turned pro.
His biggest fight to date was against Shawn Porter in 2019, and the WBC welterweight title was on the line. Ugas pushed an excellent Porter to his limit in that bout but lost via split decision. Since then, he's gotten back on track with wins against Omar Figueroa Jr., Mike Dallas Jr. and, most recently, Abel Ramos.
Ugas has the advantage of youth—relative to Pacquiao, at least, since he's very much a veteran at 35—and he has a longer reach, which could help him establish the jab and try to keep Pacquiao at bay while he gets his timing down.
Even though he's taking on Pacquiao with just a couple weeks' notice, he should be in prime fighting shape considering he was originally set to fight on the undercard. He's promising to make things difficult for the legend standing across from him in the ring.
"I have prepared for 12 hard rounds," Ugas said, per Greg Beacham of the Associated Press (h/t Yahoo Sports). "If this is Pacquiao's final fight, then he's going to be up against a guy who brought his best and who is a world-class fighter."
Prediction
Ugas suggested this might be Pacquiao's final fight, and the superstar himself has also indicated that he could call it quits after Saturday night's title bout. Then again, Pacquiao suggested he can still see himself taking on the top names in the 147-pound division before hanging up his gloves.
"I don't know if this is going to be my last [time in the ring]. We are going to see fight by fight," Pacquiao said, per ESPN's Salvador Rodriguez. "But if I have the possibility of making one more fight, then I would like to face the best—either Terence Crawford or Errol Spence."
To get to Spence or Crawford, Pacquiao will have to take care of business against Ugas. Expect this fight to be more difficult for Pacquiao than the one against Thurman simply because of the age factor and the long gap between fights.
Ugas might have some success with his jab in the early rounds but won't have the power to control the entire fight. Pacquiao will figure him out, get in shots to the body and put together some combinations that sway the judges and help him win a couple of swing rounds.
Prediction: Pacquiao wins via split decision.
All stats courtesy of BoxRec.com unless otherwise noted.
After two years off from fighting, Manny Pacquiao is back.
The Filipino superstar is in Las Vegas in search of another world title, although the one he'll be fighting for this weekend isn't the one that originally brought him out to the desert.
Pacquiao, 42, is set to challenge Yordenis Ugas (26-4, 12 KOs) for the WBA world welterweight title Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena. He was supposed to be fighting Errol Spence Jr., but the IBF and WBC champion had to pull out earlier this month due to an eye injury.
So instead of two titles, Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) is fighting for just one, and it just so happens to be the belt he had up until a few months ago.
Pac Man won the WBA welterweight title in his last bout, a decision win over Keith Thurman in 2019, but was eventually stripped of it earlier this year due to inactivity. The WBA then awarded the belt to Ugas, whose reign may be short-lived if he's not careful against the future Hall of Famer.
"My title was given to Ugas," Pacquiao said, per Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole. "That is not how you become a champion. You earn it by winning it inside the ring. We will fight for the title. That is the proper way a champion is crowned."
Pacquiao vs. Ugas Fight Info
When: Saturday, Aug. 21 at 9 p.m. ET (main card)
Where: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas
TV: Fox PPV ($74.99)
Live stream: Fox Sports PPV, FITE.TV PPV
Moneyline Odds (via FanDuel): Pacquiao -430, Ugas +300
While many boxing fans will be disappointed that Pacquiao isn't facing Spence, who is undefeated and widely considered one of the sport's best pound-for-pound fighters, the matchup against Ugas could prove to be an entertaining one.
The Cuban, 35, isn't afraid to go after his opponents and has both height (5'9" to 5'5½") and reach (69" to 67") advantages over Pacquiao, per BoxRec.com. He has also been more active than his opponent and is in solid form, having won his last three fights (two by stoppage) following a tough split-decision loss to Shawn Porter in early 2019.
Porter believes Pacquaio will win the fight but says Ugas has a chance if he picks the right strategy, per BoxingNews24.com's Allan Fox.
"I do think this can be a more exciting fight than a lot of people expect if Yordenis Ugas can force Manny Pacquiao to go toe-to-toe with him," he said. "If we can get a toe-to-toe battle, it could go either way. I'm not going to sell y'all on that."
The big unknown for Pacquiao is how much he has left in the tank. He's more than a quarter century into his professional career, and few boxers have found success in their early 40s. At some point, the speed and stamina will give out.
However, if the same Pacquiao that has beaten Thurman, Adrien Broner, Lucas Matthysse and Jessie Vargas in recent years shows up Saturday night, Ugas will have his hands full.
On his best day, Pacquiao is a tricky, relentless southpaw who throws quick combinations and can call upon devastating power shots seemingly at will. If the training clips circulating on social media are any indication, he's still in great shape and deeply committed to the sport that has brought him so much fame and fortune.
While Pacquiao seems hell bent on proving he can beat the best well past the prime of his career, his legacy is already secured. There is much more riding on this fight for Ugas, who has mostly fought under the radar but could turn an upset win into prime matchups with the likes of Spence or perhaps even Terence Crawford, the WBO welterweight champion.
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Oscar De La Hoya is thinking big as he embarks on an exhibition comeback experiment.
The 48-year-old Californian is already slated to face Vitor Belfort on September 11, 2021. After that, however, he wants one more exhibition followed by a shot at either Canelo Alvarez or Floyd Mayweather.
"This might be my fighter juices flowing again," De La Hoya told Mike Tyson on his Hotboxin' podcast. The former middleweight star added that when he gets back in the ring for real he's looking for a 12-round bout.
De La Hoya and Mayweather already met once in 2007 for the WBC light middleweight belt. The result was the most lucrative boxing match ever at the time, generating more than $130 million as Mayweather took a split decision victory (113-115, 116-112, 115-113) to keep his undefeated record intact.
A rematch was widely discussed to take place in 2008, but Mayweather's retirement ended those hopes. De La Hoya would go onto defeat Steve Forbes via unanimous decision before losing to Manny Pacquio in 2008. De La Hoya retired a year later with a record of 39-6 (30 KOs).
The Golden Boy has never faced Canelo, but has a direct line to him if De La Hoya wants to schedule a fight. De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions rostered Alvarez until November 2020 when he was released following a breach of contract settlement.
If De La Hoya's matchup against Belfort goes well—and if a second exhibition takes place—look for De La Hoya to start seeking out a return to pro boxing in a major way. Whether or not Mayweather or Alvarez would accept the challenge remains to be seen.
