The boxing legend Manny Pacquiao was stepping into this fight as a heavy favorite. However, Yordenis Ugas managed to upset the legend, winning via unanimous decision. Here, we take a look at 5 factors that caused Manny Pacquiao his fight against Yordenis Ugas.
Age is one of the most obvious factors why Pacquiao lost this fight. 'Pac-Man', who is 42, is well-known for his lightning speed and inhumane conditioning. However, it appears that age has slowed him down.
Before Ugas, Pacquiao last fought against Keith Thurman on July 20, 2019. Being away from the ring for two years might also be one of the factors he lost this fight.
Initially, Pacquiao was supposed to fight Errol Spence Jr. However, on August 10, Spence was forced to pull out after suffering a retinal tear to his left eye. As a result, Pacquiao only got 10 days before the fight night to change his game plan against a newly announced opponent, Ugas.
In the post-fight interview, Pacquiao revealed that it was hard for him to make quick body adjustments in this fight. That is something he used to be able to do it easily in his prime.
Ugas had a 4" height advantage and a 2" reach advantage over Pacquiao. As a result, 'Pac-Man' needed to throw volume punches to close in and land a perfect shot. Moreover, Ugas used those advantages wisely as he caught the Filipino several times rushing in.