Manny Pacquiao suffers a tough loss against Ugas in WBA welterweight title bout
Las Vegas, Nevada - Manny Pacquiao suffered an upset loss in what might be his last professional fight, after facing an opponent who didn’t even know he was facing Manny two weeks ago.
Boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao (42) was in the ring for what might’ve been the final time in his career as he squared off against Yordenis Ugas for the WBA Welterweight title.
"Pac-Man" ended up losing by way of unanimous decision. The three judges at ringside scored the bout 116-112, 115-113, and 116-112, in favor of Ugas, who retained his title belt.
Pacquiao might’ve just burned himself out in this fight, not just because of his "old age" in the ring, but also of all the punches that just didn’t connect. According to CompuBox, the official scorer of professional boxing stats, he only hit the target with 16% of his 815 total punches, less than half of Ugas' 37%.
The Filipino boxing legend just didn't look like the same quick-punching, light-footed fighter that fans have been used to seeing over an amazing career that saw him win titles in eight divisions.
"That's boxing," he said to Fox Sports after the fight. "I had a hard time in the ring making adjustments... My legs were tight. I'm sorry I lost tonight, but I did my best."
Pacquiao, who is also a senator in the Philippines, has said several times before that a decision on his boxing career would come during fall of this year. While whatever his choice might potentially be, Pacquiao might have a presidential race, back home in the future.
Retirement or not, Pacquiao sits at 62-2-7 with 39 knockouts, while Ugas is now at 27-4-0 with 12 knockouts.
Cover photo: IMAGO / UPI Photo