Trainer Joel Diaz believes the 35-year-old Yordenis Ugas will break down in the second half of tonight’s fight against the younger fighter Errol Spence Jr. in their welterweight unification contest on Showtime PPV at the AT&T Stadium Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Diaz rates WBA 147-lb. champion Ugas (27-4, 12 KOs) highly, but he can’t ignore his age and all the wear & tear of a long amateur & professional career he’s had in the sport.
In Ugas’ last fight against 42-year-old Manny Pacquiao, he met up with someone even older than him, who had been out of the ring for two years, and he took advantage of the situation.
Spence hasn’t fought for close to a year and a half, but he’s still young at 32, and he’s not had the wars that Ugas has had.
“Ugas is going to have a tough time adjusting, and I think that’s going to be in the second half of the fight,” said trainer Joel Diaz to K.O Artist Sports about problems the 35-year-old Yordenis Ugas will have against the younger fighter Errol Spence Jr. tonight.
It’s pretty obvious what Spence will be doing in the second half of the fight tonight. He’s going to turn up the heat on Ugas, and force him to fight at a faster pace than he’s accustomed to.
What well see is Spence throwing close to 100 punches per round, daring Ugas to try and match his fast pace style. If Ugas isn’t up to the task, he’s going to get snowed under from the blizzard of heavy shots that Spence will be throwing.
“This is also not adjusting due to styles, but adjusting due to age. I think age is going to be a factor. Spence is younger and physically strong,” Diaz continued.
The best hope that Ugas has in this fight is if Spence chooses to box him from the outside and throw a limited number of shots in each round. If Spence fights at a close pace, Ugas will have a shot at winning a decision in a boring fight.
“Ugas is not a bad fighter, he’s a great fighter, he’s a great champion, he’s earned his respect, but at this point, he’s had a lot of battles,” said Diaz.
“He’s been in the sport quite a bit of time, and it’s a time where a younger lion due to his age will take over. That’s going to be a big factor.
“I saw it when Manny Pacquiao fought [Keith] Thurman. You saw Manny Pacquiao dominate the early rounds, but in the later rounds what happened there was age.
“That age thing. After the fifth or sixth rounds, youth starts taking over,” said Diaz.
