‘Showtime’ Shawn Porter says he thinks Errol Spence Jr. should beat WBA welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas in their three-belt unification fight in the first quarter of 2022, but he WON’T be surprised if the Cuban fighter wins.
Spence (27-0, 21 KOs) has been through a lot in the last two years, with his car accident in 2019, eye injury, and some believe he’s been enjoying himself a little too much with his social drinking.
Whatever the case, Spence, 31, didn’t look like his old self in his last fight a year ago against Danny Garcia in December 2020 and has not fought since.
Spence coming off a serious eye injury
Facing Ugas (27-4, 12 KOs) in Spence’s first fight back from a long layoff an eye injury isn’t the smartest thing for him to do, but if he doesn’t believe in taking tune-ups. According to Spence, tune-ups are for fighters that lack self-confidence.
Former IBF/WBC welterweight champion Porter feels he knows Ugas well, having beaten him by a 12 round split decision in March 2019.
“I think Errol wins. At one point in time, I knew exactly what Yordenis Ugas was going to do and I really did, I thought, he grew not only in the moment in that fight with Manny Pacquiao and I think he learned some things about himself as well,” said Shawn Porter to the Porter Way Podcast.
The confidence that Ugas gained from his 12 round unanimous decision win over Manny Pacquiao will help him against Spence.
Ugas has gotten a taste of success, and he realizes that he belongs up there with the elite fighters in the division.
Porter says that Spence hits a little harder than Ugas, but the Cuban fighter has excellent power when he puts everything he’s got into his shots.
It looked like Porter was more than a little worried about Ugas’ power because he chose not to stay in the pocket after getting hit hard by him in the first two rounds.
Porter spent most of the fight with Ugas, darting around on the outside rather than trying to maul him the way he usually does against his opponents.
Ugas’ heavy hands and excellent inside fighting ability seemed to have Porter rattled from the get-go, so he didn’t try and smother his offense the way he’d done against Spence, Andre Berto, Danny Garcia, and Paulie Malignaggi.
Some of the uppercuts and short right hands that Ugas nailed Porter with in the first two rounds put him off his game, making him think twice about trying to maul.
Ugas was the much better fighter than Porter on the night, but he lost the fight by a controversial decision.
Porter says Ugas can beat Spence
“I think Yordenis Ugas is prepared to make any adjustments that he’s got to make to beat whoever is across from him. I’m actually convinced that he may find a way to beat Errol Spence Jr,” said Porter.
“So, I think it’s a fight that Errol wins, but I want to see what Yordenis Ugas does. I don’t know what Yordenis Ugas is coming to the ring, and I don’t know what Errol Spence Jr. is coming to the ring,” said Porter.
