Manny Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39 KOs) took more of a beating last Saturday night in his loss to Yordenis Ugas than many boxing fans may have thought. Although Pacquiao was competitive throughout the fight with the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Yordenis, he fell apart in the last four rounds when the Cuban started to open up with his heavy artillery.
In a video posted on Tuesday showed how beaten up the superstar looked three days after his devastating 12 round unanimous decision to WBA ‘Super World’ welterweight champion Ugas (27-4, 12 KOs) at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas last Saturday night.
Pacquiao’s wife, Jinkee, was seen feeding the beaten-up looking Pacquiao with what appeared to be a bowl of soup, and one got the sense from watching the fight that he was feeling the effects from the punishing fight with Ugas.
Also, Pacquiao looked down in the dumps over his loss, which could signal the end of his 26-year professional career. Although Pacquiao has lost before, he fought in those defeats.
Last Saturday, Pacquiao didn’t perform to the standards that we’d seen from him. He was slow, lethargic, and his reflexes and foot speed were missing.
If Pacquiao continues fighting, he’ll need to cut back from all the running and sparring that he does before his fights.
He revealed after the contest that both legs had cramped up early in the fight, which he believes was caused by all the running he’d done in the hills in the weeks leading up to the contest with Ugas.
Additionally, Pacquiao had said his trainer Freddie Roach wasn’t on board with him doing so much sparring during camp, as he wanted him to do less to make sure he wasn’t overtraining.
“I don’t think it was a massive upset and I’ll tell you why,” said Teddy Atlas on The Fight Game With Teddy Atlas on Yordenis Ugas beating Pacquiao.
“Some people may understand. When you get a win over a 42-year-old, and when you’re talking about a guy that was a bronze medalist, Ugas,” said Teddy.
“Ugas was a bronze medalist, so he probably had 300 amateur fights,” Atlas continued. “So, you’re talking about a thoroughbred in that way. You’re talking about an elite fighter, an elite athlete.
“He’s from the Cuban Olympic team. They’re the best amateur boxing team, and they’re the best team in the world. Also, he [Yordenis] had a world title.
“He had Pacquiao’s [WBA] world title. When you’re talking about a guy with that pedigree, Ugas. He can fight top guys, even iconic guys like Manny Pacquiao, especially when they’re 42-years-old.
“I had picked Manny Pacquiao to win the fight. The reason I picked Pacquiao is because of styles. I saw the danger, and it came true. Am I shocked? No,” said Atlas.