Yordenis Ugas vs. Fabian Maidana - OFF

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Press Release

Three matchups have been added to the FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View undercard headlined by eight-division world champion and Philippine Senator Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao facing unified WBC and IBF Welterweight World Champion Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. on Saturday, August 21 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

WBA Welterweight World Champion Yordenis Ugas will square off against Argentina’s Fabian “TNT” Maidana in the co-main event, while former world champions and all-action brawlers Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero and “Vicious” Víctor Ortiz will meet in a 10-round welterweight duel. Kicking off the pay-per-view at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, unbeaten featherweight contender Mark Magsayo battles former world champion Julio Ceja in a 10-round attraction.

Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions, MP Promotions and Man Down Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased through t-mobilearena.com and axs.com.

The 35-year-old Ugás (26-4, 12 KOs) has established himself as an elite welterweight since returning from a layoff in 2016, and was elevated to world champion in January after winning a WBA belt by defeating Abel Ramos last September. Ugás, who is from Santiago, Cuba and now lives in Miami, Florida, was on an eight-fight winning streak before losing a narrow split-decision to Shawn Porter in a world title fight in March 2019. The Olympic bronze medalist trains in Las Vegas and owns victories over then undefeated fighters Jamal James, Omar Figueroa Jr. and Bryant Perrella, plus veteran contenders Thomas Dulorme and Ray Robinson.

Born in Santa Fe, Argentina, Maidana (18-1, 13 KOs) will look to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, former two division champion Marcos Maidana, and become the latest Argentine world champion on August 21. The 29-year-old was unbeaten in his first 16 pro fights, capping off that run with a knockout of Andrey Klimov in July 2018. Since dropping a January 2019 decision to Jaider Parra, Maidana has bounced back with a knockout of Ramses Agaton in September 2019 and a 10-round decision victory over Carlos Cordoba in April of this year.

Guerrero (36-6-1, 20 KOs) is a three-time world champion who has won world titles at featherweight and super featherweight, and has fought a stacked lineup of elite fighters, including Floyd Mayweather, during a superb career. The Gilroy, California native returned from a 2017 defeat to Omar Figueroa Jr. to win his last three contests. After stopping Adam Mates in December 2018 and Hevinson Herrera in March 2019, Guerrero most recently won a unanimous decision over Gerald Thomas in September 2019.

Ortiz (32-6-3, 25 KOs), a former 147-pound champion, will return to the ring for the first time since a February 2018 draw against two-division champion Devon Alexander. The 34-year-old native of Garden City, Kansas, who now lives in Ventura, California, has faced some of the top names in the 147-pound division during his career. Ortiz won the welterweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Andre Berto in April 2011, before losing the title to Floyd Mayweather.

The Filipino sensation Magsayo (22-0, 15 KOs) fights out of Pasig City, Metro Manila and most recently knocked out Pablo Cruz in four rounds in April 2021, following his U.S. televised debut in October 2020 that saw him defeat Rigoberto Hermosillo on FS1. The 26-year-old fights in the U.S. for the fifth time overall on August 21 and against his toughest competition to date in the former champion Ceja. Magsayo owns 12-round decision victories over Shoto Hayashi and Jose Robles Olvera, and a sixth-round stoppage of former title challenger Chris Avalos.

A former super bantamweight champion, Ceja (32-4-1, 28 KOs) will move up to featherweight as he seeks an opportunity to capture a championship in a second division. Ceja's 2019 saw him engage in two action-packed battles, dropping a June contest to former champion Guillermo Rigondeaux and most recently fighting unbeaten super bantamweight champion Brandon Figueroa to a draw in November. The 28-year-old captured his 122-pound title with a stoppage of Hugo Ruiz in 2015, and has also challenged for a bantamweight title throughout his career.

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Yordenis Ugas Vows To Do Damage When He Faces Fabian Maidana

WBA welterweight world champion Yordenis Ugas is very excited to showcase his skills against Fabian “TNT” Maidana, which takes place on Saturday, August 21 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The event will be headlined by the welterweight clash between Manny Pacquiao and IBF, WBC world champion Errol Spence.

The 35-year-old Ugas (26-4, 12 KOs) saw action back September, when he defeated Abel Ramos.

Ugas has won three fights in a row since losing a close twelve round split-decision to Shawn Porter in March of 2019.

Maidana (18-1, 13 KOs) wants to step out of the shadow of his well-known older brother, former two division champion Marcos Maidana.

The 29-year-old won his first 16 fights, before losing a decision in January 2019 to Jaider Parra. Since suffering that loss, Maidana has bounced back with two wins in a row.

Ugas could very well land a unification clash with the winner of the Pacquiao-Spence main event - and because of that he wants to put in a showcase performance against Maidana.

“Everyone knows I’m a warrior and will fight anyone on any given day, so when they presented me with this fight against Fabian Maidana, I accepted with no hesitation,” said Ugas.

“I’ll be defending my WBA title and the world will see why I am must-see T.V. This will be one of the best FOX Sports PBC pay-per-view events in recent history with some of the biggest names in boxing, all fighters who are known for leaving it all in the ring. I know one thing for sure, I’ll be letting my hands fly with bad intentions on August 21. I also want to dedicate this fight to all the brave men, women and children who are fighting for their freedom in Cuba. Patria y Vida!”

[Ruthless-RKO]

I'm seeing a lot of comments..

Ugas being a disgrace to Cuban's.

Not fighting the top opponents..

[Bandog]

It's a sad freaking matchup, come on man?! Maidana isn'teven a welterweight. Bullshit matchup. PBC should be embarassed.

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Yordenis Ugas training camp quotes

Here is what Ugas had to say about the welterweight division, training camp in Las Vegas, Maidana, and more:

On his upcoming matchup with Fabian Maidana:

“Fabian Maidana is a really good fighter who I have been aware of for a while. It is very obvious to fight fans that I’m the most avoided fighter in the division, so I want to thank Maidana for taking this fight. A lot of the big-name fighters don’t want to give me a chance. I still have a lot to prove and fans will see the desire in me when I step in the ring with Maidana.”

On his recent training camp with coach Ismael Salas:

“Training in Las Vegas with Ismael Salas is something I cherish because Salas and I are so close. We have great chemistry, and the gym has a family atmosphere. We have a lot of high-level amateurs, Olympians, and really good pros in the gym, and that takes training camp to the next level. I had the perfect sparring for this camp and am ready to fight.”

On defending his WBA world title:

“As everyone knows, I want to defend my WBA world title against any-and-all challengers, but it seems not many of the top fighters are willing to fight me, even though I have a world title. I take pride in being a world champion, and tremendous respect for the WBA. I will fight anyone they mandate as my number one contender. I am the boogeyman of the division and have to be a world champion to get fighters to fight me, and even then, I still can’t get the big fights. So, I take a lot of pride in defending my belt.”

On what a win will do for his career:

“A win puts me that much closer to getting the winner of Pacquiao vs. Spence Jr., a rematch with Shawn Porter, a fight with Terence Crawford, or a bout with Keith Thurman. These are the fighters I hope I get to face in the future as I am looking to secure a legacy with my career, and I want to prove that I am the best welterweight in all of boxing.”

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Ugas is replacing Spence..