Posted on 02/08/2022
By: Hans Themistode
Ever since bursting onto the scene, Errol Spence Jr. has stated that his number one goal has been to become an undisputed world champion. Now, in a little over two months, the Dallas native will have an opportunity to move one step closer.
On April 16th, at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Spence Jr. will attempt to unify his WBC and IBF titles against WBA belt holder, Yordenis Ugas.
“I’m back!!” Said Spence Jr. on his Instagram page. “3 belts on the line.”
For the 31-year-old unified champion, he’s grown inactive over the past few years due to several injuries. Since defeating former WBC titlist Shawn Porter in September of 2019, Spence Jr. was involved in a horrific car wreck that saw the chiseled 147 pounder flung from his sports vehicle. Although many feared the worst, Spence Jr. proved that despite the wreck, his skills were still second to none, scoring a one-sided unanimous decision victory over Danny Garcia in his return bout.
While Spence Jr. was then set to square off against future Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao, the powerful southpaw was forced to withdraw from their contest due to a retinal detachment/break in his left eye.
Subsequently, with Spence Jr. now out of the picture, Ugas stepped in to challenge Pacquiao on the night. Though he was considered a sizable underdog, Ugas would go on to snag the most impressive win of his career, while ushering Pacquiao into retirement.
Following his victory, Ugas immediately turned his attention towards a showdown against Spence Jr. but was ordered by the WBA sanctioning body to take part in a four-man tournament. The Cuban born champion was then instructed to take on Eimantas Stanionis but was allowed to begin negotiations with Spence Jr. instead as Stanionis agreed to step aside.
Spence Jr. vs. Ugas will headline a four-fight event shown on FOX Sports Pay-Per-View.