Yordenis Ugas hands Omar Figueroa his first loss!
Omar Figueroa (28-0, 19KOs) will look to extend his undefeated record vs Yordanis Ugas (23-4, 8KOs). The tough Cuban is coming off of a close, and what some thought was a controversial, decision loss to WBC welterweight champion Shawn Porter. This match-up is very intriguing, as Figueroa is a consummate pressure fighter and Ugas is a very strong welterweight. The Cuban fighter was able to effectively deter Porter from his usual mauling style and force him to box.
The Breakdown
This fight started off fast as expected, and both fighters’ game plans are obvious. Ugas is really attacking Figueroa’s body, and the undefeated fighter is looking to apply his trademark pressure. In round one, Ugas scores a knockdown with a beautiful right-hand counter over a sloppy jab from Figueroa. Something that’s really obvious is the former Olympian enjoys a huge size advantage.
The referee warns Ugas for holding multiple times in rounds two and three. The former Olympian might want to step backwards or to the side to give himself room. Going into round three, Ugas is showing an ability to push Figueroa back which is normally hard to do. Combined with the undefeated fighter’s normally bad defense, it’s a formula for a very unilateral fight. In round four, a cut opens up on Figueroa’s hairline due to a head clash. In round five Ugas loses a point for holding. However, he remains undeterred as he continues to pour on the punishment.
Going into round seven it appears Figueroa may not have won a round yet, including round five where the Cuban was deducted a point. The biggest problem seems to be that Figueroa has no ability create pressure, which is his style. Ugas literally has three money punches to pick from: the uppercut to the body, the jab, and his left hooks.
Round nine is a complete masterpiece for Ugas, as he literally pinned Figueroa to the ropes for the full three minutes and picked whatever shots he wanted. Something that’s probably going to be discussed is that Figueroa might want to go back to junior welterweight.
Championship Rounds
The championship rounds are more of the same, as Ugas has slowed some but, he’s able to land at will and control the pace. Omar Figueroa was able to preserve some dignity as he made it to the final bell. The scorecards reflected the dominant nature of the fight, as all three read 107-119 for Yordanis Ugas.
As for what’s next for each man, it looks like Figueroa might want to consider a move down to 140lbs. He simply wouldn’t match up against any top welterweight. Yordanis Ugas, on the other hand, has put his name back in the mix. The fight he should probably jockey for is Danny Garcia, who’s also looking for an opponent.
By: Corey Cunningham
