Ugás courageously holds his ground for 10 rounds against Spence in welterweight boxing title fight

Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) stopped Yordenis Ugas (27-5, 12 KOs) in ten brutal rounds to become the unified three welterweight world title champion in professional boxing. 

Spence, who overcame a scare in the sixth round, hit the Cuban's right eye so severely that the ringside doctor had no choice but to advise referee Laurence Cole to stop the fight at 1:44 of Round 10, declaring Spence’s victory by a technical knockout in the fight held this Saturday at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas.

The 32-year-old Texas native, who is one of the best pound for pound boxers in the world added the WBA welterweight belt to his WBC and IBF titles in his return from a 14-month layoff and surgery on a detached retina.

Spence’s Saturday victory marked a comeback. He never slowed down during the fierce battle, fighting hard to dominate from the second round on, after Ugas' better start.

His technical knockout against his tough Cuban opponent left him with a 27-0 unbeaten record since he turned professional back in 2012.

"I had no doubt, I believe in myself one hundred percent, I train one hundred percent," said the new champion while also acknowledging the courage of his opponent: "I knew he was going to come for the win. This is what I wanted, I didn't want a tune-up fight or a fight with someone I know I can win. I wanted a fighter who could get the best out of me, and I knew Ugas was going to get the best out of me."

Yordenis Ugas’ eye was swollen shut by the 10th round and the doctor was forced to stop the bout.

Errol Spence is now a three-belt welterweight champion 🏆🏆🏆#SpenceUgas

(📸 @espnknockout, @showtimeboxing) pic.twitter.com/0BwEzuf1Rx

— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) April 17, 2022

The early rounds of the contest were very cagey, as Spence was striking more frequently while Ugas was more precise. 

Towards the middle of the match, the Texan native began to take control, landing heavy punches on the inside. But in the sixth round, the stalemate threatened to turn when Yordenis staggered Spence with an uppercut. 

The Texan champion lost his mouthpiece that went flying after a brutal right hand from Ugas, a jab that almost cost him the fight.

Ugas came out stronger with his punches in the sixth round when Spence Jr. was distracted. Spence Jr. was a bit stunned, searching for his mouthpiece and staggering against the ropes, but the referee stopped the action and instead  allowed Spence to put the mouthpiece back on. The pause gave him time to recover.

The Truth, sensing the momentum was gone, rushed in for the seventh round and came back more aggressive, going on to surgically dispense a beating on Ugas that would make the Cuban retreat as his eye began to swell, prompting the doctor to check it in the eighth round. 

Spence was fighting in front of his hometown crowd, fighting hard to put his fierce Cuban challenger on the ropes. He unloaded a strong arsenal in the ninth and tenth rounds. 

A pair of left uppercuts broke the great resistance of Ugas and when The Truth came close to finishing the job, the referee again asked for the advice of the ringside doctor who determined that Yordenis should not continue, putting an end to the exciting fight. 

Still, the fight resulted in a legendary Rocky Balboa v. Apollo Creed ending in which Ugas earned the respect of his opponent and the entire boxing world.

Te respetamos y apoyamos, quizá era otro el plan de pelea o simplemente no era esto, los planes de Dios son perfecto y te felicitamos por tu esfuerzo y huevos. #SpenceUgas pic.twitter.com/rz3cg01au2

— Boxeo mundial/ World boxing (@WorldBoxeo) April 17, 2022

Spence now reigns as the undefeated unified champion with three belts. Ugas, the now-former WBA champion, was being treated for medical care at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas at the time of the press conference. 

His right eye was examined after it was so swollen to the point of closing, but the latest medical report is optimistic about the Cuban's health and future potential to make a comeback. 

Ugas only landed 96 of 541 total thrown punches, and 262 of those were jabs, meanwhile, Spence landed 216 of his 784 thrown punches, and 476 were power punches, according to ShoStats.