Errol Spence Jr will take on Yordenis Ugas in a three-belt unification this Saturday on Showtime pay-per-view, with the welterweights bringing the WBC, IBF, and WBA belts to the ring with them.
It’s a big fight, and for both men, a step toward possible full unification at 147 lbs, in a boxing world that has become a good bit more focused on trying to crown undisputed champions, even if they wind up being brief due to the many political headaches of holding four sanctioning body belts at once.
Spence says he’s fully on point for the fight, which will be his sixth defense of the IBF belt he won in 2017, and the second of the WBC belt he picked up in 2019.
“It’s eat or get ate. That’s all it is on Saturday night. Eat or get ate,” Spence said at Wednesday’s media workout. “Of course I’m going to win. But I’m going for the knockout. There’s nothing to elaborate on when I (say that). It’s what I said. So if I get it, I get it. If I don’t, I don’t. I know 100 percent I’m getting the victory, but I definitely want to knock him out.”
Spence (27-0, 21 KO) hasn’t scored a stoppage win since his 2018 wipe-out victory against over-matched mandatory challenger Carlos Ocampo, going the distance in his last three fights with Mikey Garcia, Shawn Porter, and Danny Garcia. Those are all good fighters, and of the three, only Porter has ever been stopped, which came last November against Terence Crawford.
Can Spence do the sort of damage against Ugas (27-4, 12 KO), who has also never been stopped, to snap his streak of decision wins and provide some highlight reel material? It’s a big ask, but Spence is deeply confident in his preparation.
“I’ve been training hard. I know the task at hand. Training camp has been going great. I know what I’m capable of. You can expect and you’re going to see fireworks. It’s going to be a great show and a great performance,” he said, and also suggested he’s better-prepared for this fight than others.
“I’m going to fight Ugas like I’ve been fighting everybody else. He’s a very good fighter. He trains hard. He comes from a Cuban background and he’s very dedicated. But I feel like I’m 100 percent dedicated and in prior fights, I haven’t been as focused as I am right now.”
