Unified welterweight titleholder Errol Spence is set to make his next appearance on April 16 when he faces WBA titleholder Yordenis Ugas with three major titles on the line. During yesterday’s open media workout for the fight, Spence took some time to chat with media members about how his recent time off has been beneficial and how he’s looking to perform come fight night.
“I’m feeling good and I’m ready to go,” Spence said. “This layoff was easier for me after the injury than the one after the accident because it was a lot less stress on my body. Mentally I was also prepared for what I was going to go through. I had been back in training before camp started for this fight so I’m ready.
“Even half of me would beat most of these guys at the top level. I feel great now and I’m 100%. Physically I’m on point and everything feels real regular. If Ugas’ trainer (Ismael Salas) thinks I’m a different fighter now, we’ll see in two and half weeks how different I am.”
Spence would then quickly touch on how his training camp has been progressing and what he’s expecting from his opponent.
“Training camp has been great. I’ve had great sparring partners and we’ve been focused,” Spence continued. “I got a nutritionist and it’s made the weight cut much easier for me. I have everything in my arsenal. Whatever Ugas brings to the table, I’m ready for it. I’m going to dictate the pace and control everything. I’m making him fight my fight.
“From what I’ve seen, Ugas is very physical and very tough. He was waving Shawn Porter forward, so you know he has that fighter spirit inside of him.”
Of course there’s been a lot of speculation as to what condition Spence is really in after first surviving a scary car wreck only to then lose out on a chance to fight Manny Pacquiao after suffering a detached retina.
“I’ve been putting in a lot of work and I’m not worried about my eye at all,” said Spence. “It actually feels stronger than the other one. I’m just making sure that I’m 100% on point with everything.
With a win over Ugas, Spence would be holding three of the four major belts at welterweight and says any message he needs to send to the division will be made through his performance, as he’s not looking to talk up a storm.
“I’m not looking to say anything to the rest of the division. I’m going to send my message with my performance. When I have three belts, everyone is going to know what that means.”
Spence goes on to say that he’s not going to be taking Ugas lightly, but believes his win over Manny Pacquiao was more due to Pacquiao showing signs of age rather than anything spectacular that Ugas did.
“I watched the Ugas vs. Manny Pacquiao fight live but I haven’t watched it since then,” Spence said. “I thought the way that fight went was more because of Pacquiao being a shell of himself.
“I’ve been looking forward to this fight since I had to drop out of the Pacquiao bout. I knew I would be fighting the winner, and now I’ve got Ugas in front of me. He’s a tough champion who’s been through a lot in his life”
Of course Spence might’ve lined up an easier fight for himself, just to test the waters coming back from his eye injury, but to let Spence tell it that’s just not his style.
“I can’t sit back and fight a tune-up fight right now. I want to go straight in with the sharks,” Spence continued. “Ugas is going to push me to another level and that’s what I want. I knew that if I was fighting a tune-up I could sneak snacks in at night and stuff like that. I’m fighting someone on my level.
“Ugas is living the ‘American Dream’ and he wants to keep living the ‘American Dream’. His challenge is beating me and I want his belt. Those Mexican fans are a huge part of Texas and I love fighting in front of them. I’m planning on giving them the kind of amazing fight they love.”
