Ugas: ‘I’m gonna answer all the doubters’

Former WBA welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas is back in the ring on Saturday night for the first time since being stopped by former unified 147-pound champion Errol Spence Jr. in April of 2022 when he battles Mario Barrios in a 12-round bout for the interim WBC welterweight title on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez-Jermell Charlo at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas(Showtime PPV).

Before his loss to Spence, which was stopped due to a broken orbital bone Ugas suffered in the fight, he had won four straight, including a big win over Manny Pacquiao, and after over a year out of the ring, the 37-year-old is excited to be back.

“I’m really excited to be here once again,” he said at a press conference on Thursday. “I’m fighting a former world champion, so this is gonna be a great show. I’m ready for the challenge.

“I’ve spent seven years fighting the best in the division and I’m gonna answer all the doubters on Saturday. They’re gonna see what I’m capable of.”

Ugas (27-5, 12 KOs) believes he and Barrios (27-2, 18 KOs) will put on a great show on Saturday night, and he expects to show the top contenders at 147 that he still has a lot left in the tank.

“We’re two former champions who put on great fights,” he said. “Look at the opponents that we’ve fought. The resumes speak for themselves.

“I’ve spent my entire career coming back from adversity over and over again. If you want to see what I still have left, you’ll have to watch Saturday night. It will all be revealed.”

The Cuban native loves his country, and he loves to represent his country. Ugas says that he not only fights for himself, but he fights for the political prisoners in Cuba.

“Everyone knows that I’m a world champion, but I’m also a man of the people and someone who represents the Cuban community, and that’s really important to me,” he said. “I have a very important fight on Saturday, but I fight on another front and that’s for my people and the message I want to provide for them. In Cuba there are political prisoners and I carry their message and fight for them. I represent their message.”