Yordenis Ugas is a fighting Sunday on FOX for a title Boxing Junkie doesn’t recognize, meaning it has no significance to us. It means something to him, though.
Ugas will face Abel Ramos for what the WBA calls its “regular” welterweight title in Los Angeles even though Manny Pacquiao is the actual WBA titleholder and Vergil Ortiz holds something called the “gold” title, whatever that is.
Still, Ugas said a victory over Ramos would be a special accomplishment: It would make him the first Cuban-born fighter to win a 147-pound belt since Jose Napoles 45 years ago.
“I’m happy, anxious and excited, all in a good way, because I’m just so ready to fulfill this dream I’ve had since I started boxing, to win a world title,” said Ugas, who lives in Miami. “I know Ramos will be competitive and give his best, but I’m ready to give the best of myself and reach my dream.
“This isn’t just my dream; this is the dream of an entire country that has waited almost half a century for a Cuban welterweight fighter with a world title. It’s a dream for the whole country. I want to represent my country and make them proud.”
Ugas (25-4, 12 KOs) has already done that. The native of Santiago de Cuba was an amateur star and has become one the top welterweights in the world.
He’s perhaps best known for nearly upsetting then world titleholder Shawn Porter on March of last year, when he lost a disputed split decision but proved he belongs in the ring with anyone.
Had he won, his career would be different. As an actual champion – not a “regular” one – he would have contenders gunning for him. As it is, he’s not the first choice of the top 147-pounders. Facing him is too big of a risk with too little to gain.
That doesn’t mean Ramos (26-3-2, 20 KOs) is a pushover. He isn’t. He has lost his biggest fights but almost always gives a strong showing, including a majority-decision setback against Jamal James in 2018.
And the Arizonan is coming of a miracle victory over Bryant Perrella in February. In shades of Julio Cesar Chavez vs. Meldrick Taylor I, Ramos was down on all three cards when he stopped Perrella with one second remaining in the scheduled 10-round bout, although some questioned the stoppage.
“Ramos is a tremendous fighter that never gives up,” Ugas said. “I congratulate him for winning that fight at the last second against Bryant Perrella. He earned it. Maybe the referee was too involved stopping it when he did, but Ramos earned every bit of it.
“When I heard that I would be fighting Ramos I was very excited, because I knew it would be a great fight that the fans would love.”
Ugas is sincere about what winning the secondary belt would mean to him. At the same time, he understands that an actual title – the one at the top of the sanctioning body rankings – means more than a manufactured one.
Ultimately, that’s what he and every other talented fighter seeks. The next step in that direction for him is a victory over Ramos. And Ugas is taking nothing for granted.
“The biggest lesson I learned from the Shawn Porter fight is that I can’t get overconfident,” he said. “I thought I had it in the bag, and it really wasn’t that way. I have to always be attacking. I can never assume anything, no matter how the fight might look at the moment.
“This is about winning, no matter what. Regardless of how we get there.”
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