Lopez Grinds Out Decision Over Claggett To Retain WBO Jr. Welterweight Crown

It seems the recent story surrounding both the 135lb. Lightweight and 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division can be summed up in a single word “Transition." In that both weight classes are seeking their next central figures or dominant champions, who are often viewed as being fighters that will carry the division for a significant period of time. One such fighter, who is likely viewed by at least some as the top Jr. Welterweight for the moment is WBO Jr. Welterweight world champion Teofimo Lopez.

A fighter who once briefly resigned as the Undisputed Lightweight champion of the world, Lopez is in the midst of what should be viewed as chapter two of his professional career following losing the Lightweight crown to George Kambosos in November 2021. The ongoing chapter that saw a relatively quick turnaround that saw him rebuild in the Jr. Welterweight division to become a world champion once again in 2023 and saw him make his first successful title defense in February against Edwin De Los Santos. This setup Lopez’ second defense of the WBO Jr. Welterweight world championship against veteran and top contender Steve Claggett on June 29th at the James L. Knight Center in Miami FL.

Despite not being well known to casual Boxing fans, Claggett came into what was his first world championship bout in a sixteen year professional career and had twenty-six more fights than the champion in his career. Nevertheless, there is always an element of the unknown when a veteran like Claggett, who has fought so long for an opportunity and has done so without the benefit of mainstream exposure, finally gets that chance against a fighter who is considerably more known and has more experience on the world championship level as Lopez. The combination of excitement, anxiety, anticipation, and yes, stress have been known to make fighters freeze when fighting for a world championship for the first time along with the atmosphere of the event. 

Claggett would not freeze and showed immediately that he intended to make the most of his opportunity as he applied pressure on Lopez from the opening bell, backed the champion up against the ropes and tried to stay planted on Lopez’ chest. Thus, the story of the fight quickly emerged. Round after round, the challenger pressed the champion backward like a football player and forced Lopez to fight at a higher pace than is typically his norm. Despite that, Lopez not only withstood the pressure and what Claggett had to dish out, he also showed he was comfortable fighting against the ropes and it was not long before the champion was the fighter getting his punches off first, particularly with left hooks and uppercuts. Although the ebb and flow never changed throughout the fight as Claggett continued coming forward and showing a granite chin in withstanding what Lopez threw at him, which would have dropped many fighters, gradually Lopez was able to gain some separation between himself and the challenger in the latter rounds of the scheduled twelve round world championship bout.

At this stage, Lopez displayed his hand speed in firing combinations to the body and head, which also appeared to stun Claggett periodically, to put the finishing touches on what was a wide and convincing unanimous decision to retain his world championship. Ultimately, this was a workmanlike performance by Lopez in fending off a determined challenger, who gave his best in his first opportunity at a world championship. 

With two successful title defenses of his WBO crown, Lopez immediately suggested after the fight that he was leaning towards moving up to the 147lb. Welterweight division in saying that he feels that he cannot make the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight limit any longer. What makes this interesting is the conundrum of what may be better for the fighter physically versus what may have financial incentives by staying in a weight division that the fighter has indicated he is having trouble making weight. Under most circumstances, I side with the fighter because unless you are a fighter in the Heavyweight division, the struggle of making weight in a given weight division is real, and if a fighter decides to stay in a division that they physically struggle to maintain weight strictly for financial reasons, and/or world championship/unification bouts, eventually it will have negative effects physically on the fighter, which will manifest inside the ring. 

Of course, the issue for all fighters that gradually climb up the weight scale is always will they be as effective at a higher weight as they were at lower weights. One does not have to look too far in the past to remember that as a 135lb. Lightweight, Teofimo Lopez was a devastating puncher, who routinely scored highlight reel knockouts that turned heads. Since becoming Undisputed Lightweight champion with a victory over Vasyl Lomachenko in October 2020, Lopez has primarily shown his skills as a boxer and since moving up to Jr. Welterweight, his power and ability to score knockouts has not been there in the same way it was as a Lightweight. The question that will be asked if indeed he does move up seven pounds to the Welterweight division is whether it will be any different. While some would suggest the answer to that question would be “No,” if a fighter has been struggling to make weight for a significant time, perhaps moving up only one division was more of a detriment than a benefit in allowing the fighter’s body to adjust naturally as they get older. Any move up in weight will come with risks, as will moving down in weight, which fighters have done before as well for various reasons. The only way the question will be answered will be for Lopez to test the waters at Welterweight. 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”  

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Jonas-Mayer Preview

The first major Women’s world championship bout of 2024 will take place on Saturday, January 20th as two-division world champion Natasha Jonas will make the first defense of her IBF World Welterweight championship against former Unified Jr. Lightweight world champion  Mikaela Mayer in Liverpool, England at the Echo Arena. A fight that can be seen here in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+. Jonas and Mayer are not only two of the best female boxers in the entire sport, but in a wider context, this bout follows what was a significant year of progress for Women’s Boxing and the bout between the two should continue that momentum.

Natasha Jonas has won world championships in the Jr. Middleweight and Welterweight divisions and will come into this fight off of winning the IBF Welterweight world championship in her last outing in July of last year with an eighth round stoppage of Kandi Wyatt in Manchester, England. Although Jonas has now moved down in weight from the 154lb. Jr. Middleweight division to the 147lb. Welterweight division, she has punching power in both hands and has scored knockouts in nine of her fourteen career wins. Whether or not she will be able to use that punching power in what will be her first defense of the IBF crown remains to be seen. Jonas’ opponent on January 20th will likely prove to be a difficult task in the form of Mikaela Mayer.

Mayer will enter this fight on a two fight winning streak and is the current IBF number one Welterweight contender. Some will recall that Mayer had three successful defenses as a Jr. Lightweight world champion which saw her win the WBO world championship and unify it with the IBF world championship before she lost her crown in a very narrow ten round split decision loss to WBC/WBO world champion Alycia Baumgardner in what was a fight for the undisputed championship in the Jr. Lightweight division. While that fight could have gone either way, much like many bouts in Women’s Boxing fought with a two minute round length, the loss to Baumgardner, the only of Mayer’s career, did not lower Mayer’s standing as one of the top fighters in the sport. After brief stops in the Lightweight and Jr. Welterweight divisions in her last two bouts, Mayer now sets her sights on trying to become a two-division world champion. 

While both fighters can do a little bit of everything, some would likely say that Jonas has an advantage both in regard to her punching power as she has four more knockouts than Mayer has in scoring five in her nineteen career wins, but also in terms of the fact that she has fought at heavier weights than the challenger has thus far in their respective careers. Both due to the fact that Women’s Boxing is still very much growing and also opportunities being sprinkled throughout weight classes, which usually offers an opportunity for fighters to move up and down the weight scale depending on what opportunities might be available including to fight for world championships, the fact that Mayer will be facing someone naturally bigger and theoretically stronger than her, does not necessarily equate to a disadvantage at least on paper. What Mayer does bring to the table is she is a highly skilled boxer with good hand speed, lateral movement, and has the ability to approach her opponents and attack at varying angles. 

An element that could prove crucial in this fight is that like most world championship bouts, this will be scheduled for ten, two minute rounds as opposed to twelve, three minute rounds, which only recently made its way into Women’s Boxing. Both Jonas and Mayer have been in close fights that many feel should have gone their respective way and part of the reason why those fights were close was perhaps attributed to the two minute round length. Unless there is a change to both the scheduled distance and round length that might occur later than this writing prior to the bout taking place, the format the fight will be fought under, and skill level of both champion and challenger could result in a very closely fought contest and it will come down to which fighter will be able to control the tempo of the combat.

What this fight also represents is that Women’s Boxing remains committed not only to continuing to grow the sport for all who compete in it, but also a commitment to the adage of “The Best Fighting The Best.” Something that if their male counterparts could also do on as frequent a basis as female fighters have done and continue to do without the politics of the sport rearing its head. Boxing overall would truly be elevated to a higher level if that were the case.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.” 

Jonas vs. Mayer takes place on Saturday, January 20th at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England. The fight as well as its full undercard can be seen here in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+ beginning at 2PM ET/11AM PT.

(*Card and Start times Subject to Change.*)

For more information about ESPN+ including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, and to subscribe please visit: www.ESPNPlus.com. 

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Thoughts On Spence-Ugas

 

The fight between Welterweight world champions Errol Spence and Yordenis Ugas on the surface was a unification of three of five recognized world championships in the illustrious 147lb. Welterweight division. Like most “Big” fights, it also had several storylines that accompanied the bout. Such as what the condition on Errol Spence’s left eye would be after suffering a detached retina. Could Yordenis Ugas, who was coming off a career-defining victory over Manny Pacquiao in his first defense his world championship, a victory which came as a result of replacing Spence on short notice, further cement his claim as a world champion by going on to defeat Spence as well. Would the winner of this fight be moved toward a showdown with undefeated WBO Welterweight world champion Terence Crawford for what would be an Undisputed world championship bout?

 

Such intriguing questions would in part be answered when the two world champions met on April 16^th at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, TX to unify Spence’s WBC/IBF crown with the WBA world championship held by Ugas. Although this bout had all the appearance of a tactical encounter between two boxer/punchers, sometimes what appears on paper prior to a fight, turns out to be just that on paper. What would instead happen would be a competitive battle of wills.

 

For a time in the early rounds, the two fighters seemed to match each other punch for punch with the sequence usually consisting of Spence throwing first, often in combination and Ugas looking to land counter punches. While Ugas was able to have success with this approach periodically, gradually the story of the fight became the sheer volume of Errol Spence's combinations, which kept Ugas consistently on the defensive and at times appearing overwhelmed.

 

This did not stop Yordenis Ugas however, from continuing to make a fight of it and in round six  he would produce arguably the highlight of the fight by knocking Spence’s mouthpiece out with a right hand and taking advantage when a distracted Spence, trying to get Referee Lawrence Cole's attention about his mouthpiece having been knocked out of his mouth, would be knocked into the ropes by a left hook, straight right hand combination by Ugas. Cole appeared to make a questionable call at this point in the fight by momentarily halting the action to have Spence’s mouthpiece rinsed and put back in.

 

The reason why this was questionable and some may go as far as to call it controversial is because Spence was clearly stunned by this combination and frankly, I feel it probably should have been ruled a knockdown as the ropes appeared to prevent Spence from going down, which under the rules of Boxing is justification for a knockdown being ruled. Furthermore, Cole's decision to halt the action at that particular point allowed Spence valuable seconds to recover and arguably take an opportunity from Ugas to turn the ebb and flow of the fight in his favor.

 

With Spence back in control, the rhythm of the fight continued in his favor and gradually the accumulation of punishment became apparent as Ugas’ right eye would swell shut. Despite the combat increasingly moving in one direction, Ugas nevertheless showed his mettle and continued to fight on. Although no one can take anything away from the heart Yordenis Ugas showed in this fight, the effects of the punishment simply could not be ignored and the bout would be stopped in the tenth round.

 

Despite Ugas protesting the stoppage on advice of a ringside physician, it was revealed in the days following the bout that Ugas had in fact suffered a broken orbital bone in addition to his right eye being swollen shut. As much as one can sympathize with a fighter in Yordenis Ugas’ position, the stoppage of this fight was justified. Although it is hard not to have sympathy for a fighter having lost his world title in a heartbreaking way in not being allowed to continue, such decisions can prove to be crucial in not just a fighter’s ability to continue on with their career, but also their long-term health.

 

Yordenis Ugas has nothing to be ashamed of. He fought like a true champion and he should hold his head high. He is still one of the best fighters in the world and remains a player in the talent-deep Welterweight division. For now, obviously he will need time to heal before he can decide on where he will go with his career off of this loss.

 

As for Errol Spence, the obvious question coming out of this fight is whether a fight can be made between him and undefeated WBO world champion Terence Crawford for what would be the Undisputed Welterweight championship of the world. Although Terence Crawford is as of this writing a promotional free agent and would appear to be in an ideal position to make such a fight happen, his current legal dispute with his former promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank Inc., as well as Spence’s alignment with the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) group of promoters and manager Al Haymon, who will likely look to negotiate terms that will be favorable for the PBC will likely play a factor in how quickly a fight between Spence and Crawford can be made.

 

While there is certainly no shortage of possible challengers for both world champions, the Boxing world can only hope that Spence and Crawford each tell their respective representatives to make the fight happen and avoid grandstanding and other interests. Promoters and managers after all are supposed to first and foremost look out for the best interests of the fighters they represent rather than their other interests.

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

 

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Spence-Ugas: Welterweight Unification

 

In an era where there are interim/regular championship designations in Boxing’s respective sanctioning organizations and sometimes those fighters who hold such designations get an opportunity to fight for a different world championship than the one shot they have earned due to the politics that be in the sport, it can at times be confusing to determine who the actual world champions are. Particularly when such scenarios occur, it is not uncommon to see such fights between a top contender/interim/regular “Champion” and a world champion from a different organization actually promoted as a unification bout.

 

While such scenarios are not in fact world title unification fights and are more or less used as a sales hook to draw in those who may not be as familiar with the structure of rankings in Boxing, it can unfortunately take away from those occasions when there is a legitimate unification bout taking place in the sport. Longtime readers know this observer’s stance on interim/regular championship designations throughout the sport as doing more harm than good in creating more problems than it was intended to solve.

 

Such a structure does however, serve a purpose in at least trying to ensure fighters that earn opportunities to fight for world championships do get that opportunity most of the time. In the case of Yordenis Ugas, he had held the World Boxing Association’s Interim/Regular championship designation in the 147lb. Welterweight division and was named champion prior to then WBA world champion Manny Pacquiao’s scheduled unification bout with undefeated IBF/WBC world champion Errol Spence last August. While this for a time created confusion due to the WBA’s ruling and was a circumstance of it’s own creation, as fate would have it, Ugas would get an opportunity to legitimize his claim on the title due to an eye injury to Spence forcing him to withdraw from the scheduled bout against Pacquiao.

 

Although the circumstances for Ugas were far from ideal in first being named world champion before getting an opportunity to fight the champion in a controversial ruling, then ironically getting the opportunity to step in to face that champion on short notice, Ugas put on an impressive performance in out Boxing the future Hall of Famer Pacquiao over twelve rounds to earn a unanimous decision victory and in the process successfully defend his crown for the first time. The significance of Ugas’ victory took a crucial turn in the days following the fight as Pacquiao chose to retire from the sport to focus on his political career as a current senator in his native Philippines and a run for the presidency of the country.

 

For Yordenis Ugas however, he was able to take a negative and turn it into a positive by legitimizing his claim on the World Welterweight championship and his victory over Pacquiao has now led to an even bigger opportunity as he will get the opportunity to face Errol Spence in a Welterweight unification bout on Saturday, April 16^th at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, TX. The fight, which will headline a Showtime Pay-Per-View card brings together two of the best fighters not only in the 147lb. Welterweight division, but in the entire sport.

 

In some ways it is ironic, yet simplistic that this fight has come about. For one, it should not be overlooked that Ugas stepped in for Spence who suffered a retinal detachment in his left eye. Understandably, despite successful surgery, some might have questioned if Spence’s career was in jeopardy after suffering an injury like that. Ugas’ victory over Pacquiao however, did create the obvious next step, which is for Ugas to get the opportunity to face Spence.

 

The bout between Spence and Ugas brings together two boxer/punchers who can each do a little bit of everything inside the ring. In thinking of how this fight might be fought, I immediately thought of Ugas’ fight with Manny Pacquiao in the sense that he had pretty much everything against him going into that fight. Taking a fight on short notice, doing so against one of the all-time great fighters, and having to do so in front of a mostly pro-Pacquiao crowd. While not the most ideal circumstances for a fighter in Ugas’ position, he succeeded by sticking to a fight plan with an emphasis on Boxing and gradually outworking Pacquiao as the fight progressed. A fight plan that also proved to be effective in taking the crowd out of the fight.

 

This time, Ugas will be in a similar circumstance as he will be fighting Spence before what is likely to be a pro-Spence crowd at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, where the longtime Texas resident has fought two of his last three bouts. Given the similarities between the two in terms of style, this observer feels it crucial that Ugas find a way to establish the tempo of the combat early. Much like in his fight against Pacquiao, he needs to get into a rhythm early and keep his opponent, in this case Spence from being able to get into a rhythm himself.

 

While this is easier said than done, Ugas must find a way to accomplish this and, in the process, take what will likely be an enthusiastic crowd out of the equation as he was able to do against Pacquiao. In his most recent fight in December 2020, Spence out boxed former two-division world champion Danny Garcia over twelve rounds to retain his IBF/WBC world championship. The obvious question regarding Spence going into this fight is whether the eye injury will have an effect on him during the bout. Although it is not uncommon to hear of fighters suffering eye injuries over the course of their careers including the type that Spence suffered, it goes without saying that each fighter is different and at least for a period of time, that will be a question that Spence will have to deal with, not unlike when Hall of Famer Sugar Ray Leonard went through a similar injury in the 1980’s. Though Leonard would retire twice during the decade, the question of the health of his eyes and the risk of permanent injury did go away as he eventually returned in 1987 off of his second retirement as a professional in 1984 and subsequently went on to take part in some of the marquee fights of the 1980’s.

 

Obviously, medical treatment and technology has advanced quite significantly since the 1980’s when it was thought that Leonard had suffered a career ending injury. For a fighter in his prime such as Spence, this fight presents an opportunity to not only further unify the 147lb. Welterweight division, but to answer any questions that might be regarding his eyes with one significant performance. Yordenis Ugas is not the easiest fighter to combat based on style, but Spence has been in the ring with fighters who were thought to pose a difficult challenge for him before and has resulted in him scoring convincing victories.

 

While it is logical to expect at least in the early rounds a tactical chess match between the two fighters, Spence needs to establish himself early and not allow Ugas to get into a rhythm and in a position to dictate the fight. When you have two highly skilled world champions sharing the same ring, it is a task that is often easier said than done. Although both fighters have also shown an ability to score knockouts in the undefeated Spence having stopped twenty-one of his twenty-seven professional opponents compared to Ugas’ twelve knockouts in twenty-seven career wins, it is hard to envision this fight being anything, but a tactical fight that will end in a decision. Does it mean that the fight will not end in a knockout? Of course not, but based on the styles of both fighters and the fight that both are comfortable going twelve rounds, this may come down to who is able to outwork the other.

 

As seems to be the case with most unification bouts, there is also the possibility of what might be ahead for the winner of this fight in a possible showdown with undefeated WBO world champion Terrence Crawford for what would be the Undisputed Welterweight championship of the world. Obviously, there are other things in play involving the politics of the sport that will likely play a part in how quickly such a fight can take place for the winner of this fight.

 

For the moment, Errol Spence and Yordenis Ugas only have to focus on the fight that is at hand, against each other. Although some might say this is simply another step for Spence on his road towards an undisputed world championship, this is the biggest fight in Yordenis Ugas’ career and like it was against Pacquiao, he is likely only focused on this fight and this fight alone. Whether we see the tactical fight this appears as though it will be, or an action fight that will be talked about in the weeks, months, and years to come remains to be seen. We will find out what happens on Saturday night April 16^th.

 

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

 

 

 

Spence vs. Ugas takes place on Saturday, April 16^th at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, TX. The fight as well as a three fight undercard can be seen on a pay-per-view basis on Showtime Pay-Per-View in the United States and Canada for $74.95. Contact your cable/satellite provider for ordering information. The pay-per-view will also be available on the Showtime streaming app on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices/Smart TVs. For more information on how to order from Showtime please visit: www.sho.com/ppv.

 

Check your local listings internationally.

 

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