Spence stops Ugas to seize third welterweight belt

Errol Spence punished Yordenis Ugas on the way to a 10th-round technical knockout on Saturday to feature the Cuban’s World Boxing Association identify to his World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation belts.

Spence, preventing in the front of home enthusiasts in the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T stadium in Texas, remained unbeaten, improving to twenty-eight-zero with 22 knockouts while referee Laurence Cole referred to a halt at 1:44 of the 10th on the advice of the ringside doctor.

By then, Ugas’s proper eye changed into swollen close from the blows meted out by Spence, who rocked the Cuban inside the 7th round and continued to pour within the punishment until it became over.

Spence became fighting for the primary time for the reason that watching harm suffered in schooling forced him out of a planned bout with Manny Pacquiao in ultimate August.

Ugas stepped in at the ultimate minute and despatched the Philippine legend into retirement with a unanimous choice victory.

But the 35-yr-vintage Cuban had no solution for Spence’s effective combos. He did rock the American in the sixth round, sending him reeling into the ropes after knocking Spence’s mouthpiece out.

Spence said he was distracted by the loss of his mouthpiece, and didn’t defend himself adequately.

“I thought the ref had said stop,” Spence said. “That’s my fault.”

It could have been ruled a knock-down, but Spence — who has never been sent to the canvas — insisted he was never out on his feet.

He led on all three judges’ scorecards when the fight was stopped as Ugas fell to 27-5 with 12 knockouts.

This would be Spence’s second comeback from serious injury — the first when he was sidelined for months after a car crash in October 2019.

The 32-year-old said during the in-ring interview post-bout that he didn’t have any doubts about his return after suffering a detached retina.

“I believe in myself 100 percent. I train 100 percent. And I just knew I would be victorious,” he said.

However, with his last fight being in December 2020 — a victory over Danny Garcia — Spence said he did feel his timing was a little off in the early rounds with Ugas.

“But I knew I was going to catch on later in the rounds. I just kept on working, kept on punching.”

With three belts in hand, Spence wasted no time in calling out unbeaten World Boxing Organization champion Terence Crawford.

“That’s the fight that I want, that’s the fight everybody else wants,” Spence said. “Terence, I’m coming for that belt.”

Ugas, meanwhile, said he wished the fight had continued.

“I couldn’t see from the eye, but I wanted to keep going to the end,” said the 35-year-old Cuban, whose eye was examined by the ringside doctor several times during the bout.

“I feel sad because I trained really hard for this fight.”