Ugas Hints At Retirement, Arum Wants To Make Inoue-Tapales For Undisputed
Yordenis Ugas has hinted that his time in boxing may have come to an end.
The 37-year-old’s comments came in the aftermath of his defeat to Mario Barrios. In a bout where the WBC interim welterweight title was up for grabs, Ugas fell short as Barrios dominated proceedings.
Ugas’ Loss
That was typified by Barrios’ jab which sent Ugas to the floor. The Cuban’s eye subsequently swelled up under the pressure with the ringside doctor regularly checking it over.
The performance, therefore, suggested that Ugas had not overcome the gruelling defeat at the hands of Errol Spence Jr. where he was stopped in the eleventh round.
That had ultimately resulted in the Cuban’s eye initially suffering extensive damage. Since then, Shawn Porter has expressed the belief that Ugas is no longer the same fighter.
And now that the dust has settled down somewhat following the Barrios defeat, the Cuban is considering whether it is the right time to hang up his gloves.
Ugas On Retirement
“I started in boxing at the age of 6. l have been in this sport for more than 30 years, I have won much more than I ever dreamed of, but everything also has an end, we will analyze everything with a cool head. My family doesn’t want me to be in this anymore. I hope to be able to go on vacation, take time off, and think carefully about the decision but this has already come or is coming to an end.
“Now I’ll go back to the doctor when the swelling goes down to see where we are. The truth is I always thought my eye would hold up, but unfortunately not. But congratulations to Barrios and his team. Thanks to everyone in the Team Ugas family who was supporting me. I love you. Thanks to all my Cuban community,” Ugas said
Those comments are understandable since Ugas’ chances of getting another world title shot are slim. And at the age of 37, can the boxer work his way up the rankings to get himself in a position again?
And if the chances of that are unrealistic, then Ugas will have to consider what the motivation for fighting is moving forward. After all, the boxer has already had big paydays in his career.
Arum On Inoue-Tapales
Meanwhile, Bob Arum is preparing to make an undisputed junior featherweight fight between Naoya Inoue and Marlon Tapales for December 26th, 2023.
The fight would decide the best in the division following the Japanese’s win over Stephen Fulton to win the WBC/WBO belts. Thereafter, Tapales met Inoue in the ring as both fighters were prepared to make the fight happen.
And as part of that process, Inoue has already begun training for a December clash even though an opponent has not been named.
The picture below shows the Japanese star training with his teammates with the following comments: “One week of intense training has ended. I had a good training session and am ready to switch on for December,” Inoue
1週間の集中強化トレーニングが終了しました！！
良いトレーニングが出来て12月に向けてスイッチオン🔛参加してくれたみんなありがとう！！
#👑👑👑👑 pic.twitter.com/01s1lUBREM— 井上尚弥 Naoya Inoue (@naoyainoue_410) September 29, 2023
And by the looks of it, a fight could be announced soon.
“So Bob Arum tells me that he believes things are moving forward for Naoya Inoue-Marlon Tapales for all the belts at 122, in Japan on December 26. As for ‘the Monster’ fighting again next year in America, Arum reiterated, ”He wants to fight, here.” Steve King
Should Inoue come out victorious, then he would become undisputed for a second time in a different weight class alongside Terence Crawford.
Then the question marks would emerge over where Inoue would go next. Weight classes do exist for a reason, which is why there may be a point where the difference in weight becomes too much.
But as long as Inoue continues to win, then the prospect of a super fight between him and Gervonta Davis will increase. Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingblitz.
