"I have to watch the fight" - Yordenis Ugas opens up after his loss against Errol Spence Jr.
Yordenis Ugas has taken to social media to discuss his loss to Errol Spence Jr. for the first time.
'54 Milagros' and 'The Truth' clashed on Saturday night at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas. The affair had the WBA (Super), WBC, and IBF titles on the line in a a rare championship unification bout.
Ugas saw his fair share of success early in the contest, even rocking Spence Jr. badly at one point. However, as time wore on, it became easy work for the 32-year-old. Eventually swelling up Ugas's eye with blistering combinations, the fight was called off in the 10th round.
While Ugas earned admiration for fighting on with a damaged eye, he wound up losing following a doctor's stoppage. With the defeat, the Cuban boxer lost his WBA crown and suffered his first loss since March 2019, which was a decision defeat to Shawn Porter.
The 35-year-old has now taken to social media to discuss his loss to Spence Jr. for the first time. While he didn't take anything away from his foe, he also pointed out that the fight was close until his eye was damaged.
"I have to watch the fight when my eyes are healthy. But I think I was in a competitive fight until round 7 when that punch came. But the punch is part of boxing. And I don't take anything away from Spence who was the best man in the ring. #SpenceUgas Thank you all"
I have to watch the fight when my eyes are healthy. But I think I was in a competitive fight until round 7 when that punch came. But the punch is part of boxing. And I don't take anything away from Spence who was the best man in the ring. #SpenceUgas Thank you all❤️
Yordenis Ugas suffered a broken orbital in his loss
Yordenis Ugas's right eye swelled shut on Saturday night, causing him to lose to Errol Spence Jr. We now know why the swelling happened.
While some suspected the cause of the swelling, it wasn't confirmed until yesterday. ESPN's Mike Coppinger reported that Ugas sustained a fractured orbital in his 10th-round TKO loss to 'The Truth'.
As of yesterday, the former champion was still in the hospital for the injury.
Ugas: “I have a fracture in my eye and in the next few days the doctors will say how they will treat it. I spent all morning in a hospital and I write these words with only one eye, the other one is still closed."
instagram.com/p/CcdlcG_OrnE/… twitter.com/mikecoppinger/…
While it's not an injury that will automatically end a career, it's one that will make it difficult to come back. The recovery process is a challenging one, especially when for combat sport athletes.
One of the more notable orbital fractures occurred in May 2021, when Canelo Alvarez TKO'd Billy Joe Saunders in round eight. Due to the injury, the British boxer has stated that he's thinking about potentially retiring.