Porter-Ugas is the crown jewel of the initial PBC on FOX main events, for better or worse.
The culmination of announcements to reveal the 2019’s first quarter PBC on FOX main events seems to be this right here. Shawn Porter (29-2-1, 17 KOs) will defend his WBC welterweight belt against well earned mandatory challenger Yordenis Ugas (23-3, 11 KOs) in Las Vegas on March 9th live on the major broadcast network.
I wish Premier Boxing Champions and FOX has announced a big fight for their airwaves at some point in all of today’s hoopla, but I guess this one will have to do. Shawn Porter is an elite fighter in one of the best divisions in the sport. He finally broke through to regain a world title against Danny Garcia earlier this year after previous razor thin losses to Kell Brook and Keith Thurman. He had previously held the IBF belt after lifting it from Devon Alexander before the Brook loss. Other than his tendency to lead with his head, there is little not to like about “Showtime” Shawn. He’s talented, aggressive, and exciting.
Porter’s mandatory challenger in Yordenis Ugas (23-3, 11 KOs) was a moderately big deal for the hardcore fans of the sport when he defected from the famed Cuban national amateur team in 2010 with an Olympic medal in two to turn professional stateside. The hype came to a crashing stand still when Yordenis hit a 4-3 rough patch from 2012 to 2014, however, and all hope seemed lost that the Cuban would ever become the elite professional that was promised.
How it played out from there has been one of the best stories in the sport in recent years. After almost two and a half years away following the third loss, Ugas returned in 2016 under PBC banners. The organization was clearly trying to use him as a stepping stone for their prospects when he was thrown right in against unbeatens Jamal James and Bryant Perrella, but a refreshed Ugas flipped the script and outpointed both of them without much issue. Two more wins brought the Cuban to a bit of an odd but thrilling decision win over Thomas Dulorme, the same Dulorme that would shortly thereafter go on to outfight Jessie Vargas (but be held to a controversial draw). Three more wins made it eight straight, a run that was capped with an easy eliminator win against Cesar Barrionuevo to set this one up.
I like this fight. Would I rather see Porter in a bigger fight like unification with Spence, a Thurman rematch, or even Pacquiao? Absolutely. Of course I would. That doesn’t mean this is a bad fight though. Yordenis Ugas is a cut below this guys, of course, but he is a really solid pro on a hell of a run. In the four belt era, he deserves a title shot just as much as anyone else does at this point. He’ll have to overcome some real physical disadvantages to even keep this one close, of course, but let’s not pretend Porter is some technical wizard in there. He makes exploitable mistakes and Ugas is an extremely crafty and experienced thinker in the ring. Would I bet on a Ugas upset here? No, certainly not. Can I rule it out completely though? No, I can’t do that either.
Of all the PBC on FOX main events announced so far, this is the one I can get excited about more than any other. That is faint praise given the borderline alarmingly weak slate they are deciding to open with, but it is legit praise anyway. Besides, this is what PBC has always done. They give their guys a couple easy wins before matching them in big fights, rinse and repeat. It isn’t all that different from the Eddie Hearn formula. They just lack the promotional muscle to sell it in the way Matchroom has perfected due to the nontraditional nature of what Premier Boxing Champions actually is.
No undercard has been announced yet. I’ll post an update if that happens later today at the official press conference.
