Televised undercard bouts for Manny Pacquiao-Errol Spence Jr. official

The televised undercard for the Manny Pacquiao-Errol Spence Jr. IBF/WBC welterweight title clash, which will take place at T-Mobile Arena, in Las Vegas, Nevada, was officially announced Tuesday afternoon.

In the co-feature, welterweight Yordenis Ugas, who is ranked No. 6 by The Ring, will defend his WBA title against Fabian Maidana, of Argentina.

Robert Guerrero and Victor Ortiz, both former titleholders, will square off in a 10-round bout. Opening up the FOX pay-per-view (9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT) is a 10-round featherweight bout between unbeaten Mark Magsayo and Julio Ceja.

“This is a fantastic pay-per-view undercard that is worthy of the highly-anticipated main event between Manny Pacquiao and Errol Spence Jr.,” said Tom Brown, president of TGB Promotions. “Yordenis Ugás has established himself as an elite fighter in the star-studded welterweight division and he will have to make sure he comes at his best for the always tough Argentine Fabián Maidana. Robert Guerrero versus Víctor Ortiz is a real treat for boxing fans as two of the sport’s most exciting veterans will battle, looking to prove themselves ready for one more run at the world title. And in the opening bout, the extremely promising featherweight contender Mark Magsayo, of the Philippines, will be up against his stiffest test to date in Julio Ceja.”

Ugas (26-4, 12 knockouts), who is originally from Santiago, Cuba, and now living and training in Las Vegas, defeated Abel Ramos by split decision in his most recent bout on September 6. With the win over Ramos, Ugas won a secondary distinction but the WBA elevated Ugas to full titleholder several weeks later, after the sanctioning body stripped Pacquiao, then dubbing him “Champion in Recess.”

The 35-year-old has won his last three bouts since his close split decision loss to Shawn Porter in March 2019. Ugas had won his previous eight fights before the loss to Porter.

Ugas hopes an impressive showing will put him against the winner of the Pacquiao-Spence fight.

“Everyone knows I’m a warrior and will fight anyone on any given day, so when they presented me with this fight against Fabián Maidana, I accepted with no hesitation,” said Ugás. “I’ll be defending my WBA title and the world will see why I am must-see T.V. This will be one of the best FOX Sports PBC pay-per-view events in recent history with some of the biggest names in boxing, all fighters who are known for leaving it all in the ring. I know one thing for sure: I’ll be letting my hands fly with bad intentions on August 21.”

Maidana (18-1, 13 KOs), the younger brother of former titlist Marcos Maidana, defeated Carlos Cordoba by unanimous decision in his most recent bout, on April 9, in his hometown of Buenos Aires. He has won his last two fights since suffering his only loss at the hands of Jaider Parra in January 2019.

The 29-year-old has not fought anywhere near the level of opposition Ugas has as a pro but is confident that he has the power and tenacity to overcome and defeat him.

“This is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for all my life,” said Maidana. “I’m thrilled to be part of such a huge fight card. I’m a man of few words, so all I can tell you is that Ugas is a great fighter but you guys will see the TNT I have in each hand exploding on Ugas’ face on August 21.”

Both Guerrero and Ortiz were at their peak 10 years ago but could still provide fans with an action fight in which the winner moves forward and earns another opportunity to face a top welterweight on a big platform.

Guerrero (36-6-1, 20 KOs), who is originally from Gilroy, California, and now resides in Las Vegas, made his pro debut in April 2001 as a featherweight, where he would win the IBF title over five years later. Nearly four years later, Guerrero went on to win the IBF junior lightweight title. Guerrero has faced Floyd Mayweather, Andre Berto, Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia at 147 pounds, with the only win among them coming against Berto in November 2012.

After losing by stoppage to Omar Figueroa, Jr., in July 2017, Guerrero talked about retirement but returned to the ring almost 15 months later, knocking out Adam Mate. He has won his last three bouts since the loss to Figueroa.

Ortiz (32-6-3, 25 KOs), who now resides in Ventura, California, has not fought since his majority draw against Devon Alexander in February 2018. He was scheduled to return to action against John Molina, in September of that year but Ortiz was arrested less than a week before the fight after being charged with sexual assault on a woman in nearby Oxnard.

After defeating Berto for the WBC welterweight title in April 2011, Ortiz would lose the title to Mayweather five months later. Since the loss to Mayweather, he has won three of his last seven bouts.

Magsayo (22-0, 15 KOs) is considered one of the top contenders to come out of the Philippines. In his most recent bout on April 10, Magsayo, who is trained by Freddie Roach, knocked out Pablo Cruz in Round 4.

Ceja (32-4-1, 28 KOs), who is originally from the Mexico City area and now resides in Palmdale, California, fought to a draw against Brandon Figueroa in November 2019. He is winless in his last three bouts.

Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October of 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter @FSalazarBoxing.

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