Errol Spence Jr has confirmed on social media he will face Cuban Yordenis Ugas on April 16 for three of the four welterweight world titles.
Spence will put his WBA and IBF belts on the line against the WBA of Ugas’s who won it by beating Manny Pacquiao last August. The Filipino boxing legend retired shortly after losing his 72 nd and final fight on points.
The three-belt unification will take place at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas and will be Spence’s second consecutive fight at the 80,000-capacity venue. He will also have home advantage on the night having been born in Texas although he now resides in Long Island.
Spence, 31, will be returning to action for the first time since an operation on a retinal tear in his left eye last year which forced him to withdraw from a fight against Pacquiao. It proved to be a case of opportunity knocks for Ugas who stepped in to replace Spence.
In December 2020 the unbeaten Spence defended his welterweight titles with a straightforward unanimous decision against former champion Danny Garcia. His 26th fight was his first since surviving a horrific car accident in October 2019.
Having lost to Shawn Porter in a split decision three years ago 35-year-old Ugas has won four fights in a row including the one against Pacquiao.
The winner of Spence-Ugas will hold three of the four titles leaving Terence Crawford, now a free agent, with the WBO version.
