“My Legs Tight”: Manny Pacquiao Attributes Ugas Loss to Stiffness

Manny Pacquiao went into the Yordenis Ugas fight as the favorite. Yordenis Ugas looked to defend his title in his first title fight against the former champion. Pacquiao won the title from Keith Thurman in 2019, but the WBA gave the belt to Ugas after Manny Pacquiao remained inactive all throughout 2020.

After starting out strong against the Cuban, age took its toll on the only eight-division champion of the world. Manny Pacquiao was not at his dominant best. He seemed to have lost some of his lightning-quick pace and inhuman conditioning. This showed towards the end of the fight.

The boxing community expected the classic feet shuffling and fast-paced Pacquiao style throughout the fight. However, they were disappointed. Following the fight, Manny Pacquiao attributed his restricted movement to his stiff legs.

Also read: Errol Spence Jr., Terence Crawford, and Boxing Twitter Reacts to Yordenis Ugas’ Upset Win Over Manny Pacquiao

“I’m making a hard time in the ring, making adjustments about body style and I think that’s the problem for me because I didn’t make adjustment right away, and also my legs is tight,” Pacquiao said in the post-fight interview.

“Yeah, my legs so tight, that’s why it’s hard, it’s hard to move.”

At 42, father time seemed to have caught up with Manny Pacquiao. When Pacquiao was asked about his plans to run for the presidency in the Philippines, he confirmed nothing during the post-fight interview.

What’s next for Manny Pacquiao? 

When quizzed about his next boxing move, Pacquiao neither confirmed nor denied retirement, leaving it up for debate. The former eight-division world champion said, “I don’t know, let me rest first and relax and make a decision if I will continue to fight or not.” 

The support for Pacquiao as he entered the T-Mobile Arena was tremendous. As 17,000+ fans were chanting Pacquiao’s name when he entered the ring, it’s clear that he is still admired. Hence, the fans will surely love to see the ‘Pacman’ in the ring again.

Pacquiao will now rest and recuperate after a grueling 12-round fight. Meanwhile, Yordenis Ugas has made it clear that he will look to unify the belts.

Also Read: After Cementing His Status as Champion, Yordenis Ugas Calls Out Errol Spence Jr.

But the question that is on every boxing fan’s mind is, will Pacquiao return to the ring or will he retire?