Errol Spence Jr has pulled out of his upcoming fight against Manny Pacquiao due to an injury and it has since emerged that Yordenis Ugas will be the man to replace him.
A bout between the Filipino and the unified welterweight world champion was highly anticipated by fans, but the latter was forced to withdraw due to a tear in his left eye.
Spence Jr wrote on Instagram: "I am very disappointed that I won’t be able to fight Manny Pacquiao on August 21.
"Unfortunately, the doctors found a small tear in my eye and said I need to get surgery ASAP. There is no way I can fight with my eye in that condition I would like to apologise to everyone and thank you all for the support, You know I’ll be back soon, I’ve came back from worse."
As quoted by BBC, Pacquiao said: "First and foremost, I ask everyone to join me in praying for a full and complete recovery for Errol Spence Jr. Thank God his physical examination discovered his eye condition before he suffered any further damage.
"I have agreed to fight Yordenis Ugas on August 21 for the WBA welterweight super championship. The proper way and the only way to win a world title is inside the ring."
Pacquiao's opponent will be the very man who replaced him as the WBA (Super) welterweight champion, Cuba's Yordenis Ugas.
The Olympic medalist was scheduled to face Fabian Maidana, but has now been promoted to take on the Filipino. Coincidentally, Maidana suffered a similar eye injury to Spence which saw him pull out of the event.
Ugas' last fight came in September 2020 against Abel Ramos and he won it via split decision. So far, '54 Milagros' has won 26 fights while losing four, with his last defeat coming against Shawn Porter in 2019.
The fans would have undoubtedly preferred if Pacquiao fought Spence Jr later this month, but Ugas is certainly not someone who should be taken lightly and is capable of taking on the Filipino.