Yordenis Ugas is recovering from a broken orbital bone following his loss to Errol Spence Jr on Saturday night.
The Cuban went into the welterweight unification as WBA champion, and while he had the WBC and IBF title holder in trouble during round 6, Spence’s offence was too much for Ugas to contain. The
35-year-old’s right eye began to swell up badly and was assessed by the ringside doctor in the 8th round. However, the damage was so severe that the fight was called off in the 10th following a second examination.
Ugas took to social media to reveal he had a fracture in his eye and thanked his family, team, and fans for their support.
“I write these words with one eye, the other one is still closed. I want to congratulate Errol Spence Jr, a great champ… and sharing the ring with him was an honour. He came as always sharp, and in the last rounds (7) he hit me in the eye, and everything was even more difficult.”
ESPN’s Mike Coppinger reported the true extent of the damage yesterday evening having been informed by Ugas’ team. “Ugas doesn’t need emergency surgery and will be re-examined after the swelling subsides to see if a procedure is required.”
Spence’s heavy hands have caused a similar injury in the past. In 2017 ‘The Truth’ travelled to Sheffield and beat Kell Brook to become IBF welterweight champion. The fight was declared an 11th round knockout after the Brit suffered a fractured orbital bone and could not continue.
“I’m proud of what I am doing in and out of the ring,” said Ugas in his Instagram post.
“We will recover and come back stronger.”