Three of the four major welterweight titles would be at stake.
Errol Spence Jr’s long awaited return to the boxing ring is targeted for the spring in his home state of Texas.
Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reported that a unification bout between Spence and Yordenis Ugas is in the works for April at AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. No specific date has been revealed for the card, but it’s expected to be on PBC pay-per-view.
Spence (27-0, 21 KOs), the WBC and IBF welterweight champion has not fought since defeating Danny Garcia by unanimous decision in December 2020, also at AT&T Stadium. That fight occurred 14 months after a single-vehicle crash landed Spence in intensive care with serious injuries. He avoided jail time after being charged with DWI and instead received probation. In the ring, he’s considered one of the best in the world pound-for-pound, having notably beaten Shawn Porter, Mikey Garcia, Lamont Peterson, and Kell Brook.
Ugas (27-4, 12 KOs) has won five in a row since a close decision loss to Shawn Porter. Spence was supposed to take on Manny Pacquiao last August, with Ugas competing on the undercard, but when Spence withdrew to have surgery on a detached retina, in stepped Ugas on short notice. The 2008 Olympic bronze medalist won a unanimous decision to send Pacquiao into retirement and collect the WBA title.
Initially it looked as if Ugas would have to take on mandatory challenger Eimantas Stanionis, but the WBA allowed the Spence unification bout to happen and Stanionis will step aside so this matchup can happen.
April figures to be an extremely busy one for boxing, with Spence vs. Ugas, Tyson Fury vs. Dillian Whyte, Shakur Stevenson vs. Oscar Valdez, and Amanda Serrano vs. Katie Taylor all either officially or tentatively slotted for dates throughout the month.