Schedule
Porter to make mandatory defense against Ugas
WBC Welterweight World Champion Shawn Porter will make his first title defense in as he faces mandatory opponent Yordenis Ugas on Saturday, March 9 in a PBC on FOX and FOX Deportes card from Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
Porter (29-2-1, 17 KOs) puts the title on the line after defeating Danny Garcia in a great September bout to capture the WBC belt. Porter earned that chance at Garcia with a stoppage of former world champion Andre Berto, which he followed up by defeating Adrian Granados.
This followed Porter’s famous fight against Keith Thurman in 2016, which earned Fight of the Year consideration and was won slightly by Thurman.
“We’ve already been in training camp for a few weeks working on conditioning and building up the fundamentals,” said Porter to the media. “Ugas is a strong, aggressive fighter who’s responsible with his defense. He’s a Cuban fighter and I know he won’t waiver from that. It’s going to be up to me to get him to drop his hands, take some risks and then land my shots. It should make for a very entertaining fight and I can’t wait to get back in the ring and do what I do best.”
Ugas (23-3,11 KOs) following a 28-month layoff due to a back injury has come back and climbed the ranks with a vengeance. It started when Ugas beat Jamal James in August 2016, but he followed that with a win by stopping Bryant Perrella just over a month later.
Ugas earned the mandatory opportunity in title eliminators against Ray Robinson last February and Cesar Barrionuevo in September on the undercard of the Garcia vs. Porter fight.
“This is a huge opportunity to make my dreams come true of becoming a world champion on FOX,” said Ugas in a press release. “Shawn Porter is a great champion and someone I respect. On March 9 when the bell rings, I’m willing to leave it all on the line, so the fans shouldn’t miss this one. It will be a ‘Fight of the Year’ contender. I can guarantee that and you will hear the words ‘and the new!”
Televised coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
Everyone knows how proud I am to be a @WBCBoxing champion. I’m ready to defend this belt for the first time at the StubHub Center in LA, LIVE ON FOX on March 9. Can’t wait, thank y’all for ALL of your support and I hope to see plenty of y’all there! #PorterUgas #PBConFOX #BLESSED pic.twitter.com/hrH4Fzz8c2
— ShowtimeShawn Porter (@ShowtimeShawnP) January 24, 2019
Marquis Johns is a unknown humorist and avid boxing fan. His love for the sweet science goes back to when matches were 15 rounds and has been covering fights since closed-circuit pay-per-views. Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth is not only a quote by Mike Tyson, it's also a pretty good reminder to keep your guard up.
