Pacquiao expected to take his time vs Ugas

HOLLYWOOD – Manny Pacquiao will be in no rush to take Yordenis Ugas out and reclaim the WBA welterweight belt he was unceremoniously stripped of.

Those who helped Pacquiao train for his last-minute opponent expects the Filipino icon to pick his shots and work on Ugas slowly rather than try to quickly run down the tall Cuban fighter.

Sparring partner AB Lopez, who used to join Pacquiao in his morning runs before being tapped to help the fighting senator prepare for a right-handed opponent, said timing will be key against Ugas.

“Last fight he was more focused on speed, now it's more on timing — where he’s punching, where he's landing,” said Lopez, who was also one of Pacquiao’s sparring partners for the Keith Thurman bout two years ago.

Lopez, who got to spar with Pacquiao for only eight rounds in total because Ugas came in only at the last minute upon Errol Spence Jr.’s injury, said he quickly did his homework and spotted some bad habits by the Cuban.

“One thing about Ugas is he's a slow starter,” he added. “He throws a jab very slowly and he brings (his hand) down. He throws his body shots from very wide (angles).”

Asked about his marching orders for Pacquiao on August 21 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (August 22, Manila time), Freddie Roach sees his prized ward taking it slow and relying on his different offensive tools than sheer power.

“I really want Manny to go out there and box. It's what he does best,” Roach told Filipino mediamen at the Wild Card Gym the other day.

Pacquiao will likely employ his in-and-out game and excellent footwork to confuse Ugas, described as “slow and flat-footed” by some members of Team Pacquiao based on what they saw on tape.

“This guy cannot keep up with Manny's pace,” said Roach.

Lopez, for his part, predicts a late TKO win for Pacquiao.

“I see it playing out later rounds — Manny stoppage,” he said.