Before Manny Pacquiao and Yordenis Ugas step into the ring on Saturday night, Victor Ortiz and Robert Guerrero will have the opportunity to spark some late-career momentum at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The two former world champions will serve as the penultimate matchup of the evening. While both have been exciting championships fighters in their primes both have been rather inactive recently.
Guerrero (38 years old) will be making his first appearance since September 2019 when he took a unanimous decision over Gerald Thomas. Ortiz (34 years old) might be a bit younger but he’s been even less active. We haven’t seen him fight since February when he fought Devon Alexander to a majority draw
Pacquiao vs. Ugas is the main attraction but Guerrero and Diaz are a much tighter matchup and the difference is reflected in the odds. Here’s a look at how Vegas looks at the fight along with the schedule for the evening and a prediction fo the top undercard fight
The oddsmakers are giving a slight edge to the elder Guerrero to win the fight. The Ghost made a name for himself for the run he made in the early 2010’s. He captured the interim WBC welterweight crown with a win over Selcuk Aydin.
That lead to a title defense against Andre Berto. Guerrero beat Berto via unanimous decision which then set up the biggest fight of his career against Floyd Mayweather.
Guerrero’s caution to the wind style made for an interesting bout with Money, but like most people, he came up well short.
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Losing to Mayweather is something both fighters have in common. In 2011, Ortiz also defeated Andre Berto in a WBC title fight. That lead to a fourth-round controversial TKO loss to Mayweather.
Given both fighters rise up the rankings came at similar times it’s surprising their paths did not cross. Guerrero acknowledged that in talking with Dan Rafael of RingTV.
“Back then this was one of those main event pay-per-view fights,” Guerrero said. “Me and Victor were both hot at the same time and doing a lot in boxing. But as I say, better late then never, right?”
