There has been yet another upset in boxing. This time, though, it’s in the production department.

Showtime pulled a fast one on FOX Sports and secured a deal to distribute the pay-per-view welterweight title unification between Errol Spence Jr. and Yordenis Ugas, which takes place April 16, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the home of the Dallas Cowboys.

The undefeated Spence (27-0, 21 knockouts), who hails from Desoto, Texas, holds the IBF and WBC titles, while Cuba’s Ugas (27-4, 12 KOs) is the WBA beltholder.

Showtime previously out-bid FOX for the right to televise the Canelo Alvarez-Caleb Plant undisputed super middleweight championship fight, which the Mexican won by 11th-round TKO. However the news comes as a surprise, as FOX Sports had originally handled all three of Spence’s previous pay-per-view events – wins over Mikey Garcia, Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia – which averaged 325,000 buys. That statistic outpaces his fellow welterweight titleholder Terence Crawford, who has only averaged roughly 113,333 buys. Showtime worked with Spence prior to his pay-per-view escapades – triumphs over Kell Brook (to win the IBF title), Lamont Peterson and Carlos Ocampo.

Spence, who is rated No. 2 by The Ring at 147 pounds, will box for the first time since he beat Garcia in December 2020. The 31-year-old Texan, who represented the United States at the 2012 London Olympics, was due to face legend Manny Pacquiao last August. However, less than two weeks before the fight, it was revealed, following a routine examination, that Spence had a torn retina in his left eye. That opened the door for Ugas, The Ring’s No.3 ranked welterweight and former amateur standout, to take advantage of the vacancy. And he pounced on it as he upset the Filipino superstar last August to retain the WBA title.

Ugas, who snagged gold at the 2005 World Championships and bronze at the 2008 Olympics, has one much-disputed loss on his resume. He dropped a March 2019 WBC title fight to the now-retired Shawn Porter by split decision.

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