Errol Spence Jr. vs. Yordenis Ugas fight results, highlights: 'The Truth' unifies titles with 10th-round TKO

Spence put on a clinic with his speed and body work before forcing a stoppage due to swelling on Ugas' right eye

ARLINGTON, Texas -- In his return from a 14-month layoff and surgery on a detached retina, unified champion Errol Spence Jr. made quite the statement in Saturday's homecoming about where he stands in the welterweight division.

Spence (28-0, 22 KOs) extended his control as the power player at 147 pounds by unifying his WBC and IBF titles with the WBA belt from Yordenis Ugas (27-5, 12 KOs) in a thrilling 10th-round TKO of his game opponent inside an electric AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

A native of nearby Desoto, the 32-year-old Spence traded huge shots throughout at close range as he looked to make a statement against the brave Ugas, who wobbled Spence in Round 6 with a flurry of shots that knocked out his mouthpiece. To Spence's credit, he never went down and he went on to swell the right eye of Ugas shut, forcing referee Laurence Cole to stop the fight at 1:44 of Round 10 on the advice of the ringside doctor.

Spence, who previously had a history of hard weight cuts to 147 pounds, hired a nutritionist for the first time and looked to be in the best shape of his career.

"I didn't have any doubts at all. I believed in myself 100% and trained 100%," Spence said. "I didn't want a tune-up fight or someone I knew I could beat. I wanted someone who would bring out the best in me and Ugas did that.

"The nutritionist helped a lot. I lost the weight and they did a great job. It was just my work in the gym. I felt like my timing was off [early in his return] but I just kept working. I think that was due to the long layoff and I was super psyched to get in the ring and push the pace."

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Spence, who fought with a dogged determination throughout while pushing an insane pace, outlanded Ugas by a margin of 216 to 96, according to ShoStats. He also landed 40% of his power shots.

After the victory, in what was just the 12th title unification bout in welterweight history, Spence didn't hesitate in letting it be known he wants WBO champion Terence Crawford next for the undisputed championship.

"Everybody knows who I want next, I want Terence Crawford next," Spence said. "That's the fight that I want."

Ugas, a 35-year-old native of Cuba, filled in for Spence last fall and upset Manny Pacquiao, but there would be no heroics in this one despite a spirited effort in Round 6. Ugas hurt Spence with a right hand and knocked his mouthpiece out. Spence took his eye off the ball and ate two more punches after Ugas caught him flush and sent him staggering into the ropes.

"I thought the referee had said stop, so I stopped," Spence said. "I think he hit me with three or four shots. You have to protect yourself at all times and I didn't do that."

Cole controversially stopped the action just as Ugas began pouring it on in hopes of a knockout to allow Spence a chance to have his mouthpiece cleaned.

Spence, who has never been knocked down as a pro, continued to press forward and outland Ugas, who was largely limited to one punch at a time. He forced Ugas into a shootout at close range and continued to chop away until the swelling on Ugas' right eye became a major problem.

Elsewhere on the card, Isaac Cruz made a thunderous statement with his TKO of veteran Yuriokis Gamboa. Cruz, fresh off his decision loss to Gervonta "Tank" Davis, picked apart the veteran before the referee finally called a stop to the action in the fifth round. Plus, prospect Jose Valenzuela also sent some shockwaves through the arena when he stopped Francisco Vargas in the first round. Valenzuela improved to 12-0 with eight knockouts.

CBS Sports was with you throughout the entire way on Saturday night, so be sure to follow along with the live results and highlights below. 

Spence vs. Ugas fight card, odds

• Errol Spence, Jr. (c) def. Yordenis Ugas via 10th-round TKO (doctor stoppage)
• Isaac Cruz def. Yuriokis Gamboa via fifth-round TKO
• Jose Valenzuela def. Francisco Vargas via first-round knockout
• Cody Crowley def. Josesito Lopez via unanimous decision (98-91, 98-91, 99-90)
• Eimantas Stanionis def. Radzhab Butaev via split decision (116-111, 117-110, 113-114)
• Brandun Lee def. Zachary Ochoa via unanimous decision (99-91, 99-91, 98-92)

Spence vs. Ugas scorecard, live coverage

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
Spence (c)	10	10	9	10	10	9	10	10	10	TKO			88
Ugas (c)	9	9	10	9	9	10	9	9	9				83

[Apr 17, 2022 at 12:25 am ET · Brian Campbell]

R10: And that is it! The doctor advises the referee to stop the fight. It's a TKO for Spence!

[Apr 17, 2022 at 12:24 am ET · Brian Campbell]

R10: Cole calls time again to have the doctor look at Ugas' eye. 

[Apr 17, 2022 at 12:24 am ET · Brian Campbell]

R10: Uppercut from Spence causes Ugas to back up. Ugas answers with a right hand. He is insanely tough. 

[Apr 17, 2022 at 12:23 am ET · Brian Campbell]

ROUND 10: Spence's jab is bigger and he's mixing in body shots. Hard counter right from Ugas to the body but back comes Spence to hurt him with a left hand. 

[Apr 17, 2022 at 12:21 am ET · Brian Campbell]

R9: Ugas warned for punching low. All Spence, all the time, 10-9. 

Unofficial scorecard: Spence 88-83

[Apr 17, 2022 at 12:21 am ET · Brian Campbell]

R9: This is a systematic beating that Ugas is absorbing. 

[Apr 17, 2022 at 12:20 am ET · Brian Campbell]

R9: Ugas can barely see out of his right eye yet he's firing back. Spence is just picking him apart. 

[Apr 17, 2022 at 12:19 am ET · Brian Campbell]

ROUND 9: Big start for Spence as he goes to the body. They are standing right in front of each other. What a war. 

[Apr 17, 2022 at 12:17 am ET · Brian Campbell]

R8: Nice counter right by Ugas to open up some space but this was all Spence, 10-9. 

Unofficial scorecard: Spence 78-74

[Apr 17, 2022 at 12:17 am ET · Brian Campbell]

R8: Ugas showing amazing heart to stand and trade but Spence is just too busy and accurate. 

[Apr 17, 2022 at 12:17 am ET · Brian Campbell]

R8: They are going to let Ugas keep fighting. 

[Apr 17, 2022 at 12:16 am ET · Brian Campbell]

R8: Cole calls time and has the ringside doctor look at Ugas' badly swollen right eye. The crowd boos it because Ugas was close to getting stopped. 

[Apr 17, 2022 at 12:16 am ET · Brian Campbell]

R8: Spence is just relentless. Ugas is trying his best to absorb but his face is a mess. 

[Apr 17, 2022 at 12:15 am ET · Brian Campbell]

R8: Spence warned for going low. He comes right back with a combination upstairs.

[Apr 17, 2022 at 12:15 am ET · Brian Campbell]

R8: Spence starts to pour it on with left hands. Ugas backs up before countering but he is getting swallowed and his right eye is starting to swell shut.

[Apr 17, 2022 at 12:15 am ET · Brian Campbell]

ROUND 8: Both fighters showing amazing ability to get hurt and come right back. They continue to trade big shots in the center of the ring. 

[Apr 17, 2022 at 12:13 am ET · Brian Campbell]

R7: What a wild finish to close the round. Big punches from both. 10-9 Spence. 

Unofficial scorecard: Spence 68-65

[Apr 17, 2022 at 12:12 am ET · Brian Campbell]

R7: Spence continues to push this into a phone booth battle. He's roughing up Ugas on the inside. Big counter combo from Ugas hurts Spence! Back comes Spence with a left!

[Apr 17, 2022 at 12:11 am ET · Brian Campbell]

R7: Spence is pouring it on and the crowd is going nuts. Ugas finally answers and it's a right hand to the body.

[Apr 17, 2022 at 12:11 am ET · Brian Campbell]

ROUND 7: Big uppercut from Spence has Ugas hurt. He tries to hold but Spence won't let him. Chopping blows by Spence.