Facing one of the best Pound for Pound boxingfighters in the world will overshadow anyone. Errol Spence Jr. is the big star to watch on the April 16 card at AT&T Stadium in Texas. However, his opponent, Yordenis Ugas has both superlative boxing quality and a very interesting life story, including an emotional attachment to the MLB.
The battle between Spence Jr. and Ugas puts at stake three of the four world belts in the Welterweight division. The Truth returns after a long absence ready to confirm that his best moments in the ring have not expired and to seek at all costs the victory to realize, then, the long-awaited war against Terrence Crawford, which would throw a new Undisputed World Champion.
Meanwhile, Yordenis Ugas boasts one of the accomplishments that only 8 fighters in boxing history have achieved: defeating the legendary Manny Pacquiao. In fact, his UD victory over the Pacman was the one that allowed him to become the WBA World Welterweight Champion and have the opportunity to collide against Errol Spence Jr.
The curious nickname of Yordenis Ugas: 54 Milagros (54 miracles)
In the recent era of boxing, the miracle nickname was spread by Daniel Jacobs, former Middleweight World Champion, known as the Miracle Man for beating the usually tragic cancer. However, Yordenis Ugas also uses the word but for a different reason.
It is a common story that countless Cuban athletes seek to anchor themselves in sports as an escape from the social and political situation in their country. Ugas was no exception and after being Olympic Medalist in Beijing 2008, he decided to escape from the island in a boat due to his precarious quality of life.
This led Ugas to separate indefinitely from his family, especially from his mother, Milagros. This is the first key to understand the story behind the nickname of the current WBA World Welterweight titlist. However, the story is complemented by another chapter that includes an intimate and fraternal bond with the MLB.
Yordenis Ugas, at the weigh in ceremony of his fight against Spence Jr. (Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
Yordenis Ugas, a die-hard MLB fan
After arriving in the United States, via Mexico, Yordenis Ugas began his professional career based on the good name he had earned during his time as an amateur. Everything was going great but a controversial loss in 2012 opened the door to a bad streak, which included a couple of other defeats, that caused him to leave professional boxing for two years.
Without the financial support of boxing, Ugas was left to fend for himself, but that’s when his guardian angel appeared: his compatriot Aroldis Chapman tucked him in every way, including financially, to help him overcome the depression he was plunged into after his series of failures in the ring.
Aroldis Chapman, New York Yankees pitcher. (Adam Hunger/Getty Images)
Aroldis Chapman is one of the most respected pitchers in American baseball. He began his career with the Cincinnati Reds, but it was with the Chicago Cubs that he managed to win the World Series in 2016. Currently, he is part of the ranks of the emblematic New York Yankees.
In a question that every good MLB fan would know the answer to: what is Chapman’s dorsal number? Exactly, 54. Here is the second key to the story of Yordenis Ugas, who calls himself 54 Milagros in honor and homage to the two people who have supported him the most throughout not only his sports career, but his life itself: his mother Milagros and his great friend Aroldis Chapman.
Yordenis Ugas, the 54 Milagros. (Steve Marcus/Getty Images)
