Why Ugas is called 54 Miracles
By Joaquin Henson
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 21 Aug 2021
LAS VEGAS. It’s an unusual moniker but WBA welterweight super champion Yordenis Ugas likes to be called 54 Miracles. “My best friend (Aroldis Chapman) wears No. 54 for the New York Yankees so I wear it every time I fight and Milagros (Spanish for miracles) is my mother’s name,” said Ugas. “The last time I visited Cuba was in 2018. My mother, godparents and other family members still live there. I’m dedicating my fight against (Manny) Pacquiao to my mother, son, family and to the Cuban people who continue to fight for their freedom every day.”
Ugas was an amateur sensation who repeatedly attempted to defect from Cuba and was jailed for six unsuccessful tries until finally landing in Miami in 2010. Professional boxing is prohibited in Cuba so Ugas migrated to the US to pursue a career in the ring. He stakes his crown against Pacquiao at the T-Mobile Arena here tomorrow night (Sunday morning, Manila time).
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Johnny Elorde and wife Liza were at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles to watch Pacquiao’s final sparring session, a four-rounder with Abie Lopez, last Saturday. “Laro-laro lang tapos biglang banat sa dulo ng bawa’t round,” said Elorde. “Si Ugas, mabagal pero mabigat ang suntok. May jab pero walang footwork. Malaki siya kaya dapat mag-ingat si Manny. Madiin sumuntok at sa boxing, may lucky punch. Bukul-bukol ang katawan ni Ugas. ‘Di natin pa alam kung kaya niya ang suntok ni Manny.”
From what Pacquiao has shown in training, he hasn’t skipped a beat. “No change,” said Elorde. “Kung anong kilos ni Manny dati, ‘yon pa rin ngayon. Mabilis at malakas. Magandang laban ‘to. Mananalo si Manny, pwede by knockout.”
Elorde said Pacquiao still managed to attend online classes for his Master in Business Administration course from 6 to 9 at night every Friday while in camp in Los Angeles. Pacquiao was set to enroll at Georgetown University but the pandemic got in the way. Most of his classmates are lawyers and fiscals also taking the Philippine Christian University post-graduate course. “Very intelligent si Manny,” said Elorde. “He has a fantastic memory and is able to memorize easily. His comprehension is also very good, he understands things quickly.”
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At the Wild Card Gym, Freddie Roach and his pet dog Minne or short for Minnehaha, are inseparable except when he enters the ring to put up the mitts and strap his body protector on. The dog is a Schipperke of Belgian origin, like a miniature sheepdog. Minnehaha is a fictional native American woman from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1855 poem “The Song of Hiawatha.”
“Minne was actually my mom’s dog so when she passed in 2017, I took care of her,” said Roach. His mother Barbara was the first female boxing judge in Massachusetts and died at the age of 82. She used to drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and back with Minne as her companion. Now, Roach is attached to the six-year-old dog who’s become the mascot at the famous gym.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Joaquin Henson.
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