Yordenis Ugas Hernández (born 14 July 1986) is a Cuban professional boxer. He held the WBA (Super) welterweight title from 2021 to April 2022, having previously held the WBA (Regular) title from 2020 until being elevated to Super champion. As an amateur, Ugás won a gold medal at the 2005 World Championships and bronze at the 2008 Olympics, both in the lightweight division. As of October 2021, he is ranked as the world's third-best active welterweight by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, The Ring magazine and BoxRec. He is also ranked as the eighth-best active boxer, pound for pound, by BoxRec.
Ugas' nickname, 54 Milagros, comes from two people: "54" refers to baseball player Aroldis Chapman who wears the number 54, and is Ugas' best friend; "Milagros" is the name of Ugas' mother.
Amateur career
Ugás was U17 (cadets) world champion in 2003 but lost at the junior championships in 2004 to Amir Khan. On other occasions he lost twice to countryman Luis Franco at featherweight, he finished third at the nationals 2004 at featherweight.
In 2005 he moved up to lightweight where he was more successful, winning the Cuban Championships from 2005 to 2008 and turning into a star. He won a tournament called PanAm Championships (not the PanAm Games) in 2005, however in other tournaments he lost twice to Kazach southpaw Serik Sapiyev.
At the Senior World Championships 2005 he suffered two heavy knockdowns against Canadian southpaw Ibrahim Kamal in his third fight but managed to win. The Manila Times writes: "But for two fleeting moments Thursday, unheralded Canadian lightweight Ibrahim Kamal showed the world that the Cubans, arguably the number-one force in amateur boxing, may have jaws of glass after all. The University of Toronto student knocked down Yordanis Ugás in the first and second rounds with two sledgehammer lefts to the side of the chin. But then the Canadian southpaw hurt one knee as he and Ugás wrestled each other to the floor on the third round, leaving him effectively fighting on one leg." Later Ugás beat Russian Khabib Allakhverdiyev and in the final he outfought Romal Amanov from Azerbaijan. Cubanet.org writes "Yordenis Ugás, a sharp, technically accomplished fighter but with a suspect jaw, won the lightweight gold for Cuba after an explosive toe-to-toe clash with Romal Amanov of Azerbaijan." It describes him as "a tall, bony lightweight with a deceptively languid fighting style."
In 2006 he won the Central American Championships.
He was part of the Cuban national team that won the 2006 Boxing World Cup.
In 2007 he beat Yordan Frometa and Roniel Iglesias at the national championships. Later that year Ugás won the PanAm Games in Rio beating Darleys Pérez and Éverton Lopes. Cuba didn't participate in the World Championships in Chicago.
In 2008 he defended the national championships against old foe Luis Franco and won his Olympic qualifier. In Beijing he was upset in the semifinal by Frenchman Daouda Sow.
In 2009 he went up to junior welterweight beating Roniel Iglesias in the national final.
In March 2010, Ugás moved to the United States in the hope of beginning a professional career. On 9 July 2010, he made his pro debut.
Ugás moved to North Bergen, New Jersey in 2012.
Olympic Games
2008 in Beijing, China (as a lightweight) Defeated Hamza Kramou (Algeria) 21–3 Defeated Domenico Valentino (Italy) 10–2 Defeated Georgian Popescu (Romania) 11–7 Lost to Daouda Sow (France) 8–15
World Championships
2005
Defeated Fayzuloyev Marufyon (Tajikistan) 28–14
Defeated Asghar Ali Shar (Pakistan) 28–14
Defeated Ibrahim Kamal (Canada) 23–14
Defeated Jong Sub-Baik (South Korea) 34–16
Defeated Khabib Allakhverdiyev (Russia) 45–22
Defeated Romal Amanov (Azerbaijan) 42–28
World Cup
2005 in Moscow, Russia (as a lightweight) Defeated Pichai Sayotha (Thailand) 45–12 Defeated Georgian Popescu (Romania) RSC-3 Lost to Serik Sapiyev (Kazakhstan) 35–46 Defeated Murat Khrachev (Russia) 50–30