Though it’s been slightly over a decade, thirty-six-year-old Cuba-born Yordenis Ugas Hernandez has been on a whirlwind of a journey. Since his defection to the United States in 2010, the boxer, who had a great run as an amateur boxer for his home country, winning, among others, an Olympic bronze, saw his fortunes fluctuate in the professional arena. After his third professional loss to Amir Imam in 2014, Ugas was on a break. The downtime saw him look after his autistic son, Yordenis Ugas Jr.

Even though Yordenis Ugas’s professional debut was in 2010, it wasn’t until 2020 that he became a world title holder. But, unfortunately, the years saw him lose four bouts. Two consecutive losses to Emmanuel Robles and Amir Imam in 2014 followed a nearly twenty-seven months-long lay-off. Finally, he returned in August 2016 and fought a title challenge against Shawn Porter three years later. But the WBC Welterweight shot ended in a split decision loss.

Finally, his time came on September 6, 2020. First, he defeated Abel Ramos to become the (vacant) WBA (Regular) Welterweight champion. Then, he put the cherry on the top of the cake by defeating Manny Pacquiao on August 21, 2021. However, the next attempt on April 16, last year, to snatch the WBC and IBF Welterweight belts met with disaster as he clashed with Errol Spence Jr.

Yordenis Ugas talks about autism and why it should be an area of significant concern

Looking back on his career, the Cuba-born boxer often says that the birth of his son altered him for good. As per an article on RingTV, he stated, “The birth of my son, Yordenis Ugas Jr., on May 6, 2015, changed everything. I looked down [at] him in his crib, and I decided I had to do something to provide for him. My son is autistic, and this gave me motivation. I had to work.”

Today, he took to his Twitter account and shared some of his views on autism with his nearly 34k followers. He said, “Autism is a condition that affects so many families in this country that it deserves far more attention than it gets...”

Beseeching God’s mercy, he wished that the real reason why or what causes this developmental issue gets discovered at the earliest. Children are the future of a country, but so many suffer because of autism. It’s very unsettling, he said.

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What’s your take on Ugas’s statement? Do let us know your views and thoughts in the comments section below.

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