A car destroys Yordenis Ugás's gym in Las Vegas

The Salas Boxing Academy, a gym founded by Cuban trainer Ismael Salas in Las Vegas and where Yordenis Ugás trains, suffered significant material damage after a driver crashed their vehicle into the establishment in the early hours of Thursday.

"A car crashed into our gym last night, so we are currently closed. Fortunately, no one was injured," the academy reported in a statement shared on its official Instagram account.

"We are working hard to resume activities. We are considering moving to a temporary location and will inform you as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience and for all the words of encouragement," signed Salas himself.

Ismael Salas himself offered a video message in which he recounted what happened and conveyed calm to his followers. “Last night after midnight, a car that was drunk crashed into all the walls of the gym, and the entire wall came down, rendering it almost unusable. But thankfully, there were no human casualties, which is the most important thing, because at that time the gym was empty," he says in the video shared on social media.

"Thanks to everyone who has called me, thank God everything is fine. It's just material losses. (…) We have a gym across the street, and its owner offered us the opportunity to train there until the repairs are completed. We trained at the other gym today, and tomorrow we will continue working," the coach added.

The Cuban boxer Yordenis Ugás, for his part, also spoke out on social media, where he shared a video showcasing the damage inside, with collapsed walls and an affected ring.

“Thank God none of our fighters were harmed, which is the most important thing. Material possessions, with God’s favor and hard work, can be recovered,” he wrote in his first post.

Ugás reflected on his trainer's journey: "Ten years ago, when I started training with my coach, we spent a lot of time working out in various gyms here in Las Vegas. Over the years, I've seen my coach, with his faith and hard work — for 67 years — never stop working, sweating, teaching, and taking hits in sparring. Additionally, with all of our great fights, he was able to establish his own gym and academy with more than 20 world champions."

The boxer described what happened as "just another setback and a challenge" and asked for strength for the entire team, specifically mentioning Salas and his collaborator Yanier Lescay. "Strength and a lot of faith that we will recover. It's curious how oddly life works: you spend years building a project and a drunk person comes along and destroys it in a second."

Shortly after, Ugás shared a picture of his visit with Salas, whom he found in good spirits. “I stopped by to greet old Ismael and see how he was doing. Thank God he’s doing great. He told me that things usually happen for a reason. We’ve been together for almost 10 years through victories and defeats, always together without excuses, without blame,” he said.

The Salas Boxing Academy has established itself over the past 15 years as one of the most prestigious boxing schools in Las Vegas, with fighters from various countries and a roster of more than 20 world champions. Among them are Robeisy Ramírez, Erislandy Lara, Joe Joyce, Kazuto Ioka, and Ugás himself, as well as young talents like Kevin “El Alfa” Brown, Yoelvis Gómez, and Yojanler Martínez.

In an interview with CiberCuba, Salas explained that his approach is based on “good vibes, a lot of effort, discipline, and camaraderie,” and criticized the management of boxing on the island: “The leaders of Cuban boxing use their talents and when they are no longer useful, they discard them.”

Despite the extent of the damage, both the official statement and Ugás's messages conveyed a tone of gratitude and hope: the most important thing is that nobody was hurt, and the academy will rise again.

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