Sports

Hanoi hosts first professional boxing competition

Twenty-four Vietnamese and foreign boxers have competed at Victory 8 -The Legends of Hoan Kiem, the first professional boxing competition held in Hanoi.
This was the third time Victory 8 was held in Vietnam but it was the first in the capital city. The event included 12 fights that took place in October at Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc square in Hoan Kiem Lake area. It drew nearly 30,000 live audience members and 200 million television viewers from around the world.

The most prominent event at Victory 8 was the match fought for the World Boxing Association Asia (WBA) East title between Vietnam’s boxing king Truong Dinh Hoang and South Korean boxer Lee Gyu Hyun (76kg category).

Truong Dinh Hoang claimed the WBA Asia East Super Middleweight title after defeating Lee Gyu Hyun. Hoang took 10 rounds to secure the belt and become the first Vietnamese fighter to win the title.



Right from the first round, Truong Dinh Hoang and Lee Gyu Hyun exchange heavy punches. Photo: Cong Dat


Truong Dinh Hoang becomes the WBA Asia East champion. Photo: Cong Dat


Truong Dinh Hoang is the first Vietnamese boxer to win the WBA Asia East title. Photo: Cong Dat


Vo Thi Kim Anh defeats Philippine fighter Gretel De Paz after dramatic rounds. Photo: Cong Dat


A main event is the fight between Vietnamese boxer Nguyen Thi Tam
and her Australian rival Jasmeen Hudson. Photo: Cong Dat



 
Nguyen Thi Tam prevails over her competitor, Jasmeen Hudson. Photo: Cong Dat


The fight between Vietnamese boxer Nguyen Van Hai and Philippine fighter Charly Suarez. Photo: Cong Dat


Thomas Wu, a Vietnamese-Chinese boxer, defeats Michael Pengue, the champion of the Boxing Federation of Oceania.
Photo: Cong Dat



Nguyen Van Duong defeats Philippine rival Jenel Lausa, who possesses powerful right-hand punches. Photo: Cong Dat


Receiving care after a round. Photo: Cong Dat

Speaking with the press after his win, Truong Dinh Hoang hoped that Vietnam’s boxing enthusiasm will further develop. Hoang is aiming for high records at the upcoming SEA Games while trying to protect his WBA Asia East title.

Apart from Hoang’s win, highlights of the competition were the dramatic victories of Nguyen Van Duong, Nguyen Van Gioi, Nguyen Van Hai, Tran Van An, Vo Thi Kim Anh and Vo Thanh Dat, and particularly, Vietnam’s top female boxer Nguyen Thi Tam.

Nguyen Thi Tam prevailed over her Australian rival, Jasmeen Hudson, and defeated her on points in the 51kg category. Jasmeen Hudson is the three-time winner in Australian championships.

Victory 8- The Legends of Hoan Kiem’s total prize money was 100,000 US dollars. The Vietnamese fighters won eight of their bouts.

 
By Cong Dat

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