Gretel is a strong, come forward action fighter. She has a low centre of gravity, and her ability to work the body whilst marching forward makes her difficult to defy. Her hands are deceptively quick, and she lands shots well if able to achieve close range. She competed at Victory 8 in March against Nguyen Thi Tam, taking the fight at short notice. There is no doubt we will see a vastly improved version of Gretel De Paz come October 19.
It pays to be versatile, and former musician Rica Aquino makes no secret of her love for the sport of boxing. A relatively late starter to tackling the pros, the girl known as "Baby Dynamite" resumes from a three year hiatus when she clashes with debutant Erika Ballen at ANNIHILATION UKC next month.
Aquino, who also has a passionate involvement in boxing media, is a sponge for information, and is working hard on fitness and skills for her first fight back.
And who better to learn from than the exquisite Miss Gretel De Paz!
Gretel is one of the Philippines best performed pros, and was even recently a SEA Games medalist in Muay Thai. De Paz has twice been a member of the World Team against Vietnam, where she joined fighters of the calibre of Mateo Tapia, Charly Suarez, Danilo Creati, Virgel Vitor and Michael Pengue.
They say if you go swimming, you gonna get wet, and we are sure Rica got in the deep end of the pool today!
RICA AQUINO v ERIKA BALLEN
4 rounds Bantamweight
ANNIHILATION UKC
Elorde Sports Centre Paranaque Manila Sunday August 7th
Banging times ahead for some of the Elorde crew.
Gretel De Paz heads to Australia in June, then Lorenz Ladrada to Australia, Cris Ganoza and the Wolverine JonJon Estrada to Japan, and Jules Victoriano to Vietnam, all in July.
Ranny Quizo also meets Rodel Suganob in a local derby that same month.
DON'T FORGET we will have a big card for Manila on August 7th, where we are working to get the Philippines best Charly Suarez his first foreign opponent in the professional ranks.
Also very exciting news breaking late last night is the appearance at this show of the promising and unbeaten Jerald Into.
For those who aren't familiar with the name, you are sure to hear a lot more!
This is a boxer who has settled his first 4 fights with dramatic Knockouts !
SEA Games silver medallist and Victory8 World Team member Gretel De Paz will make her return to the ring in Brisbane next month.
De Paz will take on rising Aussie star Taylah Robertson, who is a former esteemed amateur. The clash represents a rise in weight class for the Philippines fighter, but she definitely possesses the heavier hands, and she is likely to give Robertson plenty to contend with.
Elorde team at this morning's photo call ! Top pros Jules Victoriano, Ranny Quizo, Gretel De Paz, Jover Amistoso and JL Laurente all have big matches at UKC, with Gretel De Paz making her much anticipated Muay Thai debut.
Meanwhile, with an eye to the future, amateur hopefuls Bong Lipata, Raizen Jhay Dela Fuente, and Fernando Olivar are ready to steal all the attention come February 12. These boys are still only teens, and are working hard on their fitness and skills to forge a pro career later on.
December 24, 2024
Dear Partners,
I would like to take this moment to first wish you and your family a safe and blessed holiday season.
This annual report serves as a benchmark for our progress and a commitment to transparency in our operations. In 2024, a notable decline occurred in the number of professional boxing events held domestically. This downturn was primarily attributed to the cessation of grassroots events by VSP Promotions, a key promoter that played a crucial role in introducing new talent to the domestic professional boxing scene.
The challenges faced in organizing professional boxing events in Vietnam intensified in 2024 compared to the previous year, a reflection of the current market conditions. We anticipate this trend to persist in 2025 due to the continued existence of an unsupportive environment for event organizers, fostered by the local amateur boxing federation.
VBO organized the gathering of 10 commissions in Asia in 8/2024. It is our view that Asia has a fundamental challenge in how boxing is managed and supervised. Standardization and coherent cooperation models that have actionable and measurable outcomes will need to be developed in order to create more regional opportunities for the industry participants.
DOMESTIC REPORT 2024
INTERNATIONAL REPORT 2024
The VBO remains dedicated to securing international fight opportunities for Vietnamese boxers within safe environments. While the organization provides recommendations, the final decision to accept a fight rests solely with the boxers and their coaching teams.
OFFICIALS OF VBO REPORT 2024
VBO collects detailed performance data of each official in their assigned roles at every event. We compile these data for use towards training requirements to further improve their performance.
We hope that 2025 will bring more opportunities for the boxers between partnering countries and jointly continue to improve the quality of our officials. Have a wonderful holiday season! See you all in 2025.
Sincerely,
Lim Song
President of Vietnam Boxing Organization
Bacolod's Genesis Servania will fight China's rising star Aketelieti Yelejian for the WBO Asia Lightweight title this November.
The highly-anticipated match up will take place on the undercard of the IBF world title fight between Pedro Taduran and Zhu DianXing at Jeju Island, South Korea.
Aketelieti Yelejian, who suffered a narrow loss to the Prince Albert Pagara in June, rebounded with an impressive IBF Asia victory against Korean Jin Su Kim in Vietnam recently. He is a very rangy and deceptive boxer known for his relaxed combinations, and he's supremely confident in his ability to take down Servania and claim the title.
"I've studied Servania's style, and I know I have the skills to outmaneuver him," Yelejian said yesterday.
"I'm excited to represent China on the international stage once more, and bring home an impressive win against a top and proven boxer like Genesis."
Servania, a seasoned veteran with a 35-4 record, boasts a reputation for toughness that has come from battles at the top level. And has still possesses some of the best body shots in the sport of boxing.
This important title shot gives the filipino the opportunity to re-establish himself on the world scene once more, and it's best remembered that his only defeats have came against world-ranked champions like Oscar Valdez and Andres Cortes.
But the China team have already confidently stated that Yelejian's youth, speed, height, and reach may all prove too much for the Filipino boxer.
Their optimism also exudes for the world title bout, where surprisingly, they are quite dismissive of Pedro Taduran's hopes of beating star Zhu DianXing. They actually rate their boxer so highly, they have predicted that the champion has no chance of retaining the belt.
These claims set up an intriguing backdrop for two massive Philippines v China feature bouts.
Fight Details :
- Date: Saturday, November 23rd
- Location: Jeju Island, South Korea
- Title: WBO Asia Lightweight
- Contenders: Aketelieti Yelejian (China) vs. Genesis Servania (Philippines)