(From Dr. Lim Song, President of Vietnam Boxing Organization)
I am thrilled to announce a major milestone for the combat sports market in Vietnam: The IBF will officially host its 2026 Annual Convention here.
This convention is more than just an event; it is a global gathering of top referees, judges, champions, medical experts, promoters, and media. For Vietnam, hosting this event acts as a catalyst for the boxing industry, driving socio-economic development and offering our local talent life-changing networking opportunities.
The Backstory: From "Not on the List" to "Host Country". At the start of 2025, Vietnam wasn’t on the IBF’s radar. As a representative of the VBO, I flew to the convention in Atlantic City with a single mission: to pitch Vietnam to the IBF leadership.
I want to thank Mr. Daryl Peoples (President of IBF) and Ms. Jeanette Salazar (Director of PR) in trusting in the potential of Vietnam.
It took months of negotiation, site visits, and showcasing our nation's potential to convince them. The effort to secure this bid was immense, but the reward is historic: This will be the first time the IBF Convention is held in Southeast Asia.
Looking Ahead Securing the bid was step one. Executing a world-class event is step two. We are grateful for the incredible support of The Grand Ho Tram, but there is still work to be done to cover the significant costs and logistics involved.
We have met with the government representatives in HCMC and Hanoi and they are fully supportive. We have also dispatched official invitations to local boxing federations.
I sincerely hope all individuals and organizations in Vietnam will seize this opportunity to help grow the sport we love. We are open to all forms of collaboration and sponsorship to make this event a resounding success.
#IBF #InternationalBoxingFederation #vietnamboxing #boxing #ibfannualconvention #GrandHoTram
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)
