Love watching this guy at work.
Three times OPBF champ, and a technician with 30 wins to his name, Mark John Yap is without doubt the most experienced boxer amongst an outstanding card at the BATTLEFIELD next month.
It is a rare treat to see Yap perform on home soil, as he has fought abroad in places like Japan, USA and Dubai in recent years. He made a quick trip home in 2019, and was rewarded with an impressive Knockout win in front of adoring CDO fans. He was not sighted in the Philippines again till August of this year, when he faced the mercurial Charly Suarez in a WBA title bout. Despite a points loss, it was a near vintage Yap that impressed onlookers and Suarez himself :
" Mark fought a very clever fight. He reads the punches very well, and he shows his experience with lots of variety. He is very tough and experienced. "
Yap never has easy opponents, and in his inimitable style, takes on Papuan Warrior Junior Raka in his upcoming bout.
Raka was a feisty amateur before turning pro, and despite limited opportunities, has shown great signs. He scored two great wins over quality Pinoy Allan Vallespin, and endured a points loss over the top class Roldan Aldea in a WBA title match.
It is also well known that the "PNG PRODIGY " has 7 additional fights not listed in BoxRec, and is unbeaten with 6 knockouts. BOOM! This pride of Papua New Guinea has got guns in both hands!
This will be a colossal contest, and like any fight of Mark John Yap, we would not expect anything less!
BATTLEFIELD UKC TIGER 2O22
Elorde Sports Centre Paranaque Manila Sunday October 23rd
PHILIPPINES 🇵🇭 STAR A REAL UNDERDOG
Betting markets have just gone up, and as you'd expect, Mexico's Emanuel Navarrete is quoted as an "unbeatable" favourite against the "King's Warrior" Charly Suarez.
But world boxing fans are not so well informed, and often fickle, and these opening markets offer huge value to those loyal to the chances of the Philippines' best boxer.
Here's how the two fighters line up according to BoxLive :
PREVIEW
When is Navarrete vs Suarez?
Emanuel Navarrete will face the challenge of Charly Suarez on Saturday, May 10th, 2025, at Pechanga Arena, San Diego.
The fight will be contested over 12 rounds in the Super Featherweight division, which means the weight limit will be 130 pounds (9.3 stone or 59 kg).
This contest is for the WBO super featherweight championship of the world.
FIGHTER STATS
Emanuel Navarrete steps into the ring with a record of 39 wins, 2 losses, and 1 draw, 32 of those wins coming by way of knockout.
Charly Suarez will make his way to the ring with an unblemished record of 18 wins and 0 draws, with 10 of those by knockout.
The stats suggest Navarrete has a large advantage in power over Suarez, boasting a 82% knockout percentage compared to Suarez's 56%.
Emanuel Navarrete is the younger man by 6 years, at 30 years old.
Navarrete has a height advantage of 1 inch over Suarez. This also extends to a 7-inch reach advantage.
Both Emanuel Navarrete and Charly Suarez fight out of an orthodox stance.
Navarrete is the more experienced professional fighter, having had 24 more fights, and made his debut in 2012, 7 years earlier than Suarez, whose first professional fight was in 2019. He has fought 123 more professional rounds, totaling 246 compared to Suarez's 123.
Emanuel Navarrete goes into the fight ranked number 1 by The Ring at super featherweight.
Charly Suarez is currently ranked number 15 by the WBC, 1 by the WBO, and 4 by the IBF in the 130lb division.
CURRENT FORM
Navarrete has beaten 3 of his last 5 opponents, stopping 2 of them, going the distance once.
In his last fight, he beat Oscar Valdez on December 7, 2024, by knockout in the 6th round in their WBO World Junior Lightweight championship fight at Footprint Center, Phoenix, United States.
Prior to that, he had been beaten by Denys Berinchyk on May 18, 2024, by split decision in their WBO World Lightweight championship fight at Pechanga Arena, San Diego.
Going into that contest, he had drawn with Robson Conceicao on November 16, 2023, by majority draw in their 12 round contest in their WBO World Junior Lightweight championship fight at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas.
Before that, he had beaten Oscar Valdez on August 12, 2023, by unanimous decision in their WBO World Junior Lightweight championship fight at Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale.
He had won against Liam Wilson on February 3, 2023, by technical knockout in the 9th round in their WBO World Junior Lightweight championship fight at Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale.
Charly Suarez (18-0, 10 KOs) had several hundred fights as an amateur, representing his homeland at the 2016 Olympics and several World Championships.
A six-year pro, he won a pair of regional titles in March 2023 when he scored a come-from-behind 12th-round stoppage over Paul Fleming on hostile turf in Sydney, Australia.
The Fleming triumph paved the way for a deal with Top Rank, and Suarez has won three straight fights in America. He knocked out Jorge Castañeda in three rounds last September, which came five months removed from a hard-fought eight-round decision over Louie Coria.
ACTIVITY CHECK
Navarrete's last 5 fights have come over a period of 2 years, 3 months and 7 days, which means he has been fighting approximately every 5 months and 14 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 51 rounds, meaning that they have lasted 10.2 rounds on average.
Navarrete will be making his 4th defense of the WBO World Junior Lightweight Championship. He won this belt against Liam Wilson in February 2023.He had held this belt for 2 years, 1 month and 23 days.
Suarez has had 2 fights in 2023, and 2 fights in 2024. His most recent was a knockout victory in September of last year against Jorge Castañeda. This will be his first attempt at the WBO World Title.
#VSPPromotions #vspboxing #vsppro #boxingvietnam #Elorde #ElordeTV
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
