Mindanao's Mark John Yap wound back the clock in Ho Chi Minh City tonight, with a brutal display over national team prospect Nguyễn Hà Minh.
Yap was returning from a couple of months break from the sport, celebrating the birth of his first daughter Yuri early this year. It was noted at the weigh-in for the Lightweight 61kg clash, that Yap looked a little soft next to his taller and ripped Vietnam opponent.
The Journey Man was given a warm reception by the crowd, who were divided as to how a pro veteran would match up with the slick Vietnam boxer in a highly paced 4 round format.
Nguyễn Hà Minh is only 20 years of age, but is a highly touted member of the Vietnam team,
He is tall, and boxes with beautiful range, has fast hands, and he seamlessly angles between stances to land counters with ridiculous ease.
The first two rounds were arguably won by the local star. The Philippines Yap pressed constantly, but his timing and distance were a little off, and Minh often punished his enterprise with counters.
Despite being outlanded, Yap was undeterred, and always looked significantly dangerous.
Cracks started to appear in the armour of the Vietnam star in the third, as Yap began to find his range, and the momentum shifted noticeably. The Journey Man was walking through Minh's efforts with impunity, and was really chopping his rival to the body. Yap was relentless, and went "old school" brutal in the final round, where he dropped his Vietnam opponent with sadistic attacks to the torso. Nguyễn Hà Minh stoicism saw him meet the final bell, yet had it been a longer bout, the stoppage was perilously near.
Mark John Yap was simply devastating tonight, and produced such a dominant performance on foreign soil, that he was hailed as the winner by unanimous decision.
It was a credible showing by hot national team member Nguyễn Hà Minh, and he acknowledged that Yap's strength and experience overwhelmed him in the home stretch. He will benefit a lot from his encounter with a hardened professional.
But the big news is - YAP IS BACK !
The evergreen killer from Cagayan de Oro will return to the ring in a big, soon to be announced fight, this coming July.
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
