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.
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)
