
Three pro fights. One regional title. Next stop… the world ?
Japan's Raito "The Thunder" Kataoka, just 20 years old, stopped the Philippines' ArAr "Asero" Andales in round nine at Tokyo's Korakuen Hall on Thursday night to win the vacant OPBF light-flyweight title.
Kataoka is now 3-0 (3 KOs). His promoter, Hideyuki Ohashi — the man behind Naoya Inoue — admitted Andales was not the kind of opponent you take in a third fight. A dangerous gamble, he said.
And Ohashi wasn't wrong about the danger.
Andales is no stepping stone. The Northern Samar man came in ranked No. 7 by the IBF and No. 12 by the WBC, on a five-fight win streak, and he once challenged Knockout CP Freshmart for the WBA minimumweight title in 2019.
"Asero" means steel — and he lived up to it. Kataoka himself said afterwards he was very tough. The referee finally stepped in at 2:56 of round nine.
So well done to the Thunder.
But big respect to Andales, who flew into the lion's den and took the fight plenty of others wouldn't.
Ohashi now says Kataoka can fight for a world title in his FOURTH pro fight. Win it, and he breaks the Japanese record of five, held by Kosei Tanaka and Kira.
Inoue was ringside, by the way.
And the Filipino steel ? Bent, not broken.
Stay tuned !






















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


























