​Vietnamese boxers set for Victory 8 event in Philippines

Nguyen Van Hai, one of the nation's top boxers, will fight Australia's Francis Chua for the WBC Australasia lightweight title.

The 10-round match will be one of the two main matches of this event in Manila, which will feature nine other Vietnamese fighters.

Hai, 32, has three victories in three pro games with one knockout. The rising Australian star has a record of seven wins, one loss and one draw.

(Video shows Hai taking on Filipino Charly Suarez in Hanoi in 2019.)

Nguyen Van Duong, the Vietnamese boxer who has qualifed for the 2020 Olympics, will make his professional debut against Ariel Puton of the host country in the lightweight discipline.

Earlier this month the 24-year-old, nicknamed ‘Little Chicken’, beat Thailand's Chatchai Decha Butdee in the Tokyo Olympic qualifiers in Jordan.

In the women’s category, SEA Games women’s flyweight gold medalist Nguyen Thi Tam will take on the Philippine' Renz Dacquel in the flyweight class and Vo Thi Kim Anh will take on the Philippines' Floryvic Montero in flyweight 51 kg.

Vietnam’s other men boxers are Ta Van Thi in the cruiserweight division, Nguyen Manh Cuong in the light heavyweight division, Pham Duc Doan in the lightweight division, Vu Thanh Dat in the super lightweight division, Bui Trong Thai in the super bantamweight division, and Nguyen Van Gioi in the featherweight division.

Vo Thi Kim Anh is the other woman boxer.

Yen Trang, a Victory 8 spokesperson, said the event would possibly be held behind closed door with a maximum of 100 spectators, but broadcast and streamed live.

Victory 8 was first scheduled to take place in Saigon but was moved to the Philippines due to the spread of Covid-19.