World boxing champ drops national title bout due to injury

By Duc Dong December 3, 2021 | 04:50 pm PT

Nguyen Thi Thu Nhi (C) is at Bac Ninh Gymnasium to watch the national boxing championship, Dec 2021. Photo by Nguyen Thi Thu Nhi

WBO world belt holder Nguyen Thi Thu Nhi has decided not to participate in the 2021 national boxing championship to recover from an eye injury.

"I won't compete because the doctor said my eyes haven't fully recovered. In addition, after returning from South Korea, I had to stay in quarantine so I didn't have enough time to prepare for the championship. I cannot take a risk. I will focus on future events, especially the national sports championship next year," Nhi told VnExpress on Friday.

Previously, Nhi had been registered by Can Tho for the national championship that takes place from Nov. 29 to Dec. 6 in northern Bac Ninh Province. However, HCMC opposed the move.

Nhi used to compete for HCMC before asking to leave in July. HCMC accepted her request but asked the athlete to not compete for another team this year without HCMC approval. Vietnam Boxing Federation had subsequently ordered Can Tho to withdraw her registration for the tournament. After everything got settled, HCMC withdrew its complaint against Can Tho.

Nhi made history in October when she defeated Japan's Etsuko Tada to claim the WBO mini-flyweight belt in South Korea. The 25-year-old became the first Vietnamese boxer ever to win a major world title.