Veterans as Nguyen Van Duong, Nguyen Van Hai and SEA Games winner Truong Dinh Hoang won the titles at the Vietnam Men’s Elite National Championships

One of the most important events in the Southeast Asian region, the Vietnam National Championships for their elite men boxers finished in the city of Bac Ninh where 14 champions celebrated their titles. Vietnam’s first male Olympian boxer since 1992, Nguyen Van Duong and their veterans such as Nguyen Van Hai and Truong Dinh Hoang won their weight categories in Bac Ninh.

Vietnam has qualified two boxers including one girl and one boy to the Tokyo Olympic Games which was their first participation in the event since the qualification process has been introduced before the Barcelona edition 29 years ago. Their Nguyen Van Duong represented the men’s featherweight (57kg) in Tokyo and he won one bout in the Olympic Games.

Vietnam’s capital city, Hanoi will be the host of the next 31st Southeast Asian Games on May 2022 which is the most important multisport event in the region. Boxing is one of the popular sports in the Southeast Asian Games and Vietnam has got the potential to win titles in the regional multisport event on home soil. Vietnam achieved gold medals in the 2015 Southeast Asian Games and their boxers also amazed in the last 2019 edition in the Philippines.

The number of the elite male boxers was 81 in the Vietnam Elite National Championships in Bac Ninh where boxers who were born between 1981 and 2002 were eligible to attend. The pinweight (46kg) was a new addition to the National Championships which meant that boxers in 14 categories competed for the titles. Titleholder Le Huu Toan was the winner of the smallest weight class following he defeated the teenagers as Duon Xuan Trung and Le Cong Hoan Thien during his road to the gold medal.

Quan Doi’s Nguyen Linh Phung impressed at the minimumweight (48kg) in the national event and the 21-year-old boxer defeated another young hope, Tran Minh Huy in the final. Le Van Cuong stopped 19-year-old Dinh Van Thi in the final of the flyweight (51kg) while a well-experienced international boxer, defending champion Bui Trong Thai won the bantamweight (54kg) following his victory over Da Nang’s Bui Cong Danh Loi.

Tokyo Olympian Nguyen Van Duong celebrated his 25th birthday this year and Vietnam’s best male boxer defended his throne at the featherweight (57kg) as none of his opponents could stop his energetic style of boxing. Last year’s silver medallist Pham Duc Doan had a busy campaign in the national event but the local favourite took the title of the lightweight (60kg) after beating Tran Quang Nhan in the final. Dong Nai’s defending champion Vu Thanh Dat is also an experienced boxer who had the skills to beat Hanoi’s Ngo Van Hung in the final of the light welterweight (63.5kg).

Ninh Binh’s Nguyen Van Hai is one of the most experienced Vietnamese elite male boxer of all-times who has served the country’s boxing life in the recent 15 years. The 33-year-old veteran moved up to the welterweight (67kg) but he had excellent footwork to stop the younger rivals including Vo Hong Dat in the final. Outstanding Tran Duc Tho earned the title of the new light middleweight (71kg) after beating 19-year-old Nguyen Duc Ngoc while Bui Phuoc Tung bagged the gold medal at the middleweight (75kg).

Dak Lak’s Truong Dinh Hoang earned gold medal at the 2015 Southeast Asian Games and he proved amazing performance in the recent seven years. The multiple National Champion was too strong for Hai Phong’s Bui Ngoc Phuong in the final of the light heavyweight (80kg). Experienced Nguyen Van De (86kg), strong Nguyen Manh Cuong (92kg) and defending champion Ta Van Thi (+92kg) were the remaining winners among the elite male boxers.

List of the men’s winners at the Vietnam Elite National Championships
46kg: Le Huu Toan, 1993
48kg: Nguyen Linh Phung, 2000
51kg: Le Van Cuong, 1996
54kg: Bui Trong Thai, 1994
57kg: Nguyen Van Duong, 1996
60kg: Pham Duc Doan, 1996
63.5kg: Vu Thanh Dat, 1998
67kg: Nguyen Van Hai, 1988
71kg: Tran Duc Tho, 1995
75kg: Bui Phuoc Tung, 1997
80kg: Truong Dinh Hoang, 1990
86kg: Nguyen Van De, 1992
92kg: Nguyen Manh Cuong, 1997
+92kg: Ta Van Thi, 1998

Don’t forget you can keep up with all of the action, news, results and photos by following ASBC on Facebook and Instagram.
ASBC website: www.asbcnews.org
ASBC Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ASBC.Official/
ASBC Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/asbc_official/
ASBC Twitter page: https://www.twitter.com/BoxingAsian?s=0