Tran Van Thao becomes first Vietnamese IBA champion
VOV.VN - Tran Van Thao won the International Boxing Association (IBA) belt after overcoming Andrew Laurio of the Philippines, marking a significant milestone in his career and Vietnamese boxing as a whole by becoming the nation’s first IBA champion.
In the bantamweight division, with fighters weighing between 52.2kg and 53.5kg, in what was the first world title event organised in Vietnam, Thao faced Laurio in Ho Chi Minh City on September 30.
Thao started the bout cautiously before unleashing a series of powerful blows and ultimately knocking out his rival with a powerful right-handed punch.
He was able to knock out the Filipino boxer in just two minutes.
In defeating his opponent, 30-year-old Thao became the first Vietnamese boxer to win a world title.
Previously, Thao had won the World Boxing Council (WBC) Asian Boxing Council Super Fly title in 2017 when he knocked out George Lumoly of Indonesia in Bangkok, Thailand.