Trinh The Long becomes WBC Asian champion

The bout took place as part of the LEAD: Battle of Power, which saw 24 promising athletes from different countries competing for Asian titles of the WBC and WBA, two of the world's most prestigious organisations in the sport.

This year marked the first time that a WBC Asia match has been held in Vietnam. From the start of the middleweight bout, Long showed his dominance over the Thai opponent.

Despite being considered as a leading boxer from Thailand, Phothijun was forced to accept defeat at the hands of Long after receiving many consecutive heavy punches and a knockdown from the Vietnamese boxer.

With the victory, Long became the Vietnam's second WBC Asian champion after Tran Van Thao who won the super flyweight belt in 2017.

This continues the Vietnamese boxer remarkable record of four wins with four knockouts. The match marked his second time boxing in the LEAD. In his first time at the LEAD: The Beginning, he floored Ibrahim Aroby of Indonesia, who had competed in 18 pro matches in his career, last October. 

Through an array of powerful punches, he also knocked out experienced Tanawat Ketsiri of Thailand after three rounds.

Furthermore, the lightweight bout saw Vietnamese boxer Vo Hong Dat also defeat Ernie Sanchez to win the WBA Asia title. Dat is a promising young talent who has a remarkable record of five wins with four KOs. Sanchez has fought much more than him, boxing 41 bouts, earning 21 wins with 12 KOs, as well as 18 losses and two draws.

LEAD events are organised by Shadow Entertainment, the Vietnam Boxing Federation, and the Ho Chi Minh City Boxing Federation. The series is expected to reach international standards and become a strong base for Vietnamese fighters to gain further experience and integrate into the international sport.