The World Boxing Council (WBC) recently approved Vietnam’s Nguyen Van Hai to contest the Australasian title, after being petitioned by promotional group Victory 8.
The criteria to qualify for the esteemed regional title is that the fighters must have a minimum of two stars on BoxRec.
A hero in his home country, Hai was submitted as a case for exception, based on his vast and impressive amateur resume, and the fact that most Vietnamese till recently, had no opportunity to compete as professionals.
Francis Chua has been endorsed by the WBC as the best candidate for the title (which must be contested by at least one fighter coming from the Australia, NZ and Pacific region) Chua is a real powerhouse in the ring, and one of the most popular boxers in the west of Australia.
The Perth based fighter is renowned for his relentless attack, and has designs on moving up in the world rankings. When told that he is on a short list for the Australasia title, Chua declared his willingness to test himself against the very best.
His career highlight to date was his win over top class Kye MacKenzie, and upset which cost the favourite a subsequent clash with world champion Vasyl Lomachenko.
Negotiations to get Chua are still progressing. When informed that Victory 8 had already put Nguyen Van Hai in one corner, Chua responded “I don’t want to offend anybody here, but I am in this sport to fight the absolute best.
“I actually didn’t even know they did boxing in Vietnam! This is really the first time I have heard about it. I want to fight champions, but seriously, who is this Nguyen Van Hai?”
If Victory 8 get their way, Francis Chua will get a lesson on Vietnam boxing and the legendary Hanoi son Nguyen Van Hai very soon!
Negotiations are ongoing.
