Tran Van Thao, the first Vietnamese to win a World Boxing Council (WBC) Asia title, will face Richard Rosales of the Philippines in the 52kg category on January 26 in Thailand.



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Tran Van Thao (second from right). — Photo zing.vn



The 25-year-old Thao will be aiming to raise his standing in the world rankings through the fight.

Thảo, nicknamed the "Viet Nam Mayweather", knocked out George "Coken" Lumoly of Indonesia to take the WBC Asia belt last November in the super flyweight category.

Meanwhile, Rosales has had 12 wins, five losses and two draws in his career. He competed for the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) Oriental title and the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) title.

Thao said Rosales is stronger than Lumoly, however, he has a plan to beat him.

Thao, who began boxing since he was 16 years-old, won a gold medal in the National Boxing Championships and was the champion of the Steel Competition Boxing Tournament, an annual event for professional boxers, in 2016. — VNS