Boxing 

Asian silver medallist Hà Thị Linh of Việt Nam (right) is expected to take part in the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in March in Serbia. Photo Boxing.athlete365

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese female boxers will fight for glory in the 2025 world championships in March in Serbia.

The International Boxing Association (IBA) has recently confirmed the 14th tournament will be held on March 8-16 at the Cair Sports Centre, in Serbia's third largest city, Niš.

As a global top tournament, the championship will feature about 500 competitors from 100 countries and regions, participating across 12 weight categories.

This prestigious event is considered the female cornerstone of boxing, showcasing the incredible talent and determination of athletes from around the world.

This competition is a chance to unite, inspire and celebrate the power of women’s boxing on a global scale, and the IBA is calling on all national federations to participate to make the event a success.

"I am very excited for the return of our IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships, where the best female boxers in the world will fight for the crown," said President Umar Kremlev.

"A world title or medal can be the catalyst and turning point for a great boxing career, IBA is very capable of changing the lives of athletes from every part of the globe, as boxing is a great tool for an upward mobility.

"It is a chance to achieve greatness, so I call for all to register their athletes to ensure they can fulfil their dreams. This is an opportunity for our loyal members to come together in Serbia, showing how important unity is in our sport – we are one boxing family. I wish all competitors, coaches and officials the best of luck during the championships," he said.

According to the national team coaching board, Việt Nam boxers are hoping for top results at the championships.

Potential fighters include nine who took part in the 2024 Asian championship last month in Thailand where Ngô Ngọc Linh Chi (women's 48kg), Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Trân (women's 50kg) and Hà Thị Linh (women's 63kg) took silvers.

Another name is Võ Thị Kim Ánh (women's 54kg) who was the second Vietnamese female boxer to earn an Olympic spot last July in Paris.

Tournaments in 2025

Vietnamese boxers will also take part in a number of tournaments this year. The Asian Junior Boxing Championships will be held from March 10-24.

The Asian Youth & U22 Boxing Championships will be the second main event in 2025, scheduled for April 14-28.

The Asian Boxing Championships will be held in June while the Asian Youth Games will take place in September, and the Asian Boxing Cup will be in November.

But all focus will be the 33rd SEA Games in December in Thailand, the largest regional sporting event.

Việt Nam were one of strongest teams vying for the top position in the overall boxing ranking table. The team hope to welcome back their strongest boxer, Nguyễn Thị Tâm, who is recovering from a knee injury.

Tâm is the former Asian champion and world silver medallist in the women's 51kg category. She suffered a broken knee ligament at the 32nd SEA Games and had surgery last October.

"Tâm is an important athlete of the squad. Despite the fact she has not been totally fit for regular training, she is still listed in our team. We hope that she will soon regain her peak fitness and be back to competition," said Đàm Công Điền, official of the Sports Authority of Việt Nam's Boxing Department.

“The 33rd Games is a really important event for us and we believe that Tâm will return in the best condition, showing both physical and mental strengths and she will definitely win in this tournament."

The official added that among 19 members of the squad there were many young, but talented, boxers who proved their abilities through international tournaments in 2024.

"They will receive strong support to become core members of the team and will have a bright future. Their development and international success would not be a surprise," said Điền.

In the past, Vietnamese female boxers won bronzes in the 17th, 18th and 19th Asian Games, an Asian championship gold and a World Championship silver. VNS