CBF ties up with Dwyer’s to hold first pro boxing event in Siem Reap

The Cambodia Boxing Federation (CBF), in partnership with Dwyer’s, an Australian boxing club, will hold a professional boxing event ‘Angkor International Fight Night’ in Siem Reap on March 17.

The federation said the tournament will be Siem Reap’s first professional boxing event. The forthcoming event features six pairs of fights in which competitors from various countries, including the host Cambodia, South Korea, Australia and Scotland, will demonstrate their skills in the ring.

Penh Vanthung, Cambodia’s biggest talent, will face Scottish fighter Tony Lafferty in one of the tournament’s most anticipated battles.

Two other Cambodians Hin Saiheng and Teng Buntong face Australian Sam Dwyer and South Korean Hynje Shin respectively.

In the other fights, Cambodian Vanna Lyheang will battle his compatriot Sath Sorng while Ly Vibolsena is due to face Australian Tobi O’Neil and Rith Devada will entertain Johee Joyce.

Buy Sophoan, secretary-general of the Cambodia Boxing Federation, told Khmer Times on Wednesday morning that this is the first time the federation has collaborated with Dwyer’s to hold a professional boxing tournament in Cambodia.

He said this type of event is crucial because it provides an excellent opportunity for all Cambodian boxers, particularly young fighters, to perfect their talents and become better than they are currently.

“This year, the federation aims to boost the country’s professional boxing resources, enabling them to compete in international tournaments,” Sophoan added.

In addition, the federation intends to stage another boxing event featuring solely young competitors.

The event will take place from June 26 to 29 in Phnom Penh.

“The major objective of this tournament is to give the federation a chance to hunt for young and fresh talents to join the national boxing team and to prepare for the 5th Asian Youth Games, which will be held in Cambodia in 2029,” Sophoan added.

Cambodia has filed to join the World Boxing Council to increase possibilities for Cambodian boxers to compete overseas and market the sport to a bigger audience at home.

The CBF hosted a professional boxing competition at the National Olympic Stadium last Thursday to meet the conditions for WBC membership. A WBC delegation was on site to observe and evaluate the event. However, whether Cambodia would be invited to join the WBC has yet to be announced.

The CBF secretary-general said that the WBC delegation was impressed by the fact that the competition preparations met all of the requirements for staging an international-class professional boxing event.

“We have high hopes to become a member of the WBC,” he said.

The WBC is an international professional boxing organisation and one of the four major sporting bodies qualified to stage professional boxing competitions around the world. The other three are the World Boxing Association (WBA), the International Boxing Federation (IBF), and the World Boxing Organization (WBO).

The WBC was created in 1963. Today more than 160 countries are members.