Sharing about the recovery of the WBO belt, the Cocky Buffalo side said Thethao.vn: “This is a very unfortunate incident, because we informed Nhi in advance about this but I did not respond. I knew I was at risk of losing the WBO belt if I did not protect but I still did not follow the plan planned before. This stems from Nhi's lack of professionalism, especially when I have become a world champion.”
Cocky Buffalo Club, and the individual boss Kim Sang Bum said they felt very disappointed in Thu Nhi's case. In fact, the training of a professional boxing athlete from zero becomes a champion who takes a lot of time, effort and money.
Thu Nhi can Thuong Dai Tranh belt thanks to Cocky Buffalo training, supporting and making the rear firmly. However, right after becoming a world champion, Nhi expressed her irregular attitude with the host club. She did not go to the training club anymore, and at the same time signed an amateur boxing contract with the Can Tho delegation without notifying the Cocky Buffalo in advance.
“In 2019, when we signed a contract with Thu Nhi, she was still a very normal boxer, not known by the public,” said the representative of Cocky Buffalo side with the side. Thethao.vn. Firstly, when he first came to practice in Cocky Buffalo, Thu Nhi was still nearsighted.
“At that time, Nhi's eyes were very weak, always wearing a thick pair of glasses. She also told us that when she went to the ring, she only saw the opponent fuzzy, could not see it clearly. With a boxing boxing, they need good eyesight, so if Nhi is close, it is difficult to develop to the peak,” Cocky Buffalo representative said.
In order to support Thu Nhi development in the future, Cocky Buffalo has brought Nhi to the eye in Gangnam City, South Korea. The team of doctors participating in surgery/eye treatment for children are the leading vision experts in the land of kimchi. After the surgery is complete, Nhi can observe normally both in everyday life and competition.
Secondly, shortly after signing a contract with Cocky Buffalo, Nhi has financial difficulties and supported by the club. In order to help Nhi focus completely on expertise and training, the club has supported a loan without interest in 3 years. The value of Cocky Buffalo support for Thu Nhi is not small, clearly stated in the contract with the signature of the two parties.
Cocky Buffalo is the basis for children to practice and achieve many successes in recent years. Currently Nhi is the reigning championship, holding the WBO World belt, but the Cocky Buffalo also said they did not prohibit children from playing in tournaments like the SEA Games. It can be said that this unit is quite “easy” in managing athletes, especially in the case of Thu Nhi.
“We never prevent Thu Nhi from fulfilling national obligations,” said Cocky Buffalo's representative. “We only hope that when Thu Nhi represent and play amateur boxing, please have an official announcement for us. Hope that the two parties can soon discuss and exchange to agree to solve problems.”
However, everything later happened as the commitment of Thu Nhi. She participated in the Boxing tournament of strong teams nationwide 2022 at the end of March, on the grounds that this is the SEA Games. But in the end, Thu Nhi did not attend the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam, but continued to go to Türkiye to the World Women's Boxing Championship.
Thu Nhi's participation in the World Championship made Co Co lost the WBO championship, because according to the organization's regulations, the boxer was obliged to protect the belt within 180 days from the nearest Thuong Dai. According to that regulation, Thu Nhi was officially recovered the championship belt on April 23.
Thu Nhi's story becomes a bad precedent for many parties. In the case of clubs like Cocky Buffalo, they may not want to invest heavily to raise the martial artists as before. Another direction is that they will “squeeze” stronger than the terms and sanctions in the contract so that the martial artists cannot violate like Thu Nhi.
“Through things like Thu Nhi's, we hope the boxers will have a more professional and right behavior,” said Cocky Buffalo. “The individual boss Kim Sang Bum and the unit have never stopped believing in the potential of Vietnamese boxers. We do not lack the talented and more developed athletes in the future like Dinh Hong Quan.”
In the immediate future, Cocky Buffalo will hold an Asian IBF protection event for troops in the near future. According to IBF's regulations, the army must protect the belt within 4 months.