Looking at history, before 2019, the number of tournaments in the high -performance sports system of Vietnam is not much, especially the youth tournaments. The International Boxing Association (IBA, also known as the World Boxing Federation) also changed the regulations. They raise the age of competition in adulthood from 17 to 19, making the athletes less have the opportunity to play.
In this context, in the first years, Boxing Vietnam implemented the regulations that allow athletes to 17-18 to play specially at the age of 19-40. In order to “jump”, the athletes and the managing unit need to have a written commitment. This helps them to play soon with senior athletes and seniors.
However, since 2020, Boxing Vietnam's competition system has been adjusted in the direction of international practices. In return, athletes aged 17-18 were played in a separate category, separate from the age of 19-40. That helps them somewhat protected themselves before getting older.
One of the matches shows a big difference between the age of 17-18 and 19-40 to the weight of 92kg of the men's Boxing Championships nationwide 2024. In the final, Doan Ngoc Minh Hieu boxer (Army) overwhelmed Nguyen Tien Thanh (Thai Nguyen) to win the championship.
In the period of 2022 – 2023, Tien Thanh was like “holding a gold medal” at national boxing tournaments. This athlete has always been the leading candidate for the championship of over 92kg in the age of 17-18. In every match, Tien Thanh proved superior to other athletes of other units.
Entering 2024, Tien Thanh officially stepped up to adult age (19-40) to play. In the final, Tien Thanh soon had the opportunity to experience the harshness when playing with his seniors more physically and experienced. Tien Thanh's opponent is Doan Ngoc Minh Hieu (Army).
The match ended in the second half, when Tien Thanh was knocked-down 3 times, and his coach had to stop the match to ensure the health of this boxer. Besides Tien Thanh, many boxers such as Nguyen Thi Hong Nhung and Ngo Quang Truong (Army) also soon experienced the harshness when walking up to 19-40.
“Young boxers, if they want to be on the national team and play internationally, they need to prove themselves. They need to show that they have a better strength than the seniors, at least the equivalent,” a coach affirmed.