According to the schedule announced by VSP Boxing club, boxer Tran Van Thao will be on July 15. The opponent of the World IBA champion is Junior Kauko Raka, Papua New Guinea. To play with Raka, Tran Van Thao agreed to promote 3 weight classes, from Bantamweight to Super Featherweight.
Sharing with international media, Raka said: “I am very confident in myself in the preparation match. Currently, I am practicing with the coach in the country.
When asked about Tran Van Thao, Raka said he had watched some of The Trigger's matches and studied the often played style used by the World IBA champion. Raka said he soon realized the weaknesses of Tran Van Thao in attacking and defending. If well prepared, Raka is completely capable of defeating Vietnamese boxers.
“One of the weaknesses of Tran Van Thao is that he does not move much on the stage. Tran Van Thao always has a habit of plunging forward. So, I will practice how to back and counterattack if I feel that Van Thao wants to rush to attack. Just step back and attack, everything will be fine,” Raka said.
Revealing more about the method to prevent Tran Van Thao, Raka said he would find a way to create a distance every time the opponent attacked. That will help Raka escape the range of Tran Van Thao, and can turn back to counterattack with straight punches and hook punches.
One of Raka's difficulties before the match against Tran Van Thao is that he does not have too much financial support. The Papua New Guinea boxer is currently looking for a sponsor so he can practice better. However, it is one of the difficult things to do, because the economic conditions at Papua New Guinea are still quite difficult.