Looking a million dollars today, Laguna boxer Eljohn Evangelista shows the results of hard work and dedication to strip more than 20kg from his considerable girth after a long break from the ring. Evangelista has run a parallel path to his opponent BIG Roy Sumugat, who also got very chunky in his time away from the sport. Both these guys are very talented, and bound to gain a lot from this first fight back after a long holiday. This will be a great fight, and these are very definitely two fighters to keep an eye on in the future.
ELJOHN EVANGELISTA v ROY ROY SUMUGAT
Saturday May 1st in Urdaneta City Philippines
It may get rough, it may get ugly, but it’s also one of the most highly anticipated match ups at ANNIHILATION UKC this August.
RoyRoy “d’Hammer” Sumugat meets Jufel “the Lion” Salina, and they are vowing to test each other “mano e mano” - in true Southpaw style!
Jufel Salina resumed from almost a two year absence to score an excellent stoppage win against Kresler Tenorio at the end of 2021. The Lion has managed to stay busy in 2022, and it has paid dividends. He faced the promising Jonniel Laurente in February, and in what appeared anybody’s fight, the judges agreed. Tenorio earned a Majority Draw, and in this match he really displayed significant improvements on his first up win. He then faced a really promising type in the shape of Justin Cabarles, and while its fair to say his opponent had some ring rust, the manner in which Tenorio stopped Cabarles was ultra impressive. This Davao born fighter has now scored 5 wins, 4 coming by knockout, so he obviously lacks nothing in the power department. The Lion is a rapidly improving fighter on the upswing. He’s dangerous!
Roy Roy Sumugat makes his return to the ring after an unfortunate (and unexpected) stoppage loss at the hands of Juanito Paredes in late 2021. It was a match theat the man known as D’Hamer was favoured to win, but one that he will nonetheless derive plenty of benefit. Till then , it was a very successful year for the charismatic boxer.
D’Hammer had scored two stoppage victories already in 2021, and was showing no signs of slowing up!!
In May 2021, he landed a surprise round one knockout over the rugged Eljohn Evangelista, and then followed up in September with another knockout win over Glenn Bismanos. That match proved to be a great test of character for Sumugat, as he was actually dropped himself in round one, and bounced back to eventually wear down the dangerous Bismanos.
Sumugat is originally from Bacolod City, but is based in Manila with the Elorde team. He is constantly surrounded by quality fighters in that environment, and there is no doubt that the man known as D’Hammer has flourished this year with some regular sparring and competition.
Roy has a natural flair for distance and timing, and knows how to drop the hammer when he has an opponent in trouble. This former “part time” fighter is a major talent, and he has already notched up 12 wins against formidable opponents.
Be in no doubt that RoyRoy will have recovered nicely and will be in crazy shape for his assignment with Salina.
This promises to be one of the standout bouts of the day, but will also provide a real measure of how far Tenorio has grown as a fighter, or alternatively, how wilfully a vengeful Sumugat can out skill his less experienced opponent.
RoyRoy Sumugat v Jufel Salina
8 rounds Super Featherweight
ANNIHILATION UKC
Elorde Sports Centre Paranaque Manila
Sunday August 7th
WATCH IT LIVE AT:https://www.facebook.com/VSPPromotion
PHILIPPINES 🇵🇭 STAR A REAL UNDERDOG
Betting markets have just gone up, and as you'd expect, Mexico's Emanuel Navarrete is quoted as an "unbeatable" favourite against the "King's Warrior" Charly Suarez.
But world boxing fans are not so well informed, and often fickle, and these opening markets offer huge value to those loyal to the chances of the Philippines' best boxer.
Here's how the two fighters line up according to BoxLive :
PREVIEW
When is Navarrete vs Suarez?
Emanuel Navarrete will face the challenge of Charly Suarez on Saturday, May 10th, 2025, at Pechanga Arena, San Diego.
The fight will be contested over 12 rounds in the Super Featherweight division, which means the weight limit will be 130 pounds (9.3 stone or 59 kg).
This contest is for the WBO super featherweight championship of the world.
FIGHTER STATS
Emanuel Navarrete steps into the ring with a record of 39 wins, 2 losses, and 1 draw, 32 of those wins coming by way of knockout.
Charly Suarez will make his way to the ring with an unblemished record of 18 wins and 0 draws, with 10 of those by knockout.
The stats suggest Navarrete has a large advantage in power over Suarez, boasting a 82% knockout percentage compared to Suarez's 56%.
Emanuel Navarrete is the younger man by 6 years, at 30 years old.
Navarrete has a height advantage of 1 inch over Suarez. This also extends to a 7-inch reach advantage.
Both Emanuel Navarrete and Charly Suarez fight out of an orthodox stance.
Navarrete is the more experienced professional fighter, having had 24 more fights, and made his debut in 2012, 7 years earlier than Suarez, whose first professional fight was in 2019. He has fought 123 more professional rounds, totaling 246 compared to Suarez's 123.
Emanuel Navarrete goes into the fight ranked number 1 by The Ring at super featherweight.
Charly Suarez is currently ranked number 15 by the WBC, 1 by the WBO, and 4 by the IBF in the 130lb division.
CURRENT FORM
Navarrete has beaten 3 of his last 5 opponents, stopping 2 of them, going the distance once.
In his last fight, he beat Oscar Valdez on December 7, 2024, by knockout in the 6th round in their WBO World Junior Lightweight championship fight at Footprint Center, Phoenix, United States.
Prior to that, he had been beaten by Denys Berinchyk on May 18, 2024, by split decision in their WBO World Lightweight championship fight at Pechanga Arena, San Diego.
Going into that contest, he had drawn with Robson Conceicao on November 16, 2023, by majority draw in their 12 round contest in their WBO World Junior Lightweight championship fight at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas.
Before that, he had beaten Oscar Valdez on August 12, 2023, by unanimous decision in their WBO World Junior Lightweight championship fight at Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale.
He had won against Liam Wilson on February 3, 2023, by technical knockout in the 9th round in their WBO World Junior Lightweight championship fight at Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale.
Charly Suarez (18-0, 10 KOs) had several hundred fights as an amateur, representing his homeland at the 2016 Olympics and several World Championships.
A six-year pro, he won a pair of regional titles in March 2023 when he scored a come-from-behind 12th-round stoppage over Paul Fleming on hostile turf in Sydney, Australia.
The Fleming triumph paved the way for a deal with Top Rank, and Suarez has won three straight fights in America. He knocked out Jorge Castañeda in three rounds last September, which came five months removed from a hard-fought eight-round decision over Louie Coria.
ACTIVITY CHECK
Navarrete's last 5 fights have come over a period of 2 years, 3 months and 7 days, which means he has been fighting approximately every 5 months and 14 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 51 rounds, meaning that they have lasted 10.2 rounds on average.
Navarrete will be making his 4th defense of the WBO World Junior Lightweight Championship. He won this belt against Liam Wilson in February 2023.He had held this belt for 2 years, 1 month and 23 days.
Suarez has had 2 fights in 2023, and 2 fights in 2024. His most recent was a knockout victory in September of last year against Jorge Castañeda. This will be his first attempt at the WBO World Title.
#VSPPromotions #vspboxing #vsppro #boxingvietnam #Elorde #ElordeTV
December 24, 2024
Dear Partners,
I would like to take this moment to first wish you and your family a safe and blessed holiday season.
This annual report serves as a benchmark for our progress and a commitment to transparency in our operations. In 2024, a notable decline occurred in the number of professional boxing events held domestically. This downturn was primarily attributed to the cessation of grassroots events by VSP Promotions, a key promoter that played a crucial role in introducing new talent to the domestic professional boxing scene.
The challenges faced in organizing professional boxing events in Vietnam intensified in 2024 compared to the previous year, a reflection of the current market conditions. We anticipate this trend to persist in 2025 due to the continued existence of an unsupportive environment for event organizers, fostered by the local amateur boxing federation.
VBO organized the gathering of 10 commissions in Asia in 8/2024. It is our view that Asia has a fundamental challenge in how boxing is managed and supervised. Standardization and coherent cooperation models that have actionable and measurable outcomes will need to be developed in order to create more regional opportunities for the industry participants.
DOMESTIC REPORT 2024
INTERNATIONAL REPORT 2024
The VBO remains dedicated to securing international fight opportunities for Vietnamese boxers within safe environments. While the organization provides recommendations, the final decision to accept a fight rests solely with the boxers and their coaching teams.
OFFICIALS OF VBO REPORT 2024
VBO collects detailed performance data of each official in their assigned roles at every event. We compile these data for use towards training requirements to further improve their performance.
We hope that 2025 will bring more opportunities for the boxers between partnering countries and jointly continue to improve the quality of our officials. Have a wonderful holiday season! See you all in 2025.
Sincerely,
Lim Song
President of Vietnam Boxing Organization