Hong Kong hosts first title fight in 5 years, with local boxer Saagar Pradhan topping bill
Pradhan will face Thailand’s Passakron Yakkala while also on the agenda at PMQ Qube is Ruru Yang, the island’s first female world champion
Hong Kong will welcome its first professional boxing title fight night in more than five years on Saturday, when local boxer Saagar Pradhan takes on Thai opponent Passakron Yakkala for the vacant World Boxing Organisation (WBO) Asia-Pacific Youth Super Welter belt.
Pradhan’s first title fight, the bout at the PMQ Qube will be the main event of “The Encounter”, a bill that features six professional and three amateur bouts.
“Being able to climb up the ladder and finally get this opportunity is definitely a big step up for me,” the 23-year-old orthodox fighter with a career 3-0 record said. “I am confident in our training and grateful for this opportunity.”
His opponent is the No 1 super welterweight boxer in Thailand, with a career 7-2-0 record, but Pradhan was confident about the fight despite the lack of information about the 21-year-old from Khon Kaen.
“He doesn’t have much film, but from what I have seen, he’s good,” said the Hongkonger born in the city to Nepalese parents. “We had time to prepare for it, we’ve had hundreds of rounds of sparring [against boxers from South Korea, Thailand and the United Kingdom] and then a lot of conditioning over the past four months.
“So we’re not overconfident, but we’re confident that we can do it.”
Saturday’s card marks the first professional title fight in the city since Raymond Poon Kai-ching lost his Asian Boxing Federation light fly and World Boxing Council Asian Continental light fly belts to Chinese boxer Li Xiang in May 2019 at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai.
