Vietnamese boxer Nguyen Van Duong was handed a controversial technical knockout (TKO) loss in the men's under 57kg boxing final at SEA Games 33 on the afternoon of 19/12. Duong believes the injury that stopped the fight was caused by a foul elbow from his Thai opponent, Sukthet Sarawut.
In the first two rounds, Van Duong was outmatched by the home representative, losing both rounds by a unanimous 9-10 score from 5 referees. Entering the third round, he aggressively attacked, hoping to turn the tide. However, an unexpected incident occurred just about 30 seconds into the round.
As Sukthet held a high guard, Van Duong charged forward. The Vietnamese boxer's head collided with his opponent's left elbow, resulting in a cut of about 5 cm above his right eyebrow. The referee stopped the match for medical attention, but the wound could not be staunched, leading to Van Duong's technical knockout loss.
Van Duong alleged foul play regarding the incident. "When I charged in, the opponent's forward elbow was a foul", the boxer stated while receiving medical care for his injury. He added, "Regarding the match's dynamics, the opponent might have been slightly better, but that play was not fair. I wanted to fight all three rounds, regardless of the outcome". Vietnamese coaches also signaled to the referee that Sukthet had thrown a foul blow. The Thai coach, however, re-enacted the situation, arguing that Duong had charged in while Sukthet was already in a defensive stance. Ultimately, Duong and his coaching staff accepted the result.
In boxing, facial injuries affect vision and health, reducing the ability to compete fairly and safely. Such incidents are common in the sport, but the severity of the injury is determined by the referee and medical team, with boxer safety as the priority.
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Nguyen Van Duong (red shirt) fights Thailand's Sukthet Sarawut in the men's under 57kg boxing final at SEA Games 33, afternoon of 19/12. *Dong Huyen*
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Nguyen Van Duong's coach (right) claims Sukthet Sarawut's elbow caused the cut near Van Duong's eye. *Dong Huyen*
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The referee declares Sukthet (right) the winner. *Dong Huyen*
This is not the first time Van Duong has faced such a situation. He previously won a silver medal in this weight class at SEA Games 30. He missed the subsequent games due to a Covid-19 infection. At SEA Games 32, Duong was eliminated in the quarterfinals by defending champion Clark Bautista (Philippines) in a situation similar to his loss to Sukthet yesterday afternoon. At the start of the third round of that fight, Van Duong sustained a cut on his left eyelid. After two examinations, the doctor declared the athlete unfit to continue, resulting in a technical knockout loss. The Vietnamese side argued that the injury was minor and he could have continued, but the referee's decision could not be overturned.
Nguyen Van Duong, 29 years old, from Bac Giang, rose to prominence in 2019. In 2020, he ranked second after footballer Nguyen Van Quyet in the poll for Vietnam's most outstanding athlete. Duong's most notable victory was against 11th-ranked world opponent Chatchai Butdee (Thailand) in the Olympic qualifiers in March 2020. This win took him to Tokyo 2021, where the boxer won one match before being eliminated in the round of 16.
Boxing brought Thailand 14 gold medals at SEA Games 33. The three remaining gold medals went to Ha Thi Linh of Vietnam in the women's under 60kg category, Vicky Tahumil (Indonesia) in the men's under 51kg, and Marcial Eumir (Philippines) in the men's under 80kg.
Hieu Luong
