One of the most hotly anticipated boxing matches this September is the long-awaited bout between Yokasta Valle and Thi Thu Nhi Nguyen. This fiery match-up will be held on September 8th in San Jose, Costa Rica. The fight is scheduled for 10 rounds in the minimumweight division, with a weight limit of 47.6 kg or 105 pounds. In addition to the Valle vs Nguyen bout, this fight card will also feature a number of similarly hotly anticipated bouts. This includes a clash between Ruiz and Osorio.
But what has so many sports betting fans anticipating this clash between the talented Costa Rican and the powerful Vietnamese fighter? And what are the early boxing odds being offered for how this bout will play out?
For a quick run-down of what this fight has in store and what we can expect from it, keep reading this short boxing match preview.
Who is Yokasta Valle?
Before we set out how commentators and fans think the Valle vs Nguyen unification clash will play out, we should first get a better sense of who the fighters are!
Yokasta Valle is a Costa Rican professional boxer who turned professional in 2014, having had her first fight at just 13 years old. Since then, she has amassed a professional record of 23 wins to just two losses, having won nine of these bouts by KO.
Valle is a world champion in two weight classes, having held the IBF female mini flyweight title since 2019, in addition to previously having held the IBF female junior mini flyweight title in 2016. Valle previously challenged for the WBO female junior flyweight title in 2017 and for the WBC female mini flyweight title in 2018.
Valle’s first professional loss came in December 2017 when she contested the WBO female light flyweight championship belt against the fiery Japanese fighter Naoko Fujioka. Unfortunately for Valle, however, she lost the 10-round bout by unanimous decision.
Her second career loss came in a title bout for the vacant WBC minimumweight world championship belt against Tina Rupprecht. The belt had become vacant following Momo Koseki’s retirement. Once again, however, Valle lost the bout by unanimous decision after a hard-fought 10-round war.
Since then, Valle has had notably more success in her recent fights. This includes winning the IBF mini flyweight world championship belt in August 2019.
Valle is defending the IBF female mini flyweight title against Nguyen in their upcoming fight and will contest for the WBO female mini flyweight title.
Who is Thi Thu Nhi Nguyen?
Yokasta Valle’s opponent is Thi Thu Nguyen, who is a professional boxer hailing from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. While Vietnam is by no means one of the leading countries for producing boxers, Nguyen is nevertheless one of the most exciting boxers currently fighting.
Before turning pro, Nguyen had a solid career as an amateur boxer and won gold medals at the national championships in 2015, 2017 and 2018. She made her professional debut in October 2015 when she secured a victory over Bo Ra Kim in Vietnam.
This first professional victory was followed up by wins over Chan Mi Lim, Kannika Bangnara and Kanyarat Yoohanngoh. The fight against Yoohanngoh was Nguyen’s first outside Vietnam and was for the vacant WBO Asia Pacific minimumweight title. She won the fight by a majority decision, with two of three judges viewing her performance as dominant.
Nguyen’s next match came in October 2021 against the reigning WBO mini flyweight champion Etsuko Tada. This bout was particularly hotly anticipated as it was due to be Tada’s first title defense. Nguyen ultimately won the fight via a unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the fight in her favor. In doing so, Nguyen became the first Vietnamese boxer to win a WBO world title.
Although she only has five professional victories to her name, this has not stopped fans and boxing commentators alike from touting her as the next big thing for women’s boxing. Just five fights into her professional career, her talents are already clear.
What are the early predictions?
In terms of the raw stats, there are a number of factors to consider which might indicate which way the fight will play out.
Firstly, it should be kept in mind that Valle is by far the more experienced fighter and has a clear power advantage over Nguyen. Valle has secured nine wins by KO with a 23-win record, compared to Nguyen’s single KO of her 5-fight record. However, Nguyen is ranked higher in the rankings than Valle right now.
The fact that Valle has had so much more ring-time will clearly play in her favor. With a stronger amateur record and more time in the ring as a professional, this might just edge the fight in her favor.
Physically, Valle also has a reach and height advantage and tends to come in heavier than Nguyen on fight day.
Despite these stats, it isn’t quite clear who will come out on top come fight day. Nguyen has a lot of hype behind her and could be due an upset victory over Valle, which would undoubtedly cement her status as one of the hottest prospects in boxing right now.