HCM City (VNA) — Former world boxing champion Shinji Takehara ofJapan will take part in friendly matches against Vietnamese boxers on December29-30.
The event will be held at Hoa Lu Stadium inHo Chi Minh City as part of Vietnam-Japan Sports and Culture Festival KIZUNA,which aims to celebrate the 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the twocountries.
Takehara was the first boxer from Japan to capture the world middleweighttitle. In 1995, he landed a shot at becoming the World Boxing Associationmiddleweight champion against Jorge Fernando Castro of Argentina and won.
Besides sports events, fans will have a chance to enjoy cultural and musical performances ofthe two countries. Singer Sakai Nariko and actor and former pop idol MikioOsawa will also attend the event.-VNA