Organized by
Kairay International, "The Cage: Fight Night 2024" was grandly held at the Taipei Arena today (12/21). Despite being a weekday evening, it attracted over 11,000 spectators to fill the arena, and gathered more than 20,000 viewers on the Hami Video C@T influencer platform to watch the live-streamed pay-per-view event, a rare combat sports entertainment spectacle.
Five Preliminary Matches
In the first match, Taiwan's Lin Yu-chun faced off against Chen He. The two engaged in an intense battle in the third round, with Lin's face turning red from the strikes. Lin then relentlessly pursued Chen into the corner, and in the fourth round, the tension exploded as Chen landed a direct punch to Lin's face, igniting the crowd. However, Chen was unable to withstand Lin's subsequent onslaught and the referee stopped the fight, awarding Lin a TKO victory.
After the win, Lin Yu-chun expressed, "Winning feels amazing. I expected to knock him out from the start. Young fighters should never give up, and I will continue to work hard."
The second match featured Indonesian powerhouse Adrianus Bunga against Taiwan's "Captain Shield" Kuo Kai-chi. The two heavyweights engaged in an intense battle, with Bunga initially pushing Kuo into the corner. However, Kuo successfully evaded and defended against many of Bunga's attacks.
In the subsequent rounds, Kuo went on the offensive, using his jabs to dominate Bunga. With 27 seconds left in the final round, Kuo landed a left jab that reddened Bunga's face. Despite Bunga's final onslaught, Kuo landed a counter hook that knocked Bunga down, and the referee awarded Kuo the TKO victory.
Kuo Kai-chi stated after the match that he had thoroughly studied his opponent, and found an opening to land the decisive blow, though he admitted to being quite nervous during the fight.
In the third match, Vietnam's Tan Quang Dao Tran faced off against Taiwan's "Medal Harvester" Hsieh Kai-yu. The two fighters maintained their distance in the first round, with Hsieh frequently clinching to stop Tan's attacks.
In the subsequent rounds, the intensity increased, and Tan's hook caused Hsieh to slip and fall on the wet canvas, briefly pausing the match. Tan then used feints to force Hsieh into a defensive stance. However, Hsieh eventually found an opportunity to unleash a series of hooks, pushing Tan into the corner. In the final round, the two exchanged strikes in close quarters, and the judges awarded Hsieh the victory by a narrow margin of 36:40.
Hsieh Kai-yu explained that his initial passive approach was to get a feel for his opponent's rhythm, and he was relieved to have won, admitting he had the urge to urinate during the match.
The fourth match pitted Indonesian fighter Filipus Rangga against Taiwan's "Boxing Beast" Chuan Wang-chia-chun. The two entered the arena with an intense atmosphere, exchanging powerful strikes. Chuan then relentlessly pushed Rangga into the corner.
As their stamina waned, the strike rate decreased, and in the fourth round, Rangga's defense faltered, allowing Chuan to land consecutive blows. The three judges ultimately scored the match 36:40 in Chuan's favor.
Chuan Wang-chia-chun expressed that his opponent was very durable, making the fight extremely taxing. He mentioned that he had undergone intense training for the Asian Championships and was nervous performing in front of such a large audience, but was proud to have his mother in attendance.
The fifth match featured Indonesia's "High-Speed Specialist" Azizul Isa Putra against Taiwan's "Shredder Hunter" Hsieh Yu-an. In less than a minute, the two rapidly exchanged strikes, with Hsieh landing a casual hook that reddened Azizul's face.
Azizul refused to play defensively and initiated the attacks, but was repeatedly countered by Hsieh's retreating hooks. However, Azizul then switched his attack pattern, landing two short punches that hit Hsieh. In the fifth round, Azizul's onslaught was met with Hsieh's consecutive straight punches that knocked Azizul to the ground, leading the referee to award Hsieh the TKO victory.
Here is the English translation:Xie Yu'an said after the match that he could not think about the TKO, because it did not happen naturally. "The opponent was really like a bull, very difficult to deal with. Although we Taiwanese do not have a strength advantage, we can win with our brains.
WBC Featherweight Title Match
Before the final match, there was the WBC International Professional Asian Featherweight Title Match, with Thai boxer Thanchanok facing off against Taiwan's Wu Pei-yi in an 8-round 2-minute match. Wu Pei-yi started aggressively, while Thanchanok adopted a relaxed defensive posture to conserve energy.
Throughout the match, Wu Pei-yi launched fierce hook combinations. After rounds 4 and 5, Thanchanok began aggressive defense in an attempt to reduce the opponent's attack. In the 6th round, under Thanchanok's pressure, Wu Pei-yi seized the opportunity to land a clean shot on the opponent's face. In the 7th round, Wu Pei-yi launched an all-out attack, fiercely pinning Thanchanok to the ropes. In the final seconds, Thanchanok was hit repeatedly in the face by Wu Pei-yi and the referee stopped the fight, declaring a TKO victory for Wu Pei-yi.
The WBC judge also announced that Wu Pei-yi had won and claimed the honored green Asian Featherweight Title Belt. Wu Pei-yi said afterwards, "I didn't expect her to take so many punches without falling. The toughest part of preparing was finding female sparring partners, we usually have to spar with men."
Shen Sheng vs. Beng
The main event was Shen Sheng vs. Beng. When Shen Sheng entered, the classic "Legends Never Die" esports theme song played, hyping up the crowd. Beng arrived in a grand sedan chair with an entourage, taking on the air of a king facing a challenger.
The two started off fiercely, with Shen Sheng using his weight advantage to pressure Beng with a flurry of hooks. Beng continued to make faces and provoke Shen Sheng after being hit, seemingly taunting him about the lack of power. Beng then used his agility to evade Shen Sheng's attacks and land a right hook on him, but Shen Sheng just shrugged it off and mocked the attack.
In the second round, Beng took advantage of Shen Sheng's pressure to land a punch flush on his face. However, Shen Sheng quickly counterattacked with left and right hooks that put Beng on the defensive.
Starting in the third round, Beng tried to get in close and counterattack, having some success, but was met with more of Shen Sheng's combination punches.
In the fourth round, Shen Sheng's stamina began to decline, and Beng took the advantage, landing two right hooks on Shen Sheng's face. Both fighters' faces were reddening, but Shen Sheng unexpectedly spun and landed a straight right.
In the fifth round, with Beng defending up close, Shen Sheng unleashed an all-out attack, but Beng found opportunities to land several hits in the openings.
In the sixth round, the two fighters showed an unwillingness to give up, wildly trading blows to each other's faces until the final seconds. Although Shen Sheng's speed had clearly declined, both continued attacking relentlessly, essentially turning it into a real-life brawl.
In the end, the judges scored it 58:56, 56:58, 59:55 in Beng's favor. Shen Sheng was very dissatisfied with the result, saying "I never backed down and fought to the death, why did I lose in the end? This was an unfair match." Beng received some boos during his victory interview, but he said he had done his best, "I know I have fewer fans than Shen Sheng, thank you to my coach."
The "Boxing 2024" event combined exciting performances, with Carry Girls and Korean-American singer pH1 taking the stage. It also featured several international guest matches and the official WBC Asian Featherweight Title Match, as well as a performance by Korean rapper LOCO, adding to the event's vibrant atmosphere.
Although the Tong Shen team expressed dissatisfaction with the final result, in the end they also said "I'm not happy, but I'll give you 500,000, it's no big deal," which made the audience laugh heartily. Overall, the "Boxing 2024" event had a spectacular conclusion, and the organizers also expressed the hope of bringing boxing into the public eye, and promised to bring more innovative entertainment events to Taiwanese audiences in the future.
