Taiwan’s Rising Prospect Chia Ching Hung Set
For Manila Test Against Veteran Alan Alberca!
(August 26th) Taiwan’s No. 1 professional boxer Chia Ching Hung will look to take another significant step toward his world-title ambitions when he travels to Manila this Sunday, August 30, to face battle-tested Filipino veteran Alan Alberca in an eight-round super-featherweight bout at the Elorde Sports Center in Parañaque City, Metro Manila.
Chia Ching Hung (9-1-1, 7 KOs) enters the contest carrying considerably more than an impressive professional record. The southpaw from Pingtung, southern Taiwan, has made no secret of his ambition to become the first Taiwanese male professional boxer to capture a world championship, and Sunday's assignment represents precisely the type of international challenge his team believes he must successfully navigate if that dream is to become reality. Hung will be facing Alan Alberca (13-10, 6 KOs), a Filipino veteran with more than two dozen professional bouts and extensive experience against quality opposition. The fight is scheduled for eight rounds at 130 pounds and will be part of UKC XXXIV: SIKLAB Ng Agosto, promoted by Cucuy Elorde under the UKC Pro Boxing Edition banner.
For Hung, the bout represents another opportunity to establish himself outside Taiwan and continue building an international résumé. The 25-year-old has already competed in several countries during his professional career, and his May 2026 appearance in the United States marked another important stage in that development. On May 29, Hung competed at Rivers Casino in Portsmouth, Virginia, on the Gloves & Glory 2 card, where he defeated Jhovany Collado by fifth-round stoppage in a scheduled six-round contest. The victory moved him from an 8-1-1 record to the 9-1-1 mark he carries into Manila. Contemporary listings confirm Hung's participation in the Portsmouth event, although some databases have yet to fully update his post-fight record.
Hung's road to professional boxing began long before the bright lights of international professional cards. Born in Pingtung in southern Taiwan, he grew up as the eldest of two brothers in a sporting family. His mother was a national-level football player, while his father provided quiet but steadfast support. Hung participated in several sports as a youngster, including basketball, handball and taekwondo, but boxing eventually became his calling. He began formal boxing training at the age of 13, inspired in large part by an uncle who worked as a boxing coach. Watching boxing from an early age and growing up surrounded by sport ultimately convinced Hung to step between the ropes himself.
His amateur career provided the foundation for the international professional campaign he is pursuing today. Hung competed extensively in domestic Taiwanese competition and won multiple national championships. The Chinese Taipei Boxing Association also lists Hung, under his Chinese name 洪嘉慶, among Taiwan's representatives selected for the 2021 World Men's Boxing Championships, where he competed in the 57-kilogram division. Hung subsequently traveled to Belgrade, Serbia, for the 2021 AIBA/IBA World Boxing Championships. In his tournament appearance, he faced Colombia's Duván Zuleta, who defeated him by unanimous decision, with the Colombian victory reported as 30-27 on three cards and 30-26 on two.
(WATCH: Chia Ching Hung in his amateur days
— the foundation of Taiwan’s rising professional prospect)
That amateur experience was followed by a professional career that has included both setbacks and significant breakthroughs. Hung suffered the only defeat of his professional career against Japan's Koji Igarashi in October 2017, a second-round TKO at Korakuen Hall. He also drew Saierlan Muerzhabieke earlier that year before establishing himself as one of Taiwan's more promising young professionals. Rather than allowing the defeat to define him, Hung says it became one of the most important lessons of his career, particularly in teaching him the importance of defense.
Hung subsequently built momentum with victories in Asia, including a 2019 stoppage of Thailand's Anurak Madua and a 2022 unanimous-decision victory over Yu Che Li for the WBC Asian Boxing Council Silver super-featherweight championship. The 2022 title victory was particularly significant in the development of Taiwanese professional boxing. Taiwanese media reported that Hung had already captured an East Pacific Boxing Federation youth title in 2019, and his WBC Asia Silver triumph gave him another regional championship to add to his résumé.
(Chia Ching Hung as a professional
— Taiwan's southpaw continues his climb toward the world stage)
The challenge waiting for Hung in Manila, however, is considerably different from simply facing another prospect. Alan Alberca is a seasoned Filipino professional who has been competing since 2014 and has shared the ring with a wide range of opponents across the Philippines and abroad. His résumé includes a 2024 stoppage loss to former IBF super-featherweight champion Kenichi Ogawa in Tokyo, as well as a 2021 stoppage loss to former world title challenger Jeo Santisima. Alberca has also scored victories during his long career, including a 2024 stoppage of Jason Tinampay. His experience and durability make him an opponent Hung cannot afford to overlook.
Alberca's current record is listed by the event announcement as 13-10 with six knockouts, while PhilBoxing's fighter profile currently lists the veteran at 13-10-0 with eight knockouts. The discrepancy illustrates why the announced fight-card record is being used here. What is not in dispute is Alberca's experience: he has fought 23 professional bouts, has competed in multiple weight classes, and has repeatedly shared the ring with established Filipino and international opposition.
Hung's team is fully aware of the danger. His manager, Samuel Lee of SJL Fighter Management, believes the Taiwanese fighter has prepared appropriately for the challenge. “It's definitely a tough fight. I truly believe Hung is ready and prepared accordingly for this moment,” Lee said. SJL Fighter Management describes itself as a global professional boxing management company working across the United States, Europe, Asia and South America, with Hung among its featured fighters.
Hung himself understands the dimensions of the assignment. He has studied Alberca's previous fights and recognizes that the Filipino veteran possesses advantages in height and reach. But Hung also understands the reality of fighting abroad. Asked whether he feels additional pressure to score a knockout as the visiting fighter, his response was direct: “This is a fight on the opponent’s home turf, so a knockout is the best way to ensure victory.”
That mentality reflects the seriousness with which Hung has approached his first professional appearance in the Philippines. According to the fighter, his preparation began immediately after his May fight in the United States, giving him a full training period to prepare specifically for the Manila challenge. He says he wants Filipino fans to leave the Elorde Sports Center understanding that Taiwan has produced a fighter capable of competing on the international stage.
There is also a larger purpose behind Hung's career. He believes Taiwan possesses talented athletes but lacks the professional boxing infrastructure, competition and resources necessary to consistently develop world-level male professionals. His ambition, therefore, extends beyond winning belts for himself. “Winning a world title is not only my lifelong dream and goal, but also incredibly meaningful for Taiwan as a whole,” Hung said, explaining that becoming a world champion could help generate greater support and opportunities for future Taiwanese professional boxers.
That goal is no longer an abstract ambition. Hung has already captured regional honors, competed at a world amateur championship, fought internationally, returned from his lone professional defeat and established himself with a record featuring seven knockouts. His May victory in the United States represented another step in that progression, while Sunday's bout against Alberca provides an opportunity to demonstrate that he can handle the physical and psychological demands of fighting a seasoned opponent on hostile territory.
For Alberca, the assignment is an opportunity: to halt the momentum of a visiting prospect and remind the Filipino boxing public why experience matters. For Hung, it is another examination of whether his skill, preparation and ambition are sufficient to carry him toward the elite level of the 130-pound division. The Taiwanese southpaw knows that world-title opportunities are earned rather than promised, and that fighters with championship aspirations must first prove themselves in difficult international fights.
Sunday's meeting at the Elorde Sports Center therefore carries significance beyond its eight scheduled rounds. It is another chapter in Hung's attempt to transform Taiwan's growing professional boxing presence into a genuine world-title contender. Across the ring will stand a Filipino veteran who has spent years learning the unforgiving lessons of professional boxing. Hung believes he is ready for the test.
Now Manila gets the chance to find out.
CHIA CHING HUNG vs. ALAN ALBERCA
UKC XXXIV: SIKLAB Ng Agosto - Eight Rounds — Super Featherweight
Date: Sunday, August 30, 2026
Venue: Elorde Sports Center — Parañaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Promoter: Cucuy Elorde — UKC Pro Boxing Edition
Matchmaker: Anthony Joaquin Arieta
For Hung, the equation is simple: defeat Alberca, continue climbing, and keep moving toward the historic objective of becoming Taiwan's first male professional boxing world champion.
And on Sunday night in Manila, another step begins.
About SJL Fighter Management
SJL Fighter Management is a global professional boxing-management company led by Samuel Lee. The company represents and develops fighters by pursuing quality fight opportunities, supporting career growth, and building connections across the United States, Europe, Asia, and South America. Its roster includes Taiwan’s Chia Ching Hung, along with fighters such as Jeremy Cullors, Victor Guerrero, and William Townsel.
About UKC Pro Boxing Edition
UKC Pro Boxing Edition—also known as the Ultimate Knockout Challenge—is a Philippines-based professional boxing promotion led by promoter Cucuy Elorde. The organization stages cards at Elorde Sports Center venues in Parañaque City, featuring emerging Filipino fighters, championship bouts, and international opponents. Its events emphasize creating competitive opportunities for developing professionals and local boxing prospects.
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