lifeCHINA DAILY CHINADAILY.COM.CN/LIFE WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2014 | PAGE 19
Three pro boxers from China (blue shorts) pose with their coaches and friends in the ring during Shanghai Fight Night at Shanghai Center earlier this month. PHOTOS BY MATT HODGES / CHINA DAILY Packing a punch China’s amateur boxers are topclass, and promoters are eager to develop the infrastructure that can make them champions at the professional level, Matt Hodges reports in Shanghai.
hen Inner Mongolia’s a professional trainer there. unheralded Wang Yin “I really, really believe there’s much better gang brought Shang professional prospects in China (than Zou) hai Fight Night to a that are going to go much further, and cause chilling climax with a much more impact as boxers in the profes bloody fifthround sional ranks,” Duva says. Wknockout earlier this month, he sent a state “There’s some really good boxers who are ment of intent to the mostly expat crowd going to become champions from China and sponsors like the Macaobased Cotai over time, and I think I got the first stable of Ring Club. them.” These madeonthemainland fists of fury, According to Xiong, Chinese boxers are Wang seemed to say, prove we Chinese can naturally fast but suffer due to their diet and pack a killer punch. Combined with a decent training. defensive repertoire, they’re gamechang “More healthy eating habits and efficient ers. They can go all the way. Zou Shiming is training methods should be introduced from not as good as it gets. What he symbolizes is abroad so Chinese fighters can apply these to a work in progress. their speed and quick responses,”he says. Wang’s tourdeforce professional win over oddson favorite Ou Yuzhou suggested The next generation that Chinese can bring to Western boxing This was the situation that confronted what Hong Kong action star Zhen Zidan Freddie Roach, who also coaches eightdivi (Donnie Yen) brings to the martial art of sion world champ Manny Pacquiao, when wushu: devastating, gameending strikes. he began working with Zou at Top Rank. “My goal is to become another Manny Roach was able to iron out some of the Pacquiao, and I’ll fight any chance I get,”the Guizhou native’s bad habits, including per 24yearold lightweight says from his train suading the twotime Olympic gold medal ing camp in Dalian, Liaoning province. He ALEX OGLE / AGENCE FRANCEPRESSE ist to stop curling his fists every time he turned pro about a year ago. Zou Shiming (right) fights with Yokthong Kokietgym of Thailand in their flyweight bout in A ring girl keeps the punters fastened to their threw a punch, according to media reports. If Zou doesn’t prove to be the Yao Ming or Macao on Feb 22. seats midway through one of the bouts. Such tweaking paid off in February, when Li Na of Western boxing in China, Wang Zou recorded his first career stoppage — in hinted at the legions of understudies who expanding his reach to Taipei this October. “Defense is normally the Achilles’ heel of his fourth fight as a pro — by sending Thai are ready to pick up the mantle and take the The third and most recent fight night took Chinese boxers.” land’s Yokthong Kokietgym to the canvas sport’s popularity to the next level. place on April 4 at Shanghai Center above Although Wang Yingang credits his early three times in the decisive round. “China’s amateur boxing system is one of Nanjing West Street, home to more foreign reliance on his defensive skills for setting up But while Zou has improved considerably the best in the world and its trainers are top brand “showrooms” than almost anywhere the win, it wasn’t the Inner Mongolian’s under Roach, at 32 even he admits he has a class,” says Shane Benis, founder of China in the country. Nine pro boxers from China China’s amateur boxing system ducking, weaving and bunched fists that lot to learn in the pro game. Singing from a Sports Promotions, which organized the and Ryan Willis from the Philippines made electrified the arena. different hymn sheet, Top Rank CEO Bob event. He also runs Shanghaibased Golden up the fivebout card. is one of the best in the world “I worked hard on building up those pow Arum says he hopes Zou can win a world Gloves Gym. In a country where Western boxing was and its trainers are topclass. It’s er punches,” says the fighter, who extended title and defend it once or twice. “It’s a powerhouse. I’ve been to so many not considered kosher for decades, the a powerhouse. I’ve been to so his career record to 751 (6 KOs) by beating Benis says such coaches could work little gyms around the country that pump event gave the boxers a pro fight, interna 27yearold Ou. “I train harder than my wonders with younger Chinese. out amateurs and the quality of these kids is tional exposure and an enthusiastic foreign many little gyms around the teammates, usually for an extra two hours a “I’ve been watching this one fighter, Yang insane,” he adds. “The problem is that the crowd. country that pump out amateurs day. Once a week I’ll do a 10hour overnight Xinxin, in Kunming. This kid is electric. You infrastructure just isn’t there at a profes Several fighters in the blue corner, includ training sessions and force myself not to watch him slide around the ring and hit sional level.” ing Wang Yingang, had only spent a year and the quality of these kids is sleep.” from all angles. He’s goodlooking. He’s You’ve probably heard of Zou, the three training full time as pros at a camp in Dalian, insane. The problem is that the According to Xiong Xin, a fourtime humble. He could totally be a poster boy for time world amateur champion with the they said. infrastructure just isn’t there at a Shanghai champion at 63.5 kg from 1996 the sport,”he says. lightningfast feet and fists who debuted as At Friday’sevent, there were bloody noses, and 1999, “the dream of becoming a world “If he had Freddie Roach coaching him, a professional for Top Rank in 2013. He is knockdowns, knockouts, upsets, controver professional level.” champion for fighters like Wang is now he’d be a superstar in five years. He’s got scheduled to get a world title shot in Macao sial decisions, Eastern European ring girls SHANE BENIS quite possible”. potential. But he doesn’t have Freddie in November. and even a fairly convincing Las Vegasstyle FOUNDER OF CHINA SPORTS PROMOTIONS “The Chinese market is starting to grow Roach.” Meanwhile, the names of Wang and Yun announcer — from Huddersfield, England. as more professional fighting events are Benis says he hopes to one day manage a nan’s Yang Xinxin are unlikely to ring any It was less glamorous than the blacktie, gradually being attracted from overseas,”he stable of boxers, but that is still a long way bells just yet. Ditto for hundreds of other whitecollar events, and in a different league Ou for the second time in the fifth — the sali says. “Chinese boxing needs someone like off. unpolished Chinese amateur and pro boxers altogether from the kind of payperview va and sweat spraying out of Ou’s mouth in Yao Ming to fight in the world stage sooner Right now he is more interested in court who may have as much, if not more, poten bouts staged at the Venetian Resort in almost 24frameaminute slowmotion — or later.” ing bigspenders as an event organizer and tial than Zou but are hamstrung by a lack of Macao or the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. before the ref stepped in to stop the fight. acting as a local partner on the mainland for professional coaching and bouts. There were no titles on the line or famous “Ou is a really good fighter, exciting to The right stuff Cotai Strip Resorts Macao, which has the “It’s still hard for these guys to get fights, names on the card. Most tickets were stand watch and a real crowdpleaser. He was the China already has a professional world Venetian as part of its portfolio. and there aren’t enough qualified profes ingonly. Beer and rum were served in plas clear favorite,” Benis says. “And Wang totally champion in the form of Xiong Chaozhong, “Zou is getting a title shot within a year of sional trainers,” Benis says. “The situation tic beakers. And the sole food concession tore him apart.” but he’s littleknown outside the mainland. turning pro, which is almost unheard of, for them in China is still pretty dire.” was a kebab stand. Wang Yiming, 22, also registered a second Xiong beat Thailand’s Lookrak Kiat and that’stotally down to the Venetian’ssup Moreover, due to the diminutive stature round knockout win, while Liu Yongcai, mungmee last December in his home prov port,” Benis says. “The Venetian is also the Change in the wind of some of the pugilists, and the flat boasting moviestar good looks, hardly ince of Yunnan to defend his WBO main reason why Top Rank signed him.” Things are moving, but perhaps not response to Kung Fu Comedy star Butch deserved to lose a unanimous decision to minimum weight title for the second time. More Chinese are coming to watch his quickly enough. China officially joined the Bradley’s warmup routine, it felt closer to Ryan Willis of the Philippines. All three Chi Other prominent names culled from the events in toptier cities, which bodes well for World Boxing Council recently, which was “midget boxing” in Manila at times. nese are teammates. Liu’s corner later con ranks of leading Chinese boxers include the future of boxing. About 20 percent of hailed as a milestone event. Another world But there were hints of worldclass poten tested the result. super heavyweight southpaw Zhang Zhilei, those at the latest Fight Night were Chinese. governing body is reportedly now setting up tial. Wang proved the star of the show,but he “I expose my team to highintensity spar who won bronze at the world amateur “If I can get that to 30 percent for the next a number of Chinese titles. wasn’t the only one to cause a stoppage. ring every day to make them overcome their championships in 2007,and silver at the Bei event I’ll know I’m on the right track,” he To drum up potentially lucrative interest He bloodied Ou’s face in round 3, then fears, feel the pressure of being in a real fight jing Olympics one year later. adds. in the sport in China, Benis organizes bian recovered from a ferocious pounding that and hone their defensive skills,” says Cui Di, Zhang is now working with promoter nual “fight nights” in Beijing and Shanghai saw him resort to clinching to buy time as he who coached the two Wangs and several oth Dino Duva, who wants to relocate him to the Contact the writer at as well as whitecollarboxing events. He is found his legs. A brutal right hook dropped er bluecorner fighters on the April 4 card. United States, so he can pair the fighter with [email protected].