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China’s campaign to produce its second world champion in professional boxing hit a snag following rising star Zou Shiming’s loss.
Zou, 33, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, has been fighting for years in the Special Administrative Region of Macau under the American promotional outfit Top Rank, which is bringing professional boxing to Chinese audiences as part of its aggressive Asian expansion.
But at the Venetian’s Cotai Arena on Saturday night, the undefeated Zou lost his aura of invisibility as he was defeated via unanimous decision by Amnat Ruenroeng of Thailand, in their International Boxing Federation (IBF) world flyweight title showdown.
While winning Olympic gold medals made Zou hugely popular in China, he gained worldwide attention when he turned pro and hooked up with the famous American trainer Freddie Roach, who guided him to six consecutive victories.
But against Ruenroeng, challenger Zou displayed a lacklustre performance inside the sold-out arena, not taking much risk to unseat the champion. After the fight, each of the three judges scored 116-111 in favour of the Thai.
Zou’s loss is seen as a major setback in the promotion of boxing in China, where Top Rank hopes to raise the sport’s popularity. It undeniably affects his marketability as the ‘golden boy’ of Chinese boxing.
Another unbeaten Chinese fighter is being groomed as the next Asian boxing star following the Zou debacle. Rex Tso Sing-yu also saw action on Saturday, outpointing Filipino Michael Enriquez in a super flyweight clash.
Tso, 27, is from Hong Kong and it remains to be seen whether he will click with the mainland audience. But he is confident that he can become the next big thing in boxing, declaring that his next step would be a world title win.
“After that, help to popularise boxing in Hong Kong and China. When people think of Hong Kong, I don’t want them to just think of Bruce Lee. I want them to think of Rex Tso,” he told the Agence France Presse following his latest win.
With boxing beginning to lose its status as a major sport in the United States, Top Rank has shifted its focus to China. For the past years, Macau hosted major boxing events, the first being the fight between Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao and Mexican Brandon Rios.
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