Eastern Promise: Zou Shiming Leads Asian Boxing To New Heights
Eastern Promise: Zou Shiming Leads Asian Boxing To New Heights
Zou Shiming is breaking records as boxing begins to rise in popularity in China.
By Roy Billington
London, England. August 12, 2012. Zou Shiming enters the sold out ExCeL London to make his way to the ring. Over the last 8 years, Shiming has made this walk hundreds of times, the venue may differ, but some things remain consistent. The defending Olympic champion is emblazoned in red, the color synonymous with his homeland of China, as he steps into the ring for the final time, all eyes are on Shiming.
The path to greatness in amateur boxing is a war of attrition, countless fights, no-named tournaments and gym-wars all precede the few moments of glory that the amateur iteration of pugilism can provide. On his route to London, Zou Shiming had dazzled, but at the final hurdle he disappointed. In a razor-close fight, many analysts and fighters had felt that Kaeo Pongprayoon of Thailand had done enough to take home Gold, but the judges thought otherwise, declaring Shiming victorious by 13-10. A chorus of boos was the soundtrack to Zou Shiming’s last amateur fight, but little did those in attendance realise that the man before them would be revolutionizing the sport of boxing in a few short years.
Despite the obvious similarities, the sport of professional boxing is very different to professional fight. For Zou Shiming to emulate the in-ring successes of his amateur career he would need to set a plan in action. The first port of call for the newly-professional Shiming was a meeting with Bob Arum. Following some protracted discussions, Shiming decided to sign with Arum’s Top Rank promotion. Once Zou Shiming’s promotion was arranged, the Chinese star began to look for a trainer that was up to the task of readying him for the complex transition to the pro ranks, for this arduous job Shiming enlisted the help of Freddie Roach, who had a previous history of honing amateur talent.
The rise of Zou Shiming as a professional has been a thing of beauty. After debuting in spectacular fashion on the undercard of the Magdaleno/Martinez title fight in Macau, Shiming began a rapid ascent up the flyweight rankings.
After putting another fight in Macau in dominant fashion, Shiming was given his first taste of western exposure, a spot on the undercard of fellow Top Rank fighter, Manny Pacquiao's fight against Brandon Rios. Shiming once again won in a one-sided fight. With his victory reaching a wide viewership, the star of Shiming began to rise exponentially.
Following a knockout victory in his 4th professional fight, Shiming was offered the unthinkable, a title shot after just 4 fights. Shiming’s opponent, Colombian knockout artist Luis de la Rocha was picked by many to beat the 2-time Olympic Gold Medalist, but it wasn’t to be. The Chinese star picked apart the Colombian and earned the unanimous decision victory. Shiming had completed the perfect beginning to a professional career, winning a reputable title and garnering fame in his native China.
The road to stardom is one paved with pitfalls, at every turn fighters face adversity and on one evening in Macau, Zou Shiming suffered a series of unfortunate events. Amnat Ruenroeng entered his bout with Zou unbeaten, few expected the Thai fighter to last the distance with Shiming, but he did. In the early rounds Shiming had some success before suffering an unfortunate shoulder injury that would hinder his performance, Ruenroeng capitalized on his adversaries adversity and took home a decision victory.
Even though Shiming tasted defeat, his fight with Ruenroeng was widely viewed in China, the masses tuned into to see the burgeoning talent and although he tasted defeat, he earned the appreciation of the fans.
It is hard to imagine now, given the recent successes of the Chinese national team that China’s modern boxing history only really stems back to the early 1990’s. In 1992, China sent their first boxers to the Olympic games and in 2004, Zou Shiming took home the prestigious nation’s first medal. The growth of boxing in China has been slow, popularity wasn’t even comparable to Latin American nation’s until Zou Shiming came along. Some feared that when Shiming had his first fight since losing 2 weeks ago that his popularity would be shown to be dwindling, but it turned out to be the opposite.
When Shiming faced Natan Santana Countinho in Shanghai on January 28th, a record-breaking amount of fans tuned in. Some 36.5 million Chinese people tuned into watch Shiming’s return, an amount not comparable to anything previously seen in the Chinese marketing which could act as a sign that the sport could be about to boom in the East. Interestingly, Ryoto Murata, a fellow Gold medalist also appeared on the card which should help propel him towards stardom too.
While many were shocked at the viewership numbers, Bob Arum sees it as just a sign of things to come:
“These events are growing the sport of boxing in China at a tremendous rate," Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said. "The voracious appetite of the fans and the sponsors proves that mainland China is very fertile territory for our sport. The potential is unlimited and should pay off big benefits in terms of exposure."
The future is bright for Chinese boxing, Zou Shiming is ushering in a new age of boxing in the East.
London, England. August 12, 2012. Zou Shiming enters the sold out ExCeL London to make his way to the ring. Over the last 8 years, Shiming has made this walk hundreds of times, the venue may differ, but some things remain consistent. The defending Olympic champion is emblazoned in red, the color synonymous with his homeland of China, as he steps into the ring for the final time, all eyes are on Shiming.
The path to greatness in amateur boxing is a war of attrition, countless fights, no-named tournaments and gym-wars all precede the few moments of glory that the amateur iteration of pugilism can provide. On his route to London, Zou Shiming had dazzled, but at the final hurdle he disappointed. In a razor-close fight, many analysts and fighters had felt that Kaeo Pongprayoon of Thailand had done enough to take home Gold, but the judges thought otherwise, declaring Shiming victorious by 13-10. A chorus of boos was the soundtrack to Zou Shiming’s last amateur fight, but little did those in attendance realise that the man before them would be revolutionizing the sport of boxing in a few short years.
Despite the obvious similarities, the sport of professional boxing is very different to professional fight. For Zou Shiming to emulate the in-ring successes of his amateur career he would need to set a plan in action. The first port of call for the newly-professional Shiming was a meeting with Bob Arum. Following some protracted discussions, Shiming decided to sign with Arum’s Top Rank promotion. Once Zou Shiming’s promotion was arranged, the Chinese star began to look for a trainer that was up to the task of readying him for the complex transition to the pro ranks, for this arduous job Shiming enlisted the help of Freddie Roach, who had a previous history of honing amateur talent.
The rise of Zou Shiming as a professional has been a thing of beauty. After debuting in spectacular fashion on the undercard of the Magdaleno/Martinez title fight in Macau, Shiming began a rapid ascent up the flyweight rankings.
After putting another fight in Macau in dominant fashion, Shiming was given his first taste of western exposure, a spot on the undercard of fellow Top Rank fighter, Manny Pacquiao's fight against Brandon Rios. Shiming once again won in a one-sided fight. With his victory reaching a wide viewership, the star of Shiming began to rise exponentially.
Following a knockout victory in his 4th professional fight, Shiming was offered the unthinkable, a title shot after just 4 fights. Shiming’s opponent, Colombian knockout artist Luis de la Rocha was picked by many to beat the 2-time Olympic Gold Medalist, but it wasn’t to be. The Chinese star picked apart the Colombian and earned the unanimous decision victory. Shiming had completed the perfect beginning to a professional career, winning a reputable title and garnering fame in his native China.
The road to stardom is one paved with pitfalls, at every turn fighters face adversity and on one evening in Macau, Zou Shiming suffered a series of unfortunate events. Amnat Ruenroeng entered his bout with Zou unbeaten, few expected the Thai fighter to last the distance with Shiming, but he did. In the early rounds Shiming had some success before suffering an unfortunate shoulder injury that would hinder his performance, Ruenroeng capitalized on his adversaries adversity and took home a decision victory.
Even though Shiming tasted defeat, his fight with Ruenroeng was widely viewed in China, the masses tuned into to see the burgeoning talent and although he tasted defeat, he earned the appreciation of the fans.
It is hard to imagine now, given the recent successes of the Chinese national team that China’s modern boxing history only really stems back to the early 1990’s. In 1992, China sent their first boxers to the Olympic games and in 2004, Zou Shiming took home the prestigious nation’s first medal. The growth of boxing in China has been slow, popularity wasn’t even comparable to Latin American nation’s until Zou Shiming came along. Some feared that when Shiming had his first fight since losing 2 weeks ago that his popularity would be shown to be dwindling, but it turned out to be the opposite.
When Shiming faced Natan Santana Countinho in Shanghai on January 28th, a record-breaking amount of fans tuned in. Some 36.5 million Chinese people tuned into watch Shiming’s return, an amount not comparable to anything previously seen in the Chinese marketing which could act as a sign that the sport could be about to boom in the East. Interestingly, Ryoto Murata, a fellow Gold medalist also appeared on the card which should help propel him towards stardom too.
While many were shocked at the viewership numbers, Bob Arum sees it as just a sign of things to come:
“These events are growing the sport of boxing in China at a tremendous rate," Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said. "The voracious appetite of the fans and the sponsors proves that mainland China is very fertile territory for our sport. The potential is unlimited and should pay off big benefits in terms of exposure."
The future is bright for Chinese boxing, Zou Shiming is ushering in a new age of boxing in the East.