Chinese boxer Zou Shiming has not yet made his professional debut, but the two-time Olympic gold medalist is already being groomed to become the man who takes the multimillion-dollar sport into the mainstream in the most-populous country on the planet.
Top Rank, a Las Vegas-based promotion that has held more than 9,000 fights in 22 countries, has identified Zou as the man to spearhead its expansion into the Chinese market and has booked the 31-year-old for its “Fists of Gold” event at the Cotai Arena in Macau on April 6.
Top Rank founder and chief executive Bob Arum has been involved with boxing for almost 50 years, acting as a promoter for legends like Muhammad Ali, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns and, more recently, Manny Pacquiao, and has high hopes for his latest protege.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ZOU SHIMING
“Zou is an incredible talent, who is beloved in China. This is our entry into the Asian market and we felt that this kid, having the unbelievable amateur experience and the results he’s had, can contend at the highest level in the lighter weight divisions much sooner than fighters that are younger and don’t have the experience,” Arum said.
Arum knows what it takes to turn an Asian boxer into a superstar, having overseen Pacquiao’s stratospheric rise up the boxing ranks. The Filipino is one of the most recognizable sports stars in the world and commands purses in the region of US$25 million a fight.
Arum’s promotional expertise has helped Pacquiao become one of the world’s best-paid athletes, but it is the Filipino’s prowess inside the ring that made it possible, and much of the credit for that must go to trainer Freddie Roach, who helped transform him from a fighter who was unknown outside of Asia to one of boxing’s pound-for-pound kings.
It was not until after Pacquiao started working at Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles that he began to beat the best fighters in the business, such as Marco Antonio Barrera, Eric Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez and Oscar de la Hoya. Last month, Arum arranged for Zou to follow in Pacquiao’s footsteps by making the journey from Asia to the US to learn from the Hall of Fame trainer.
Whereas Pacquiao had already won world titles before he stepped foot inside the Wild Card Gym, Zou has yet to make his professional debut. However, he has won the world amateur championship three times and tasted Olympic gold twice, and Roach is excited about the potential of his newest student.
“He picked up on the moves very quickly, he understands distance and timing and the biggest surprise is that he didn’t seem to have punching power in a lot of his tapes, but he actually can punch with both hands. All he needs is a little confidence and to sit down on his shots and we are going to see some knockouts,” Roach said.
Up-and-coming Asian boxers inevitably find themselves being measured against Pacquiao, but no one is more qualified to make the comparison than Roach, and he believes Zou can go on to have a similar impact in the professional ranks.
“He [Zou] has got a bright future. He reminds me of a young man named Manny Pacquiao when he first walked through my doors, he had a wonderful talent well beyond his years and we’ve got a duplicate here. I’ve taken two fighters from amateurs to world championships and I think he’s going to be my third,” he said.
Zou is taking on Eleazar Valenzuela from Mexico, who only has two wins in five professional fights, so this will not exactly be a baptism of fire for the light flyweight. The challenge for Roach is to transform the safety first, points-scoring style that served his student so well as an amateur into something sufficiently entertaining to move tickets and pay-per-view sales in his professional career.
Headlining “Fists of Gold” is a bout between Brian Viloria and Juan Francisco Estrada, one of two world title fights on a card that will also feature three up-and-coming Philippine boxers. Despite the presence of more experienced and established stars, all eyes in Macau will inevitably be on Zou as the sole Chinese representative.
It is a lot of pressure to put on a fighter ahead of his professional debut, but with Top Rank taking care of things on the promotional side and Roach overseeing his training, Zou’s career is being guided by some of the most experienced hands in the business.
The boxer himself has had to make plenty of adjustments, from getting used to training and living in a new country to preparing to fight for the first time under the professional rule set, but Zou said he believes that by the time the bell rings for the start of his bout on April 6, he will be ready.
“Getting into the ring with Freddie Roach is a dream, he is teaching me everything I need to know to make the transition to a professional. I’m looking forward to my first fight and I will do everything to ensure I’m well prepared,” he said.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two