China might be witnessing the birth of another national sports icon
after Zhang Xiyan, 29, from
Heilongjiang Province, claimed the country's
first world title in professional boxing at the weekend.
Zhang won the World Boxing Council Women's Lightweight crown in
the southwest city of Chengdu on Saturday night after beating
Alicia Ashley of the United States. The two fought a close 10-round
bout and were separated only by points. All three referees ruled in
Zhang's favor for landing more hits than her rival.
The one-day meet, which featured three WBC title fights, one
world title and two continental crowns, was the first world-level
professional boxing extravaganza to have been staged on the Chinese
mainland. 12 boxers from eight countries took to the ring.
China, a newcomer to professional boxing, managed a total of two
titles.
Besides Zhang, who turned pro only three months ago, Wu Zhiyu
grabbed the men's light heavyweight crown.
"We had never expected such a good result before the
tournament," said Chang Jianping, the director of the Chinese
Boxing Association. "Our fighters have lifted themselves to an
unprecedented standard, much to everyone's surprise."
Professional boxing, due to its huge potential commercial value,
has become increasingly popular on the mainland in the last few
years following the lifting of a decades-old ban. Evander Holyfield
planned a much-hyped World Boxing Association heavyweight title
fight with John Ruiz in 2001 in China but it never materialized
because of a contractual dispute between the promoter and the
boxers' agents.
But that setback didn't dampen the country's passion for the
sport.
Professional boxing is featured weekly on CCTV 5, the country's
largest sports TV channel, and draws a good audience rating.
(Shanghai Daily April 18, 2006)
