Zou battles for debut pro victory
Source: Agencies |
April 7, 2013, Sunday
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Print Edition
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CHINA'S Zou Shiming celebrated victory in his debut professional fight yesterday in Macau, but he did it the hard way, defeating little-known Mexican Eleazar Valenzuela on points.
The two-time Olympic champion and China's first boxer to make it to the world stage won on a unanimous points decision, with all three judges giving him victory 40-36.
Wearing gold trunks, Zou, 31, let his opponent do all the work in the first round. Valenzuela went after the home hero, who danced and dodged past and under the Mexican's wild shots. Zou grinned broadly at one point as yet another Valenzuela swing hit nothing but air at a feverish Cotai Arena at The Venetian resort-hotel.
But if Zou, his United States promoters and the millions in China watching the fight live on television had been expecting a first-round victory for their man, they were disappointed.
The second round followed the same script, Valenzuela doing the work and Zou ducking and diving his way out of trouble, challenging his opponent to bring on more.
Halfway through the scheduled four rounds and things were not exactly going to plan for Zou and an electric home crowd, which had hoped for a quick win.
But the Chinese fighter showed plenty more in the third, rocking Valenzuela twice, first with a strong right and then a clubbing left, bringing the patriotic home support to its feet.
In the fourth and final round, Zou finally showed more ambition as he connected with some impressive body shots and hunted down a spectacular finish against the stubborn Valenzuela in the non-title flyweight bout that topped the "Fists of Gold" bill.
Zou signed up with Bob Arum's Las Vegas-based Top Rank promotions and trained under the celebrated Freddie Roach.
Roach has drawn comparisons between Zou and multiple world champion Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines, also in his stable. "Freddie has been incredible, he has made the transition from amateur to professional very easy and I love working with him," Zou said earlier.
In an earlier bout, Mexican Juan Francisco Estrada upset Brian Viloria to win the WBO and WBA flyweight titles.
The two-time Olympic champion and China's first boxer to make it to the world stage won on a unanimous points decision, with all three judges giving him victory 40-36.
Wearing gold trunks, Zou, 31, let his opponent do all the work in the first round. Valenzuela went after the home hero, who danced and dodged past and under the Mexican's wild shots. Zou grinned broadly at one point as yet another Valenzuela swing hit nothing but air at a feverish Cotai Arena at The Venetian resort-hotel.
But if Zou, his United States promoters and the millions in China watching the fight live on television had been expecting a first-round victory for their man, they were disappointed.
The second round followed the same script, Valenzuela doing the work and Zou ducking and diving his way out of trouble, challenging his opponent to bring on more.
Halfway through the scheduled four rounds and things were not exactly going to plan for Zou and an electric home crowd, which had hoped for a quick win.
But the Chinese fighter showed plenty more in the third, rocking Valenzuela twice, first with a strong right and then a clubbing left, bringing the patriotic home support to its feet.
In the fourth and final round, Zou finally showed more ambition as he connected with some impressive body shots and hunted down a spectacular finish against the stubborn Valenzuela in the non-title flyweight bout that topped the "Fists of Gold" bill.
Zou signed up with Bob Arum's Las Vegas-based Top Rank promotions and trained under the celebrated Freddie Roach.
Roach has drawn comparisons between Zou and multiple world champion Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines, also in his stable. "Freddie has been incredible, he has made the transition from amateur to professional very easy and I love working with him," Zou said earlier.
In an earlier bout, Mexican Juan Francisco Estrada upset Brian Viloria to win the WBO and WBA flyweight titles.
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