Nothing comical about Zou's preparation

Now that Zou Shiming is a comic book hero, it is about time he started showing some super power.

Ahead of his third pro fight on the under card of Manny Pacquiao vs Brandon Rios at Cotai Arena in Macao on Sunday, China's two-time Olympic gold medalist was the special guest at the unveiling of a month-long exhibit of comic book art at the Venetian Resort & Casino.

Created by Jet Wu, a former boxer who represented Macao at the Asian Games in 2006 and 2010, the comics chronicle Zou's rise as 'The Chinese King of Boxing'.

Zou's trainer, Freddie Roach, would love it if the overblown depictions of punching power turn out to be a foreshadowing of his fighter's six-round showdown with Mexico's unbeaten Juan Toscano (4-0, 1 KO) on Sunday - but he is not holding his breath.

"I would love to see Zou knock him out, but I don't think we are at that point yet," Roach said after going three hard rounds on the hand pads with the 32-year-old native of Zunyi, Guizhou province.

"Three Olympics and all those amateur fights mean that old habits die hard. There is still some of that amateur mentality creeping into Zou's mindset as a pro, but he is working hard to change it.

"The biggest thing going into this fight was getting him to stand in the pocket and sit down on his punches more. He surprises me sometimes when we are working the mitts and he shows a lot of power with both hands, but so far it has not transferred into his fights.

"It would be gravy to get a KO against Toscano, but I will be satisfied just to see some of Zou's power come to the surface ... enough to rock the other guy, instead of just scoring points."

Roach said Zou's exposure to "a champion's lifestyle" while in camp with eight-time world titleholder Pacquiao was an eye opener for the Chinese flyweight.

"Just to be around a guy like Manny and have the opportunity to see and soak up what it takes to be the best in the world was a great learning experience for the kid," said Roach.

"I made him sit and watch how Manny prepares himself - even for sparring. Manny is a wonderful role model, as both a fighter and a man. And I could see that it affected Zou. He finally asked if he could spar four rounds with Manny and I said 'yes'. It was a huge thrill for him ... and he did OK."

Thanks to the polishing at Pacquiao's camp in the Philippines, Zou looks stronger and faster than he did before his first two pro outings, both of which he won by decision.

"He is getting stronger all the time, so eventually he will start knocking guys out," said Roach. "He had a lot of variety at this camp, working with two or three different sparring partners every day. He saw a lot of styles and techniques. Like I said, I'd love to see him load up and put this guy away, but that is a tall order.

"That is what makes this fight interesting. Tozcano is a puncher, and he is very aggressive. Zou will have to deal with that, while at the same time do what we have worked on in training. The other guy throws wide punches, so Zou should be able to go up the middle. We will see.

"It could come down to not who hits harder, but which guy is more accurate. That is why we worked on shortening up his punches. Instead of shooting his right hand, he was arching it. He has really improved that punch."

For his part, Zou said the fact he is coming off the best camp of his short punch-for-pay career has given him an added boost.

"I feel really great because of the intensity of the training," he said through an interpreter. "I was training for an eight-rounder, so I feel very strong and sharp."

Murray Greig is a Canadian author and copy editor. He can be contacted at murraygreig@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 11/22/2013 page23)