Chinese boxers basking in glory

Zou Shiming of China celebrates after defeating Luis De La Rosa of Colombia in their flyweight bout during the Champions of Gold boxing event in Macau, China, July 19, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]

Even more indicative of Zou's progress under Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach was the way he responded whenever De La Rosa opted to stay in the pocket and exchange power punches. Two fights ago Zou would've played it safe by using lateral shifts to slip out of range, but this time he attacked with pure fury, often taking two or three big bombs in order to land one of his own.

When the smoke cleared, the sizable lumps on Zou's face bore testament to the price he paid for weathering the storm - but they were battle scars well earned. By stoically answering the critics who questioned if he was capable of winning a war of attrition, he earned one more accolade to put on deposit for when the inevitable call for a title shot comes.

Meanwhile, although neither has yet cracked the world top 10, both Dalian super lightweight Ik Yang and Hong Kong bantamweight Rex Tso continued their impressive rises with spectacular KOs on the Macao card.

Yang moved to 16-0 with a third-round stoppage of Thailand's Rachamonkol Pleonchit, while Tso improved to 14-0 and earned his ninth knockout by starching Indonesia's John Dajawa in five.

Along with Kunming's Xiong Chaozhong, who is scheduled to challenge South Africa's Hekkie Budler for the WBA and IBO world strawweight titles in Monaco on Oct 25, Zou, Yang and Tso are putting Chinese boxing in the international spotlight.

The next big thing - both literally and figuratively - might be 6-foot-6, 245-pound Henan heavyweight Zhang Zhilei. The Aug 8 pro debut of the 2008 Olympic silver medalist, who recently retained former world heavyweight champ Evander Holyfield as an adviser, will be showcased live nationwide in the US on ESPN2.

Murray Greig is a Canadian author and former trainer who has worked the corner in a world title fight. Contact him at: murraygreig@chinadaily.com.cn