China’s golden boy rolls up his sleeves for comeback at year-end

China’s two-time Olympic gold medalist Zou Shiming’s defeat in the International Boxing Federation (IBF) world championship fight, held in March, barely discouraged him from realizing his world title dream. At the moment, Zou is proactively preparing himself for a comeback this the upcoming November.
During a telephone interview with the Times, Zou revealed that his first attempt at a world title, also his very first defeat since becoming a pro player, was merely a lesson to learn. Through this lesson, China’s golden boy has managed to identify his underlying shortcomings and thus sharpen his edges for a better fight later on.
“I have been constantly maintaining my physical strength after the challenge in March, where although I didn’t succeed, I have accumulated some experience. After such a mental and technical ‘baptism,’ I will be better prepared for the next one,” said Zou, adding that details on his year-­end bout were yet to be confirmed.
Months after the session with his Thai rival Amnat Ruenroeng, the 34-year-­old viewed the fight as an opportunity, more than anything else, which could only be conducive to his fast-thriving career.
“There’s no definite win or loss in a [boxing] contest. Though I have barely experienced loss since I became a professional boxer, surely we have all gone through losses to get where we are now,” said Zou. “We have never been let down by failures. We can win it back. As a Chinese man from a giant country, I have our nation’s spirit. Moreover, there will be more opportunities, as this bout isn’t the very last one.”
Despite being the center of attention for millions of mainland boxing affictionados who applauded him during his past winning streak, Zou said he carried no pressure on his shoulders after March’s disappointing result: “What was more important was that everybody was witnessing his efforts and growth.”
He stated: “No pressure at all. There’d be more stress if you were winning the whole time. In contrast, after you lose you can identify your flaws and further plan for the next one.”
Inquired as to what he has learnt from the previous fight, Zou stressed that the experience he acquired from his last encounter “was pretty vast, such as what strategies should be employed on what occasions of the bout, because I didn’t fully execute them due to some injuries at the time.”
It was reported earlier that the Chinese professional boxer would be appearing in tomorrow’s fight at the Venetian Macao, where his fellow fighter Yang Lian Hui, also from Top Rank, would vie for the IBF junior welterweight world title. Nevertheless, some other opportunities that arose caused Zou to change his mind, with the star choosing to rest while promoting boxing through some mainland programs.
“I’ve been fighting for a long time and this has more or less caused me some injuries and they take time to heal. Therefore we’re preparing ourselves for November, and before that time is the period for us to rest,” said Zou.
Outside the ring or training grounds, the Chinese professional boxer might hardly have time to rest due to his tight schedule. Yet he will still spare a great deal of time for strengthening training. “At the moment, the training is to keep me acquainted with the skills and strategies that will ensure that I can get into the groove as fast as possible when I get in the ring.” Staff reporter