Zou Shiming: I Don’t Have The Courage To Retire at The Moment

Two-time Olympic gold medal winner Zou Shiming is not prepared to announce his retirement.

Shiming, who turns 37 in May, is at a crossroads in his life after sustaining optic nerve and bone socket injuries to his left eye in December. The boxer was rushed to hospital after suddenly losing sight in his eye on the flight home to Shanghai.

Shiming’s career took a major hit last July, when he lost his WBO flyweight title after being stopped by huge underdog Sho Kimura of Japan. The Chinese star was the lead promoter of that contest – after parting ways with Top Rank and even severing his relationship with Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach.

There have been reports that Shiming owes millions to his agents – reports that his wife denied.

Fans of the boxer, and some of his close friends, are pleading with him to retire.

“It will be a very difficult [decision to make] and it would be like bidding farewell to an old friend whom you have known for more than 20 years. To be honest, I don’t have the courage to do this [quit the ring] at the moment,” Shiming said to the South China Morning Post.

“But if I am really forced to do so, I think there are a lot of other roles I can play in boxing such as working with the China Boxing Association or training the young Chinese boxers so that they can fulfil their dreams just like I’ve fulfilled my dreams.”

“My sporting career is quite perfect. Not all Olympic gold medallists can say they have become a professional world title holder and vice versa. I am so happy to have witnessed Chinese boxing rising from the ashes and for achieving Olympic honour for my country and then winning a professional world title. I know a boxer’s ability is limited and an athlete’s career is not very long. My optic nerve [in his left eye] has been injured since 2014 and it’s been deteriorating. Even the doctors cannot tell me if I can fully recover if I opt for surgery. That’s why I am still considering what’s best for me.”

http://www.boxingscene.com/zou-shiming-i-courage-retire-moment–126353?print_friendly=1

Photo Caption: SHANGHAI, CHINA – JULY 28: Chinese boxer Zou Shiming in action against Japanese boxer Sho Kimura during WBO Championship Defending Fight between Zou Shiming and Sho Kimura on July 28, 2017 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

WBO Championship Committee Resolution on the request of Zou Xuan Sports of China, on behalf of Zou Shiming against Sho Kimura regarding their July 28, 2017 WBO Flyweight Championship Bout
contested in Shanghai, China.

170918 Final Version Resolution Shiming v. Kimura Rule 18

Photos: Sumio Yamada

Unheralded underdog Sho Kimura (15-1-2, 7 KOs) scored a stunning eleventh round TKO over WBO flyweight champion Zou Shiming (9-2, 2 KOs) on Friday night to claim the WBO belt at the Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China. 

Bleeding badly from a cut above the right eye, Kumura finally caught up with the fleet-footed Zou and battered him to the canvas with a barrage of punches. Zou staggered to his feet but was unable to continue. Time was 2:28. At the time of the stoppage, Zou was ahead 96-94, 97-93 on two cards. Kimura was ahead 96-94 on the third card.

This was Shiming’s first defense and first fight since bolting from promoter Top Rank and trainer Freddie Roach. Shiming promoted this card himself under his Zouxuan Sports banner.

www.fightnews.com/kimura-dethrones-shiming-shock-tko/1841

 L-Brico Santig, R-Sho Kimura photo by Brico Santig

Sho Kimura scored a massive upset when he knocks out former olympian and China’s only boxing world champion Zou Shiming in eleventh round to claim the WBO world flyweight title in Shanghai China.

Kimura improves his record to 15 wins with 8 knockouts , 2 draws and 1 defeat while Shiming drops to 9 wins with 2 defeats.

Kimura became the third Japanese world champion at flyweight (112 pounds) along WBA champion Kazuto Ioka and WBC champion Daigo Higa.

www.powcast.net/2017/07/sho-kimura-knocks-out-zou-shiming-to.html

Date:  Friday – July 28, 2017

WBO FLYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT

Location:  Shanghai Oriental Sports Center, Shanghai, China

Promoter:  Zou Xuan Sport & Culture Development Co. LTD

Supervisor:  Leon Panoncillo, Jr.

Referee:   Danrex Tapdasan

Judges:   Robert Hoyle  96-94,  Edward Ligas  93-97, Sawaeng Thaweekoon  94-96

Results:  The WBO Flyweight Championship Title was won by Sho Kimura.  Sho Kimura (15-1-2, 7 KOs) scored a stunning eleventh round TKO over WBO flyweight champion Zou Shiming (9-2, 2 KOs) to claim the WBO belt against Zou Shiming by KO at the 11th round.

TV:   

By Unus Alladin

Remember the original Rocky movie? The scene when Apollo Creed is busy wheeling and dealing over his desk and one of his trainers, intrigued by Balboa punching cow carcasses on the TV news report remarks: “You better see this. He means business” by which Creed angrily retorts: “No, I mean business!”

The movie, as we all know, is one of Hollywood’s beloved fictional sports movies, but it seems the scene is being played out in real life in Shanghai where China’s golden boy, Zou Shiming, is preparing to make his first WBO world title defence.

Creed narrowly won his first fight against Rocky by points – he lost the title to Rocky in Rocky II – but the movie depicted Creed as a boxing entrepreneur, who underestimated his opponent.

Zou is the two-time Olympic gold medallist turned professional fighter, turned professional flyweight champion and he treads into unknown territory after he made the announcement this year that he was going to be his own man and promote his own fight as he steps into the ring for the 11th time on July 28.

Zou raised eyebrows by refusing to renew his contract with US promoters Top Rank, who helped him make the transition from top amateur to leading professional in less than four years. But Top Rank will, this time, not help the 36-year-old Zou in any shape or form – nor will his long-time Chinese sports agent and marketing partner, Seca.

Zou will do it alone and that could backfire, as Seca boss Li Sheng suggested recently. “I think he’s making a big mistake,” Li said. “He made the decision to promote the fight by himself with his wife [Ran Yingying]. If he wants to become his own promoter, that’s his own choice. He made the decision after he won the world title last November.”

Zou, who is also the three-time amateur world champion, might know a thing or two about fighting but promoting is not his forte and it will be a whole new ball game for the Zunyi-born fighter. Promotion is a tough business. Sponsors must be found, fighters have to be paid and tickets have to be sold to make the event a success. A weak undercard is not going to help, too. Since Zou is putting up his own money to promote his own title defence, expenses are going to run up.

Fighters are usually wary about whether they are going to get paid. There have been many cases of unscrupulous promoters taking the money and running. Without a reputable name like Top Rank behind him, it’s going to be a slog for the now entrepreneurial mainlander.

Zou takes on Japan’s seventh-ranked Sho Kimura (14-1-2, 7 KOs) at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Centre but the mainlander could find himself in a vulnerable position this time.

Alisports, which is part of e-commerce giant Alibaba, is helping Zou as a partner to promote the event but the boxer they call “Fists of Gold” needed a lot of help – from Hong Kong of all places – with Rex Tso’s manager, Jay Lau Chi-yuen, helping him find suitable sparring partners to be flown to Shanghai.

“It was significant that I won the belt in Las Vegas, the boxing temple. I want to bring this glory and passion, as well as the boxing culture, to China,” said Zou in an interview with Agence France-Presse this week.

“I know this business back to front: not just the training, but also their minds, their injuries, their illness and their promotion,” he said.

In the past, everything was arranged for Zou – his training, his purse and promotion – but this time, he will have do things himself, something he has no experience in.

There are rumours Zou doesn’t even have a proper coach and his preparations haven’t been going too smoothly although Zou insisted he will be ready to defend his title.

Without the services of Hall of Famer Freddie Roach, who oversaw Zou’s previous 10 bouts, plus all the modern facilities that were at his disposal in the United States before, Zou could be reverting back to his amateur days … and that’s risky.

Underestimating Kimura, who Hong Kong fans know well, having seen the Japanese knock out his last opponent on the undercard of the Rex Tso-Hirofumi Mukai fight in March, could prove disastrous.

What if Zou loses? Can he fill Shanghai Oriental Sports Centre? Could he end up losing money?

Zou says he is trying to build up the sport and boxing in China. But in essence, he is promoting his own event so that he can earn a much larger slice of the pie.

Nothing wrong with that with a family to feed but if things don’t go well for him and he loses, it will make it that much harder for him to get another world title shot now that he is 36.

It will be interesting to see how Zou fares in Shanghai and whether going alone turns out to be the right decision for him or a bad idea that could spell disaster to his career.

www.boxingscene.com/photos-zou-shiming-sho-kimura-face-face-final-presser–118864

By Unus Alladin

Chinese star Zou Shiming will be fighting for a larger piece of the pie as a boxer turned promoter, while Japanese underdog Sho Kimura will be fighting in his late mother’s honour in Friday night’s eagerly anticipated WBO flyweight title fight in Shanghai.

Zou recently turned to promoting his own fight after severing links with American promoter Top Rank last year and he will be out to make a good start to this new phase of his career in his first defence of the world title he won in Las Vegas last November.

But Kimura (14-1-2, 7 KOs) warned he will be highly motivated – driven by a desire to honour his mother who died at the age of 44 as he was growing up. He said her passing had motivated him to “train harder than before”. The 28-year-old Tokyo-based fighter also said winning was the only way to “get out of poverty” and live a “financially stable life”.

“I come from a poor family. I can’t even afford a new pair of training shoes,” said Kimura, who spent weeks in Thailand to prepare for the fight at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Centre. Zou tipped the scales at 111.9 pounds, while Kimura was a little lighter at 111.6 pounds, well within the 112-pound limit at Thursday’s official weigh-in.

“Zou Shiming will find out that it’s not going to be easy to beat me. I come from Japan and we are tough warriors. Zou is well known in China, but I can be well known and famous if I beat him. I must take this opportunity and win. Once I start, I am not going to stop until I win. The crowd might get behind Zou, but that’s going to motivate me even more,” he said.

Kimura spoke about growing up in poverty and his struggles to make ends meet.

“I have been struggling all my life. I have been using the same gloves for years and I can’t buy a new pair. The gloves I am wearing are still good even though they are worn out. I do part-time work in a restaurant where I help the restaurant deliver [crates of] beer. If I win this bout, I will quit that job,” said Kimura, who lost his first professional fight in 2013 but has been on an unbeaten streak since.

“I’m going to win this belt and take it home and put it on my mother’s grave. When I won the WBO Asia Pacific flyweight title [last November in Osaka] I put my belt on my mother’s grave. But this one is for the world championship. This one is much more prestigious,” he said.

Kimura is known to Hong Kong fans as he was on the undercard of the Rex Tso vs Hirofumi Mukai clash in March. The Japanese won that fight in a second-round knockout against Thailand’s Wisitsak Saiwaewk.

However, the 36-year-old Zou (9-1-0, 2 KOs) was extremely confident of winning his latest fight, saying he won’t allow the belt to leave China.

“I won this belt in America [Las Vegas] last year. It’s staying here. It’s not going anywhere,” said the two-time Olympic gold medallist as he showed off his belt. “I have never lost to a Japanese opponent [in amateur fights] before. This time, the result will be the same. Kimura might be eight years younger than me, but I will speak with my fists. I will teach the younger boxer a good lesson.”

www.boxingscene.com/photos-zou-shiming-sho-kimura-make-weight-battle–118895?print_friendly=1

Photos: Sumio Yamada

Zou Shiming 111.9 vs. Sho Kimura 111.5
(WBO world flyweight title)

Dong Chaoqun 160 vs. Sunil Khokhar 159
Sun Bohao 121 vs. Sithsaithong Lapkatok 121.5
Aming Buhe 140 vs. Bima Prakosa 140
Yan Jie 160 vs. Joe Corner 160
Chen Zubiao 114 vs. Anuj Singh 116

Venue: Shanghai Oriental Sports Center, Shanghai, China
Promoter: Zou Shiming

www.fhttp://www.fightnews.com/zou-kimura-make-weight/1772ightnews.com/zou-kimura-make-weight/1772

Date:   Saturday, November 5, 2016

WBO VACANT FLYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT

Location:   Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Promoter:  Top Rank / Bob Arum

Supervisor:  Leon Panoncillo, Jr.

Referee:  Russell Mora

Judges:  Donald Trella; Tim Cheatham; Robert Hoyle

Results:   Zou Shiming claimed the vacant WBO flyweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Kwanpichit Onesongchaigym.

TV:  Panama RPC Channel 4, Australia Main Event, Hungary Sport 1

By Miguel Maravilla at ringside
Photos: Mikey Williams / Top Rank –

In a clash for the vacant WBO flyweight world championship, two-time Olympic gold medalist Zou Shiming (9-1, 2 KOs) scored a one-sided twelve round unanimous decision over Prasitak Phaprom (39-2-2, 24 KOs) on Saturday night at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Shiming dropped Phaprom in round two en route to a 120-107, 120-107, 119-108 verdict. Shiming easily defeated Phaprom two years ago in Macao and he obtained a world title after this repeat performance.

www.fightnews.com/Boxing/shiming-beats-phaprom-wbo-flyweight-title-358880

By Ryan Burton

In just two days, boxing’s only eight division world champion and the reigning Fighter of the Decade Senator MANNY “Pacman” PACQUIAO (58-6-2, 38 KOs), from General Santos City, Philippines, collides with World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight world champion JESSIE VARGAS (27-1, 10 KOs), of Las Vegas.  Pacquiao and Vargas will go mano a mano and toe-to-toe in a high-stakes welterweight showdown.  Photos by Mikey Williams/Top Rank.

While Pacquiao will be looking to become a three-time WBO welterweight champion as well as the first senator to win a world title, Vargas will be resolute in enforcing a term limit on the future Hall of Famer’s boxing career.

Pacquiao vs. Vargas takes place This Saturday!  November 5 at the Thomas & Mack Center, on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.  Pacquiao vs. Vargas and its three co-main event world title fights will be produced and distributed live by Top Rank® Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT, and will be available on all conventional platforms, including all major cable and satellite systems, as well as Top Rank’s digital distribution via www.TopRank.tv and  mobile devices.

The three additional world championship fights on the pay-per-view telecast include:  four-division world champion NONITO “The Filipino Flash” DONAIRE (37-3, 24 KOs), from General Santos City, Philippines, defending his WBO junior featherweight title against undefeated No. 1 contender JESSIE MAGDALENO (23-0, 17 KOs), from Las Vegas; and newly-minted WBO featherweight champion and two-time Mexican Olympian ÓSCAR VALDEZ (21-0, 18 KOs), from Nogales, Mexico, making his first title defense, against No. 1 contender  HIROSHIGE OSAWA (30-3-4, 19 KOs), from Osaka, Japan.

The pay-per-view telecast will open with the rematch between top-rated contenders Chinese Olympic icon ZOU SHIMING (8-1, 2 KOs), from Guizhou, China, and PRASITAK PAPOEM (39-1-2, 24 KOs), of Buriram, Thailand, battling for the vacant WBO flyweight world title.  Zou a two-time Olympic gold medalist trained by Freddie Roach, will have his hands full against Prasitak, who enters this fight riding a two-year, 12-bout winning streak, with all of his victories coming by way of knockout.

www.boxingscene.com/video-wbo-prez-on-canelo-saunders-parker-ruiz-more–110392?print_friendly=1

By Karl Freitag
Photos: Mikey Williams / Top Rank –

WBO junior lightweight world champion Rocky Martinez (29-2-2, 17 KOs) faced off with WBO featherweight world champion Vasyl Lomachenko (5-1, 3 KOs) in advance of their HBO-televised world title showdown on Saturday night in The Theatre at Madison Square Garden, New York City. In the HBO co-feature, WBO #2 rated lightweight champ Felix “El Diamante” Verdejo (21-0, 14 KOs) faces WBC #11 Juan Jose “Piquet” Martinez (25-2, 17 KOs) for the WBO Latino championship. Also, two-time Olympic gold medalist Zou Shiming (7-1, 2 KOs) meets Jozsef Ajtai (15-2, 10 KOs) for the WBO international flyweight chmpionship.

Rocky Martinez: “If you want to beat me, than you have to kill me, but to kill me you have to prepared to be killed in the ring too.”

Vasyl Lomachenko: “I’m ready to put up $300,000 of my purse as long as Rocky Martinez will put up $300,000 if I win.”

Felix Verdejo: “In Muhammad Ali’s honor, I will give a great fight.”

JJ Martinez: “We will take that title to Mexico.”

Bob Arum: “We will probably have a bigger audience in China than all of the HBO fights for the last three years combined. We expect an audience of perhaps as many as 50 million homes will be watching the Chinese star Zou Shiming.”

www.fightnews.com/Boxing/martinez-lomachenko-clash-heats-up-341340

  Zou Shiming practices with trainer Freddie Roach on Wednesday at the Mendez Boxing gym in Manhattan. Zou, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and current WBO flyweight champ, will make his US ring debut on June 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Niu Yue / China Daily –

By William Hennelly (China Daily USA) –

The mild-mannered Zou Shiming, who weighs 110 pounds or so, seems too friendly to be a boxer.

But when he is in the ring firing off a series of staccato jabs and crosses, it’s easy to see why he is a two-time Olympic gold medal-winner and world champion.

China’s most famous boxer was at the bustling Mendez Boxing gym in Manhattan on Wednesday for a workout open to the media. The affable Zou and his wife, Ran Yingying, a star with Zou on a reality TV show in China, spoke to China Daily after the lively training session.

The flyweight Zou will make his first US ring appearance as a pro on June 11 in none other than New York’s Madison Square Garden.

“I think it should be a dream for all boxers to set foot in a world-class arena like this during their career,” Zou said. “I feel extremely excited. But I’m controlling my excitement, so I hope it could burst out when the fight starts on Saturday.”

“I feel he is really awesome,” his proud wife said. “His preparation, his conditioning and his cooperation with coaches – everything is awesome. He has been training so hard recently, I believe everyone will be able to tell from the fight on Saturday.”

Zou, 35, the World Boxing Organization International flyweight champion, will face a man slightly more than half his age in 19-year-old Jozsef Ajtai of Hungary. The non-title 10-round bout will be featured on the undercard of the Roman Martinez-Vasyl Lomachenko fight and televised on HBO.

“I believe he will be full of momentum, like a tiger coming down the mountain,” Zou said of his opponent. “But I’m also very well prepared.”

The appearance is a poignant one for Zou, who was saddened by the passing of Muhammad Ali on June 3. After all, it was the Garden where “The Greatest” had perhaps his most ballyhooed heavyweight fight, the 1971 classic against Joe Frazier.

“I hope I can pay a tribute to him with a nice victory on Saturday. I planned to go visit my idol Muhammad Ali after winning a professional bout. But now, I can only pray he is at peace in heaven and free from illness and pain,” Zou posted on his Weibo account last week.

Ali died at age 74 after a long battle with Parkinson’ s – a disease that Zou’s trainer, Freddie Roach, 56, has been coping with since he was 27.

Known for his work with Manny Pacquiao, Roach, whose roster of fighters also includes Miguel Cotto, Oscar De La Hoya, Bernard Hopkins and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, has no plans to let up. He was in the Mendez ring with Zou on Wednesday, deftly deflecting Zou’s rapid-fire punches with training mitts. (Zou also parried with Zhang Chuanliang, his veteran Olympic trainer.)

A decade or so ago, Roach said Ali and his daughter visited Roach’s gym in Los Angeles unannounced. They discussed boxing and their treatment to reduce the symptoms of Parkinson’s.

“We got to know him pretty well,” Roach told The Associated Press. “He played jokes, he did magic, he hit the heavy bag, and the best thing for me was when he started hitting the heavy bag, his tremors went away and he had no problems at all, and it was like when I get in the ring and get on the mitts with the fighters and so forth, all my symptoms kind of go away so our comfort zone was similar.”

Zou’s last bout was in Shanghai, where he defeated then-unbeaten Natan Santana Coutinho of Brazil in an eight-round technical knockout for the WBO title on Jan 30.

A son of Zunyi, in Southwest China’s Guizhou province, Zou has a pro record of 7-1, with two knockouts. The lone defeat was to Thailand’s Amnat Ruenroeng on March 7, 2015, by unanimous decision.

Zou’s January fight in Shanghai was billed as “The Return of the King”, the second event in the Chinese League of Fists organized by his promoter Top Rank and SECA. It marked Zou’s return to boxing after the loss to Ruenroeng and was watched by an estimated 36.5 million in China.

“No matter what the final outcome, I must show Chinese athletes’ fortitude, courage and confidence to everybody,” he said. “China’s sports are under rapid development, so even in a sport we are not that good at, like boxing, we should have a place of our own.”

www.usa.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2016-06/09/content_25662038.htm

 Credito: Foto de vk.com/boxnews.com.ua

SHANGHAI, CHINA- China’s boxing star Zou Shiming made a marvelous return to the ring and stopped Natan Santana Coutinho of Brazil in eight rounds at the Oriental Sports Center.

Zou boxed well as expected but Santana stoked the ire of the hometown crowd early when he clowned around and taunted Zou in the opening round. Zou continued to move and use his longer reach but he showed he was not afraid to engage Santana at close quarters.

As the rounds progressed, Zou landed at will and the cheers of the crowd got louder. In the fifth, a swift volley hurt Santana but he remained on his feet. Zou’s boxing lesson continued and in the eighth, the Brazilian was pinned on the ropes and a series of unanswered punches prompted Thai Referee Sawaeng Thaweekoon to call a halt at the 2:17 mark.

Zou wins the vacant WBO international flyweight title and resumes his title hunt after losing his IBF title shot to Amnat Ruenroeng of Thailand.

Zou is now 7W-1L, 2KO’s while Santana suffered his first loss after 12 wins, 10 by KO.

This fight served as the main event of “Return of the King- the Rising of the Fists” held Saturday in Shanghai.

http://philboxing.com/news/story-115778.html

By Jake Donovan

A phone call from representatives handling the career of two-time Olympic Gold medalist Zou Shiming to the Top Rank office led to what has become an ongoing tradition of promoting major fight cards in Macau. That marriage – not even yet two years old – is already on the verge of reaping major benefits.

Shiming has spent his entire young pro career fighting at The Venetian Macao, beginning with his pro debut last April.

“None of this would have been possible if we weren’t contacted by the people who represent Zou Shiming,” Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum pointed out of the ongoing relationship between Top Rank and the casino resort often referred to as ‘Las Vegas on steroids.’

In that debut show, Shiming won a four-round decision over Eleazer Valenuela. The bout was billed as the headlining act given the soaring popularity of the most successful boxer in the history of China’s amateur boxing program, including Olympic Gold medals won in 2008 at home in Beijing and 2012 in London. The highlight of that show, however, was Juan Francisco Estrada scoring what at the time was a major upset over Brian Viloria to become a two-belt flyweight titlist.

If all goes well in their next bouts, their paths could cross in the ring.

Top Rank and Shiming return to the Venetian Macao on November 23 (November 22 in the United States), with a show headlined by a welterweight title fight between legendary Manny Pacquiao and unbeaten Chris Algieri. On the undercard, Shiming (5-0, 1KO) appears in his first scheduled 12-round bout as he faces unbeaten Thai boxer Kwanpichit OnesongchaiGym (27-0-2, 12KOs). Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum confirmed during Monday’s press conference in Macau that the bout will serve as an official title eliminator.

The winner will go on to face the last man standing in the September 6 mouthwatering clash between Estrada and former lineal 108 lb. king Giovani Segura.

From a promotional standpoint, Arum is naturally rooting for his guy to win. Also, so that he no longer has to butcher then name of the unbeaten opponent who will stand across the ring from Shiming.

“Zou Shiming won three medals in three (Olympic) competitions, the second and third being Gold medals,” Arum reminded the assembled media during Monday’s press conference in Macau, the first stop of a 27,000-mile press tour that concludes September 4th in New York. “China had never been a hotbed for boxing, so the past few years have been an education. The past few years have been educational.

“A lot of that is attributable to following Zou Shiming and his winning Olympic medals. He will go into the ring on November 23, in a WBO title eliminator versus the Thai fighter (Kwanpichit OnesongchaiGym). Thank God he changed his name, he now goes by 13-Rien Express. The title eliminator will be fought over 12 rounds.”

Shiming has quickly advanced up the scale since his pro debut. His two ring appearances in 2014 came in fights scheduled for eight and ten rounds, respectively. Shiming only enjoyed one early night, though not by much as he stopped Yokthong KKP in the 7th round of their February flyweight bout.

His most recent ring appearance was his deepest to date, a 12-round decision over Luis de la Rosa this past July. It was the first time in Shiming’s career that Arum was unable to sit ringside, as the promoter was still recovering from knee surgery. The 33-year old flyweight hopes it’s the only time the two are separated, especially as he already begins to hit the prime years of his rapidly escalated career.

“Bob missed my last fight, so I hope all of my fights in the future are in the company of Bob Arum,” Shiming noted. “I’m grateful for all that Bob has done for me so that we can progress with each fight.”

Following the completion of the press tour, Shiming will travel to the Philippines, joining his head trainer Freddie Roach and Pacquiao in training camp. The preparation is truly a team effort, one that even has the Filipino legend rooting for his stable mate to the world title stage despite his own difficult assignment lying ahead.

“Zou Shiming is going to train with me in the Philippines,” Pacquaio confirmed to the media during Monday’s presser. The comment was accompanied by a big grin, as Pacquiao turned to Shiming while holding two fingers in the air. “Two more fights to become a world champion.”

http://www.boxingscene.com/shiming-onesongchaigym-confirmed-wbo-eliminator—81413

By Dan Rafael ESPN.com

Three-time Chinese Olympic medalist Zou Shiming, the most decorated Chinese amateur boxer, is turning professional under the promotion of Top Rank’s Bob Arum.

After promoting Saturday’s Mikey Garcia-Orlando Salido featherweight title fight in New York on Saturday, Arum left for Beijing on Sunday and on Wednesday announced the signing of Zou at a news conference there.

“Zou is an incredible talent who is beloved in the People’s Republic of China,” Arum said. “We at Top Rank will make every effort to make certain that he has a spectacular career as a professional boxer.”

Zou, 31, won light flyweight Olympic gold at the 2012 London Games and 2008 Beijing Games — where he became a national hero — as well as a bronze medal at the 2004 Athens Games.

Zou, who has said that Muhammad Ali is his boxing hero, is also a three-time gold medalist at the World Amateur Championships, winning in 2005, 2007 and 2011.

He was the first Chinese Olympic boxing medalist as well as his country’s first gold medalist in the Olympics and World Amateur Championships.

Arum announced that Zou will make his professional debut on April 6 at the Venetian Macao Resort Hotel in Macau. Arum has long been looking to penetrate the Asian market and for years has talked about putting on boxing events in Macau, the Asian casino hotbed.

“We are extremely grateful to the Sands China Ltd. for its great cooperation in this venture to launch the professional career of this great young athlete,” Arum said.

Discussions between Zou and Top Rank began before Christmas, Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti told ESPN.com.

Moretti said that the April 6 card will be built around Zou’s pro debut but could also include a defense by flyweight titleholder Brian Viloria (32-3, 19 KOs), a Filipino-American from Hawaii. Moretti said the show might also include fighters from the Philippines who are part of Manny Pacquiao’s stable.

“We’re trying to figure out the production and TV and the rest of the card now,” Moretti said.

http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id/8872294/zou-shiming-chinese-olympic-medalist-boxer-going-pro