Zou gunning for global fistic glory

A win on Nov 23 will land title shot for mercurial Chinese flyweight

Now that he is the first Chinese boxer to notch a hat-trick in the Top 10 pro rankings, Zou Shiming is one victory away from challenging for a world championship.

Las Vegas-based promoter Top Rank announced this week that the winner of a 12-round World Boxing Organization flyweight eliminator pitting Zou against Thailand's unbeaten Kwanpichit Onesongchaigym on Nov 23 at Macao's Cotai Arena will be declared the mandatory challenger for WBO champion Juan Estrada of Mexico.

Onesongchaigym, whose 27-0 record includes 12 knockouts, won the WBO Orient flyweight title in 2012 and has defended it seven times.

Six of the 33-year-old brawler's past 10 wins have come via KO and he is currently ranked No 3 in the world.

Zou, China's double Olympic gold medalist who turned 33 in March, owns a record of 5-0 with one knockout since turning pro 17 months ago.

His last outing - a 10-round unanimous decision over ranked contender Luis De La Rosa in July - was for the WBO's vacant International flyweight belt and vaulted him into the Top 10 of the WBA (4), WBO (5) and WBC (6), marking the first time a Chinese boxer has cracked the elite of all three sanctioning bodies.

"This will be my first time fighting a bout that is scheduled for 12 rounds, so it will be the toughest test of my skills as a professional," Zou said.

"As we all know, the boxing atmosphere in Thailand is awesome. I have watched videos of my opponent's fights, where he performed fiercely and bravely. It is no surprise that he is undefeated.

"I respect his strength and skills. This Nov 23 fight is so important because so much is at stake - most of all the opportunity to fight for the world title if I am victorious.

"I will make this the best training camp I have ever had so I can give my best performance ever."

At 5-foot-5, Zou will enjoy a three-inch height advantage over Onesongchaigym but the Thai veteran holds a big edge in pro rounds: 165 to 33.

Onesongchaigym has also won all three of his bouts that have gone the 12-round championship limit.

A title showdown with the 24-year-old Estrada (28-2, 20 KOs) could come as soon as February, if all goes according to plan for Zou and his Hall of Fame trainer, Freddie Roach.

"Zou showed he can go the distance and still be punching hard and accurately at the end of 10 rounds," Roach said after watching his fighter dominate De La Rosa.

"We're still working on some things and he's getting a better handle on sitting down on his punches, so moving up to 12 rounds for his next fight won't be a problem. That's world championship distance ... and that's what we're aiming for."

Zou's fight will be the featured prelim on the triple world championship 'Clash In Cotai II' card, headlined by iconic southpaw Filipino puncher Manny Pacquiao (56-5, 38 KOs) defending his WBO welterweight crown against undefeated American Chris Algieri (20-0, 8 KOs).

Also featured will be unbeaten Hong Kong super flyweight contender Rex Tso (14-0, 9 KOs) and stylish Macao junior middleweight Kuok Kun Ng (5-0, 2 KOs), against an as yet unsigned opponents.

The other world title bouts will see Vasyl Lomanchenko of Ukraine risk his WBO featherweight crown against No 1-ranked Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo of Thailand and Jessie Vargas of the US defend his WBA super lightweight belt against former champion Antonio DeMarco of Mexico.

Lomanchenko, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, captured the vacant title on June 21 with a sensational majority decision over previously unbeaten Gary Russell of the US, who went into the bout with a record of 24-0.

It marked just the second time in history that a boxer has won a world title in his third punch-for-pay outing - the first being Thailand's Saensak Muangsurin in 1975.

"I am very happy to have become a world champion in only my third professional bout," said Lomanchenko.

"I just followed my trainer's fight plan against Russell - work the body, make him fight back as much as possible and then go to the head.

"Russell was very fast and I had to take my time. I felt I hurt him a few times and I did not feel his power at all. That was a big win for my country. I am looking forward to another great fight when I go to Macao."

Vargas (25-0, 9 KOs) will be fighting outside the US for the first time in his professional career when he takes on DeMarco (31-3-1, 23 KOs).

The 25-year-old American captured the WBA super lightweight title with a unanimous decision over Russia's Khabib Allakhverdiev on the undercard of Pacquiao's win over Timothy Bradley in April.

"DeMarco is a tough, rugged brawler who comes to fight," said Vargas. "It's very exciting for our team to be in Macao for an event of this magnitude and I plan on bringing my world title belt back to Las Vegas."

The 28-year-old DeMarco, who is also trained by Roach, is anxious to regain the crown he lost by KO at the hands of Adrien Broner in 2012.

"The goal to win another world championship and bring it back to Mexico are the reasons why I keep fighting and this title fight against Vargas is a great opportunity to do just that," said DeMarco.

murraygreig@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 09/26/2014 page24)