Zhang's latest progress shows some heavy mettle

Chinese boxing's Big Bang theory is still very much a work in progress - but there is reason for optimism.

Last Saturday in Las Vegas, 6-foot-6, 265-pound Zhang (Big Bang) Zhilei from Zhoukou, Henan province, improved to 6-0 with a workmanlike four-round decision over American Juan Goode on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez's victory over Miguel Cotto in their WBC middleweight title fight.

Since turning professional 19 months ago, the 32-year-old Zhang has made baby-step progress. He's still too easy to hit - mostly because his lateral movement is more buffalo than butterfly - but against Goode, a proven puncher with five KOs in seven fights, the southpaw who won a super heavyweight silver medal for China at the 2008 Beijing Olympics showed a couple of things that aren't measured by the tale of the tape: a cool head and a big heart.