China stuns boxing ring with two golds at Doha Asiad

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-12-14 10:06

Chinese boxers Zou Shiming and Hu Qing overpowered their opponents respectively in the last-day boxing finals, awarding China two golds from the ring at the Doha Asiad here on Wednesday.


China's Zou Shiming celebrates with a flag after winning the men's light flyweight 48kg boxing final at the 15th Asian Games in Doha December 13, 2006.[Reuters]
Zou Shiming, the Chinese world champion, won the 48kg category for the first ever boxing gold medal for China in 16 years since the Beijing Asian Games.

Zou triumphed over Pannon Suban of Thailand with a stoppage victory in the second round with an overwhelming 21-1 lead.

The 24-year-old Chinese admitted that he was too nervous to sleep last night, but had managed to adjust himself when he was on the way to the stadium.

The Thai, a bronze medalist at the Busan Asiad, said that his Chinese opponent was strong and noble, but he could have survived to the last bout if the referee was fair.

China got its second gold of the day when Hu Qing outpointed Mukh Erdene Uranchimeg of Mongolia 38-22 in the 60kg lightweight final.

The 20-year-old was even unknown before the Asian Games, however, Uranchimeg was under pressure from the first punch and trailed 12-6 in the first round and 22-9 after the second. His blue singlet was drenched in sweat as he struggled to keep pace with Hu.

The dream of Chompuphuang Angkhan to become the only Thai to win the gold both in wushu and boxing in the Asian Games failed to come true as Kazakhstan's 2005 world champion Bakhyt Sarsekbayev won over him with a second-bout stoppage in the 69kg final.

Joan Tipon grabbed the second boxing gold for the Philippines with a 21-10 victory against South Korea's Han Soon Chul in the 54kg category.

Djakhon Kurbanov of Tajikistan got the 81kg gold medal by beating South Korean Song Hak Sung in the final, while the referee stopped the over 91kg final in the second bout as Uzbekistan Rustam Saidov was too much for Mukhtarkhan Didabekov of Kazakhstan



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