Boxer lives up to his 'Monster' image

Baby-faced fighter Xu Can has lived up to his moniker "Monster" by defending his World Boxing Association featherweight title in a ruthless fashion to boost the profile of Chinese professional boxing.

While professional boxing in China has long anticipated the rise of a local hero to help promote the sport as National Basketball Association legend Yao Ming did for basketball, Xu has emerged as a strong candidate after retaining the WBA featherweight title he first won at Yao's former home arena in Houston, Texas.

Xu, known as "Monster" in the ring for his aggressive attack, dispatched Japanese challenger Shun Kubo (13-2, 9 knockouts) with a sixth-round stoppage following a lethal three-punch combo in his hometown Fuzhou, Jiangxi province, on Sunday to keep the 126-pound belt in China after wresting it from Puerto Rico's Jesus Rojas at the Toyota Center, Houston, in January.

The victory in his first title defense improved Xu's record to 17-2 (3 KOs) and saw the 25-year-old become just the second Chinese to successfully defend a world championship crown after retired compatriot Xiong Chaozhong retained his World Boxing Council minimum-weight title in 2013 against Filipino Denver Cuello.

With his confidence boosted by his performance against Kubo, a former WBA super bantamweight champion, Xu has set his sights on unifying the fragmented WBA division. While Xu holds the "regular" WBA featherweight title, Mexico's Leo Santa Cruz is currently the "super" champion of the division.

"Santa Cruz has always been my target," said Xu, who fights for Beijing-based Max Power Promotions, a boxing promotion agency. "I am looking forward to a WBA-title-unifying bout against him."

"I don't want to make any bold statement (about my next defense) because my fight always speaks for me. Now that I've proved I belong in the top of the division, I fear no one."

Xu also became the first Chinese to win a title fight against a Japanese boxer following Xiong's failed challenge against Daisuke Naito for the WBC world flyweight title 10 years ago and two-time Olympic champion Zou Shiming's loss to Sho Kimura in his first World Boxing Organization flyweight defense in 2017 in Shanghai.

"We have strong faith in Xu, believing he has what it takes to beat a tough challenger in a quality fight," said Lu Xiaolong, CEO of Max Power. "The rise of Chinese professional boxing needs a convincing victory like this to maintain the momentum, and Xu delivered it."

Born in remote Zixi county in Jiangxi province, Xu moved to Kunming, Yunnan province, at 16, supported by his pastry-making parents. There he trained in renowned Chinese promoter Liu Gang's professional system, carving out a different career path than Zou and Xiong, who were more influenced by the amateur style that prevailed within the State-run system.

Xu's aggressive style in the ring caught the eye of boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya's Los Angeles-based Golden Boy Promotions, an American boxing and mixed martial arts promotion firm, which signed a contract with Max Power at the end of 2017 to jointly promote Xu overseas.

Having made his presence felt worldwide, Xu is well on track to cement his status as China's first true professional boxing star, according to Roberto Diaz, a Golden Boy matchmaker.

In boxing, a matchmaker is one who finds the "right fighters to make the right fights".

"In pro boxing I'd rather have Xu in my corner than finesse," Diaz told China Daily on Monday.

"Xu is different. He has a more crowd-pleasing style than the other two great champions.

"It's just the beginning for him - not just being great in China as its third-ever world champion but in general, as a great featherweight champion worldwide."

Diaz believes Xu's success can now inspire a new generation of Chinese boxers to follow in his footsteps.

"What we need to do is to maintain the momentum with quality fights," said Diaz.

"Hopefully before the end of the year back in the States, we will have him defend his title once again.

"I want him to keep the momentum building and also growing his fanbase all over the world."

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Global 05/30/2019 page3)