LAS VEGAS — There was no question what the main attraction of the eight-fight card Top Rank produced last Saturday night was.
Signs around the Thomas & Mack Center featured Manny Pacquiao and Jessie Vargas with the words, “The Legend” framing Pacquiao’s face and “The Champ” outlining Vargas’ glare.
This was a night specifically built for Pacquiao to enjoy one more championship-winning night in Las Vegas before the Filipino senator turns 39 next month.
But it was also a stage built to showcase the global reach of boxing and more importantly, the growing popularity of the sport in China. Of the 16 boxers on Saturday’s card, 11 were from outside of the United States with two hailing from China.
The opening fight of Saturday’s pay-per-view telecast saw Zou Shiming defeat Prasitsak Phaprom by unanimous decision for the vacant WBO world flyweight title. Top Rank founder and CEO Bob Arum estimates close to 100 million people in China watched Zou, 35, win his first world title as a professional boxer Sunday morning.
Shiming, who won three consecutive Olympic medals from 2004 to 2012, is not only one of the most popular athletes in China, but he is also one of the biggest celebrities in a country with a population of close to 1.4 billion people. He was on a popular reality show in China called “Where Are We Going, Dad?” which garnered about 75 million viewers per episode on Hunan Television, and is married to Yingying Ran, who was a popular television commentator in China.
“You can’t imagine how popular he is in China,” Arum said. “The ratings for his reality show dwarfed anything the Kardashians did. Think about that? He was one of the greatest amateur boxers and now he’s on his way to having a great professional career. The current president of China Xi Jinping is a tremendous boxing fan and obviously his favorite fighter is Zou Shiming. In a country like China if the president shines his light on you then it becomes something big.”
That the president of China is a big boxing fan and reportedly watched Shiming’s fight live on television Sunday morning speaks to how far the sport has come in the country. Mao Zedong, the founding father of the People’s Republic of China, banned boxing before the country’s first National Games in 1959 after a boxer died following a bout in Tianjin a few years earlier. Boxing slowly began to gain acceptance after Mao’s death when Muhammad Ali visited China in 1979; becoming the first foreign athlete to be jointly invited by the Chinese Olympic Committee and China Sports Federation. Ali met with Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping during his visit and expressed interest in reviving the sport in China.
“Boxing has always been a global sport but the thing that is different about this night is China. The Chinese are treating this fight even better than if the fight was in Shanghai or Macau. Chinese companies believe like we did, that this audience would be tremendous and they opened up their pockets and paid good amounts for sponsorship.” Top Rank promoter Bob Arum
It was a dialogue that continued until Ali returned to China in 1985 and staged boxing sessions and clinics. China’s ban on boxing was officially lifted in 1986 and Chinese boxers competed in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. The country would finally win its first Olympic medal in boxing in 2004 when Shiming claimed a bronze medal in Athens. Shiming continued to compete as an amateur and won the gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and the 2012 Olympics in London.
“Zou is one of the top three male athletes in China and is definitely the icon for boxing,” said Li Sheng, president and CEO of SECA, the leading sports marketing company in China. “When Zou had his success, that was the first time many people in China watched boxing because of his three Olympic medals, especially the gold medal he won in Beijing. He has been responsible for reintroducing boxing to China and when he turned pro that’s pretty much how pro boxing in China took off. There’s a huge anticipation for his fights. This was the first time many Chinese media and fans traveled to Las Vegas to watch a Chinese boxer in a big, top-level boxing show.” The Venetian Macao Resort and Hotel in Macau, where Ziu Shiming has fought seven time already, has become a popular destination for boxing. AP Photo/Kin Cheung
Saturday’s fight was sponsored by Wynn Las Vegas with the news conferences and weigh-ins for the card taking place at the opulent hotel and casino on the Las Vegas strip. Steve Wynn, whose company owns resorts in Las Vegas and Macau, only appeared at one news conference during fight week — a special gathering for Shiming and the 18 Chinese media outlets that had traveled to Las Vegas to cover his fight.
“I’m especially delighted to have Zou Shiming here and fighting,” Wynn said. “It’s a great card but it is fun to start it off with such an exciting Asian audience. People in China are always interested in learning about the United States and I hope their view of Las Vegas after Zou’s fight resonates with the People’s Republic of China.”
After the news conference where Wynn spoke a few phrases in Mandarin, he posed for pictures with Shiming and told him he would be ringside for his fight. When Shiming fought on the undercard of Pacquiao’s two fights in Macau in 2014 and 2013, several Chinese reporters said Shiming was the biggest name on the card for local viewers. Before Saturday’s fight, the weigh-in for Zou’s fight took place after Pacquiao and Vargas weighed in and was shown live in China.
“Steve owns two hotels in Macau and he realizes how big the Chinese market is and having his picture taken in connection with a championship fight with Zou Shiming is good business,” Arum said. “I know he’s happy because many high-rollers from China came here and to the Wynn to see Zou win a world title.”
“Zou is one of the top three male athletes in China and is definitely the icon for boxing… He has been responsible for reintroducing boxing to China and when he turned pro that’s pretty much how pro boxing in China took off. There’s a huge anticipation for his fights.” Li Sheng, president and CEO of SECA
Arum was contacted three years ago about promoting Shiming and he jumped at the opportunity when he realized how popular he was and how big the sport could become in China. He then paired him with Freddie Roach, who is Pacquiao’s trainer. The goal is to get one of the best amateur boxers to start fighting and thinking like a professional boxer.
“He’s a great boxer and he’s got great defense but we obviously still need to work on the offense a little more,” Roach said. “He can punch when he wants to but he doesn’t always choose to do that because he’s taught to protect himself in the amateur program but now it’s different as a professional. He’s still learning. I remember teaching him how to hit a speed bag because they don’t have speed bags in China. He’s pretty good at it now.”
Shiming’s skills were on display Saturday as he dominated Phaprom and entertained a strong contingent of his fans chanting, “Zou Shiming, jai yo!” which means “Zou Shiming, go for it!” He smiled while he was in the ring, at times shuffling his feet like Ali, putting his hands behind his back and asking Phaprom to hit him before firing away at him.
“When I’m in the ring, I’m just in the moment and my body just reacts,” said Zou, who grew up watching old Ali fights and tried to emulate him. “Being an amateur for so long, it’s hard to change my style but Freddie helps me work on being a professional and fighting like a professional.”
After Shiming’s unanimous decision win, he clutched his first world championship belt and then kissed his wife, who was in tears inside the ring as the scorecards were read. Zou Shiming celebrated with his wife Yingying Ran the unanimous decision victory over Prasitsak Phaprom. Christian Petersen/Getty Images
“She’s been with me through the ups and downs and definitely is my biggest cheerleader,” Shiming said. “I couldn’t do this without her. I’m so glad to share this moment with her… I’m incredibly happy, it’s a lifelong dream and to win this title is an amazing feeling. To win a title in Las Vegas is something I will cherish forever.”
Shiming’s win elicited large smiles and congratulatory pats on the back between Arum and Wynn, who both realize the impact Shiming has in attracting a new fan base to fights in Las Vegas, Macau and elsewhere.
“Boxing has always been a global sport but the thing that is different about this night is China,” Arum said. “The Chinese are treating this fight even better than if the fight was in Shanghai or Macau. Chinese companies believe like we did, that this audience would be tremendous and they opened up their pockets and paid good amounts for sponsorship. That’s why when you looked at the ring mat you saw at least four different Chinese companies.”
As popular as Shiming is in China, Arum’s goal is to cultivate the next wave of boxing stars in China that want to follow in his footsteps. Top Rank and SECA have partnered to organize “League of Fists,” a professional boxing tournament aimed at promoting the sport in China and Arum is considering having Shiming’s first world title defense take place in China to help further promote the sport in the country.
“The future of boxing in China is absolutely huge,” Arum said. “They have the population and the money and now the interest. We’ve done fights in Beijing, Shanghai and Macao and we get tremendous audiences and they’re beginning to understand it. It’s becoming very popular both on television and on the internet. The future of boxing in China is very bright and it begins with Zou Shiming.”
