The Venetian Macao announced yesterday that China’s top amateur boxer Zou Shiming will make his professional debut at the CotaiArena in April. No further details of the match were revealed.
According to the announcement, the 32-year old two-time Olympic gold medallist and three-time World Amateur Champion signed with Hall of Fame boxing promoter Bob Arum’s Top Rank during a press conference in Beijing Wednesday..
“Sands China is committed to bringing world-class sporting events to Macau, to develop the city’s reputation as a world centre of tourism and leisure,” said Edward Tracy, president and CEO of Sands China. Tracy attended the press conference in Beijing.
Tracy added that Sands China was “pursuing a multi-tiered entertainment strategy” that would “feature mixed martial arts, boxing and Muay Thai events over the next 12 months.”
The announcement pointed out that the roster of Arum’s Top Rank read as a Who’s Who of boxing’s greatest fighters, including Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and Floyd Mayweather Jr. It currently represents 50 of the world’s top fighters, including 12 world champions, among them Manny Pacquiao.
Zou is China’s most successful boxer, with three world titles and back-to-back Light Flyweight gold medals in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. The 1.64-metre Guizhou native weighs around 49 kilogrammes.
The Venetian Macao hosted the China debut of the US-based Ultimate Fighting Championship last November. (macaunews)
