(Question about things) Characters | Zhang Zhilei: How do Chinese boxers make a fortune in American professional boxing?
China News Service, New York, December 4th. Title: Zhang Zhilei: How can Chinese boxers make a fortune in the American professional boxing arena?
China News Agency reporter Madelin and Liao Pan
Zhang Zhilei, a Chinese heavyweight boxer, has won the silver medal in men's boxing over 91kg in the Beijing Olympic Games and has won many medals in various international competitions.
In 2014, he officially entered the American professional boxing world. In November 2021, he was ranked ninth in the World Boxing Organization (WBO) heavyweight class. He is currently the only Chinese heavyweight boxer developing in the American professional boxing world.
A few days ago, Zhang Zhilei accepted an exclusive interview with China News Agency "Question about East and West", and talked about his experience and feelings in professional boxing in the United States, as well as his thoughts on the development of Chinese boxing in the future.
The summary of the interview record is as follows:
China News Agency reporter: During your amateur boxing career, you have won many championships and runners-ups in international competitions, and you won the silver medal in the Beijing Olympics. Why choose American professional boxing?
Zhang Zhilei:
I started boxing in 1998 and my amateur boxing career totaled 16 years.
When I first started learning boxing, I also had a playful mentality. I was thinking about practicing this so that I would not be bullied. I never thought about getting results.
After two years of training, I found that I was pretty good. I actually won the national championship in a fight, so I just thought about practicing.
At that time, Chinese heavyweight boxers did not achieve particularly good results in the world, especially in the Olympics.
I think now that I have reached the level of (national champion), I will just fight for it.
Later, he won some international competitions, including Olympic medals.
I am quite satisfied with my amateur boxing career.
But if I have never played professional boxing, it would be a pity for me.
It's more important to go to the professional boxing world in the United States than to live a stable life.
I don't want to regret it.
In 2021, Zhang Zhilei conducts physical training in a fitness equipment store training hall in New Jersey, USA. His physical coach is also the owner of this fitness equipment store.
Many professional fighters train here, and most fighters also go to work in addition to training.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Liao Pan
China News Agency reporter: Is the feeling after coming to the United States the same as before?
Zhang Zhilei: It's
completely different from imagination.
The United States is the palace of professional boxing.
When I first came, I still thought that I was a silver medal in the Olympics and had a good amateur boxing performance; what I imagined was how eye-catching the boxing champions were and how much money I took in a match.
After I came, I discovered that Americans didn't care much about amateur boxing performance, including the Olympics.
No matter whether it is a coach or a player, no one values these.
So after I arrived in the United States, I started from the beginning. At first I could only play 4 rounds, then 6 rounds, 8 rounds to 12 rounds.
After a few games, after knocking down their opponents, they were convinced and gave me a thumbs up: "Okay, yes." Here respect the strong, if you beat him, he respects you; if he beats you, he disdains you. Gu.
Zhang Zhilei conducts actual combat training in a boxing gym, and both venues and sparring partners are charged on time.
His living and training places in the United States are located in northeastern New Jersey, which is adjacent to New York, a major American professional boxing town.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Liao Pan
China News Agency reporter: What is the approximate rhythm of life and training in the United States?
Zhang Zhilei: The
past 7 years have been competitions, rest for a week, resume training, intensive training before the competition, and competition again, and so on.
The training arrangements should be subject to the competition arrangements, and the pre-match training will be a little tighter; no competition will not be so tight.
Every day, morning exercises start at 6:30 in the morning, usually running for an hour and a half.
The training starts at 12 o'clock in the boxing gym, about two to two and a half hours.
I still need to practice physical fitness around 6 o'clock in the evening, which is also about two and a half hours.
Zhang Zhilei hit the sandbag during training.
At the age of 38, he is working hard in the American professional boxing arena. Not only must he continue to train and maintain his state of continuous victory, he must also race against his own age.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Liao Pan
Pay more attention to diet, because it is necessary to manage the physical condition and strictly follow the diet during training.
Three meals a day are boiled eggs, boiled beef, fried beef or salmon, tomatoes, cucumbers, vegetables, boiled potatoes, rice, porridge, etc. Special attention should be paid to controlling oil.
After the game, there is usually a rest period of one to two weeks.
The coach gave me a three-week break, but I often start to resume training after a one-week break.
In the past 7 years, I have basically never traveled. Only the game will travel far, and I will play there for two days after the game.
Generally speaking, there is nothing wrong with training.
Being an amateur is very helpful to me now playing professional boxing.
Otherwise, it will be more difficult to fight professional boxing directly.
There is a big difference in life.
In the past, in the domestic full-time training and competition, you didn't have to worry about food, housing, and transportation.
But in the United States, many things, especially those related to training, have to be resolved by themselves.
For example, when eating meals, the recipes are made by nutritionists in the United States, and you have to keep your mouth shut every day.
This is very different from when I was in China.
In Zhang Zhilei's home, match assistant Li Maopei was waving a baseball bat rather than laughing.
The pair have fought together since the Beijing Olympics.
Zhang Zhilei has been in the United States for seven years. His wife and children live in Henan, China. He has not been able to meet him for two years.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Liao Pan
China News Agency reporter: So far, you have played 24 games in the United States, with 23 wins and no defeats, of which 18 were won by knockouts or technical knockouts. What do you think of the achievements in these 7 years? Will the 38-year-old age affect your state? Still want to challenge the world champion?
Zhang Zhilei: I am
quite satisfied with the results.
The past 7 years in the United States can be said to be learning while playing, constantly enriching my understanding of professional boxing.
After playing so many games, now I know I am in the heavyweight position.
Age is not a problem in the heavyweight class.
As long as your life is self-disciplined and training is scientific enough, do these two things well.
Of course, the world boxing champion still wants to take it. The ultimate goal of coming to the United States is this, and I am confident that as long as my punch hits the opponent, no matter who it is, it will definitely win.
I may not have the advantage in the first ten rounds of a game, but as long as I seize an opportunity, a combination of punches or even a punch, the opponent "Game Over".
The bell did not ring at the end of the game, everything could happen.
The charm of the heavyweight is here.
I am not afraid to compete with anyone, because my level is at the same level as them, mainly to see if there is a chance.
In the United States, opportunity is mainly a matter of popularity.
Whoever plays the game, the promoters and the event side have to look at the popularity of the players and whether the audience is willing to watch it, because this is linked to the income.
They are now also targeting the Chinese market because there are few professional boxers in China and they hope that there will be attractive fighters in China.
Zhang Zhilei participated in the open training of the competition media in a boxing gym in Manhattan, New York, to build momentum for the competition a few days later.
On the wall on the right is a poster with the portrait of fellow fighters.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Liao Pan
China News Agency reporter: After seven years of hard work in the United States, what difficulties have you encountered?
Zhang Zhilei:
Now it is mainly because of the epidemic.
I went to the United States from China last year. At that time, the domestic epidemic was under control, but the epidemic in the United States was still very serious.
Originally planned to fly from Singapore and the UAE to the United States, the two flights were cancelled twice; finally, they flew from Tokyo to the United States.
On the flight, I was fully armed, wearing a mask and goggles, and did not eat or drink or go to the toilet for more than ten hours.
After arriving in the U.S., the originally scheduled games were also repeatedly adjusted due to the epidemic.
I was vaccinated as early as possible, otherwise it will have an impact on training and competition.
During these 7 years, my mother and father passed away successively.
My wife and children are both in China, and now I don't want to bring my family back, because my wife has a job and my children are in school.
To be honest, I still miss my wife and children.
These difficulties did not change my determination.
I have a problem, and it's hard to turn back the decision.
Since I come to fight professional boxing, I must fight well.
Of course, it may not be as good as I imagined to be retired at the end of the fight, but I have walked this part of the road, and it's fine.
After completing the open training of the event media, Zhang Zhilei encountered fans when he left and asked for a group photo.
In American boxing, Zhang Zhilei's popularity is not commensurate with his professional level, and popularity is a key factor in the advancement of professional boxing in the United States.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Liao Pan
China News Agency reporter: How will you support the development of Chinese boxing in the future after retiring?
Zhang Zhilei:
Of course I thought about it.
For example, after retiring, set up a training base in the United States to help domestic players and enthusiasts use the excellent resources here to learn more about the techniques, training and concepts of professional boxing.
Domestic professional boxing has also developed in recent years, but it is still far behind the United States, Britain, and Europe.
There are indeed many difficulties for domestic players to come to the United States. The most direct one is the economic problem.
The income of domestic fighters is much lower than that of the United States. A game may only cost a few thousand yuan, which is not enough for training expenses in a year.
Even in the United States, only the top players have high incomes.
Many of the players around me are working while training for competitions.
My current income can only sustain daily training and competition.
So I want to create conditions as much as possible for the domestic younger generation to come out and improve their level in the future.
On November 27, 2021, Zhang Zhilei played in the heavyweight boxing match.
This is his first appearance in Madison Square Garden in New York, known as the American professional boxing palace.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Liao Pan
On the other hand, in this way, we can communicate with China and promote professional boxing in China.
I think no matter any sports, we should find ways to promote it more in China.
An obvious feeling is that the United States attaches great importance to minor physical exercise.
Compared with other sports, domestic boxing promotion needs more effort.
In the United States and Europe, the mass base and market for boxing are very mature; when it comes to boxing in China, many people think it is a fight, and it also has a prejudice of "violence and barbarism."
But boxing exercises the trainer's spirit, especially the cultivation of the willpower that never gives up.
These things are difficult to convey through language and must be experienced.
On November 27, 2021, Zhang Zhilei defeated his opponent Craig Lewis in a heavyweight boxing match held in Madison Square Garden, New York, and won the 23rd victory of his American professional boxing career.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Liao Pan
As far as I am concerned, now it is through my own performance to let more people see the charm of boxing and attract them to participate in the experience.
China now needs more players who are famous in professional boxing to attract more ordinary people to learn boxing and promote the development of boxing in China.
(over)
About the interviewee:
Photo courtesy of Zhang Zhilei
Zhang Zhilei, a Chinese male boxer, won the silver medal in men's boxing over 91 kg in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In 2014, he went to the United States to become a professional boxer. He is currently the only Chinese among American professional boxing heavyweights.