Xiong Zhao Zhong: China’s Pioneering Boxing World Champion
Xiong Zhao Zhong became the first male boxer from China to win a major professional world title when he defeated Javier Martínez Reséndiz for the vacant WBC minimumweight championship in Kunming in November 2012.
Xiong won the 12-round bout by decision and made two successful defenses before losing the title to Oswaldo Novoa in 2014. His championship run brought a major professional boxing event to his home country.
The breakthrough in Kunming
The title-winning contest took place at Kunming City Stadium on November 24, 2012. All three judges favored Xiong after twelve rounds, with scores of 116–112, 119–110 and 116–114. The victory came in his first bout at the minimumweight limit, following earlier appearances at flyweight and light flyweight.
He had previously challenged Daisuke Naito for the WBC flyweight championship in Tokyo in May 2009. Xiong lost that contest on points, then continued building toward the opportunity that eventually brought him the smaller division’s world title.
Defenses and the end of the reign
His first successful defense came against Denver Cuello in Dubai. Xiong recovered from an opening-round knockdown and retained the championship on the scorecards, as shown in the accompanying fight video. A further defense in China followed before Oswaldo Novoa stopped him in the fifth round in February 2014.
The Novoa bout was his third defense attempt, rather than a third successful defense. Xiong later added the OPBF minimumweight title with a decision over Crison Omayao. His record therefore includes both the landmark WBC world championship and subsequent regional title success, with the Kunming victory remaining the central milestone of his professional career.
