Zou’s Macao loss spells bigger trouble for boxing

Macao has had a rough time of it recently, and things could be getting worse.

With gambling revenues in the SAR down almost 50 percent year-on-year due to the government's ongoing corruption crackdown, the rise of boxing in the territory over the last couple of years - inextricably linked with two-time Olympic champion Zou Shiming, who had fought each of his bouts there - was continuing to provide a decent stream of income.

But with Zou's convincing defeat to IBF world flyweight champion Amnat Ruenroeng on Saturday, the sporwt may now take an even bigger hit than gambling has already done.

It had been obvious when Zou was still an amateur that he would be fast-tracked to a world title shot at the earliest opportunity, but on the evidence of the weekend, his seventh pro fight was much too soon for him to be battling a world champion. In contrast, the two previous Olympians whom Zou's coach, Freddie Roach, had taken to world titles had spent an average of four years doing so; Zou attempted it in less than two, but on the verge of his 34th birthday, he did not have much more time to wait.

For all the post-fight bluster from Zou's camp about his Thai opponent running from a challenge in the ring, the judges thought otherwise, with all three returning a 116-111 score card in Ruenroeng's favor. Disappointingly, Zou still claimed that he had been the more effective fighter, and refused to admit he had been outboxed.

So where does this leave Chinese boxing?

Zou could return to the ring as early as July, but the buzz that had been building on the mainland as he piled up the wins in Macao has taken a huge hit. Elsewhere, Hong Kong's Rex Tso looks very promising in the super flyweight division, and there are a couple of Chinese heavyweight prospects, including the giant Dong Taishan, who may yet surprise the world, but the boxing revolution that Zou had been supposed to lead has failed to materialize.

The underlining situation in Macao, though, is perhaps more significant. The partnership between Zou's promoter, Top Rank, and the Venetian Macao, which has staged all his fights, worked because those who came to watch Zou would also spend hours at the tables. Now that those gamblers are heading elsewhere in search of their thrills, it is hard to see Zou alone - or anyone else - drawing the crowds in equal numbers.