On May 21, Beijing time, Xu Can, a 28-year-old Chinese professional boxer and former WBA (World Boxing Association) featherweight "golden belt" winner, will make a comeback in Plant City, Florida, USA, to play a 10-legged transition battle with Mexican rising star Brandon Benitez.
"For me, this will be a very important step in my journey to hit the 'Golden Belt' again." At the April 21 press conference, Xu Can said.
Xu Can lost to the host boxer in the last match.
Xu Can is the third men's world champion in the history of Professional Boxing in China and has twice defended the title of "Golden Belt". In early August last year, he was defeated by challenger Leigh Wood TKO (Technical Knockout) in London and failed to defend his title. "It was depressed for a while. What I struggled with was that I paid so much and didn't get a good result, that game was played too badly, and I was very unwilling. Xu Can said.
"But then I figured it out." Xu Can revealed that he spent more than two months to regain his strength, "The defeat made me more calm, whether it is for the game or life, self-control is better than before, and the enthusiasm for training is also higher." ”
Xu Can "lifted iron" to practice physical fitness.
Even after temporarily losing China's only remaining "golden belt", Xu Can is still the highest-ranked professional boxer in China and is still regarded as a strong contender for the title. And his opponent this time is also very strong. Nicknamed "Cubs", Benitez is 24 years old and currently has a professional record of 18 wins and 2 losses, 7 KO (knockdown wins), excellent physical condition, positive and fierce boxing.
"In this preparation, I focused on strengthening my physical training, and I feel very good at the moment, regardless of how strong I am and how good I am." Xu Can said bluntly that the opponent is a typical Mexican way of playing, with smooth offensive and defensive conversion and high density of punches, which is a huge challenge to physical fitness. In addition, he also focused on strengthening the control of the rhythm and the grasp of the fighter, "to really play the advantage of his height and arm span, control the distance, rather than blindly fighting him." Before, because I had been winning, I was very confident in my playing style, and after the last defeat, I also realized that my playing style still needed to be improved to enrich the 'arsenal'. ”
Benester (right) in the game.
Xu Can's mentor and a well-known professional boxing promoter in China, Liu Gang, said that Xu Can's current mentality is very good, "This time he just needs to calm his mind, play a level, and win no problem." In Liu Gang's view, under the epidemic, the significance of this battle is more than winning or losing," He is the benchmark of Professional Boxing in China, and many people are watching him, so he can't fall." His heavy responsibility is not just to win the game, as long as he is still fighting for the championship, it is a great comfort and encouragement for local professional boxing practitioners. ”
Meng Fanlong defended the title of IBF Intercontinental Boxing Champion in 2019.
In addition, the 33-year-old Chinese IBF (International Boxing Federation) light heavyweight intercontinental boxing champion Meng Fanlong will also appear in the day's joint main tournament to meet the former light heavyweight world boxing champion , 39-year-old Canadian veteran Jean Pascal. Meng Fanlong, who switched to the professional arena after the London Olympic Games, currently has a professional record of 17 total victories and 10 KO, ranking second only to Xu Can in the overall ranking of Chinese boxers, and has qualified to challenge the world championship, making him a popular candidate for China's next professional boxing champion. Meng Fanlong, who is training in the United States, said through a video: "I am very happy to fight side by side with Xu Can and show China's strength together. Let's cheer together! ”
It is understood that the event is promoted by probox, an American professional boxing promotion company, and will be broadcast exclusively by the official cooperation platform KOTV in Chinese mainland.