On October 7, Xu Can, a former WBA featherweight world champion who had been away from the ring for 14 months, finally returned to his own battlefield against Mexican rising star Brandon Benitez.
The match will be held in Tampa, Florida, USA, and the two will compete for a 10-round match at the featherweight 126 pounds, which will be broadcast live through the "KOTV" app.
On August 1, 2021, Xu Can, as the defending boxer and The British challenger Lee Wood, finally lost, at that time Xu Can said: "Losing is losing, don't want to find any excuses, I will definitely fight back." ”
Since then, Xu Can has been training hard, but due to the epidemic, the landing of the game is much more difficult than in the past. Now, in the anticipation of the people, he has finally embarked on the journey of battle again.
Xu Can is about to return to the field.
He returned to the ring after returning from injury
In April, Xu Can decided to play with Mexican boxer Benitez on May 21. However, the plan could not keep up with the changes, and in early May, a week before leaving for the United States, Xu Can injured his ribs during actual combat training, and the game was cancelled.
Since then, the surging news reporter has kept hearing about Xu Can's comeback, but the game time has been pushed back and forth from July to August, watching the game have not landed, until today, the official finally brought exciting confirmation.
The opponent is still the previously finalized Benitez, but for Xu Can, the upcoming 10-legged match is just a warm-up, and he has a bigger goal.
In an interview, Xu Can frankly said: "After losing to Wu Deli, I once had doubts about myself, and I was very resistant in my heart for the first two months, unwilling to admit defeat, but in the end I still wanted to understand that the only person who could save me from the quagmire was myself." ”
During this time without the competition, Xu Can repeatedly studied the video, looked for his own shortcomings, and conducted targeted training. In early August, Xu Also had a video call with legendary boxing champion Roy Jones.
During the call, the latter asked Xu Can if he would like to engage in a second-time battle with Leigh Wood. Xu Can firmly replied: Wood's presence is the biggest motivation for him to choose to persevere, and he hopes to complete his revenge one day, "There is an old saying in China, where you fall, you must get up from where you fall."
Xu Can lost to Wu Deli last year.
Step by step closer to personal goals
Of course, to challenge the old enemy and regain the golden belt, Xu Can still has to take it step by step.
Previously, he had lost the world ranking because he had not played for a long time, and now he first needed to beat his opponent Benitez in front of him to get his own ranking.
It is worth mentioning that Xu Can is not only fighting for himself, but also fighting for Chinese boxing.
At present, there are only 107 registered professional boxers in China, a new low in eight years, and just half a year ago, this number was 242.
In the face of such a dark moment as Chinese boxing, Xu Can said with a loud voice: "I swear to myself, and I also swear to all Chinese boxers and fans, no matter how difficult it is, no matter how bad the environment is, I must persevere and must take the lead as an example." ”
Liu Gang, chief promoter of Quanwei Four Seas, also admitted that Xu Can's role in playing against Benitez this time is of great significance: First, Xu Can must prove that he is still competitive at this level; Second, the victory will boost the morale of China's professional boxing and practitioners.
Xu Can is actively training and preparing for battle.
The opponent's recent record is four consecutive wins
Brandon Benitez, 24, nicknamed the "Cub," currently has a professional record of 18 wins and 2 losses, with 7 KO opponents, and both of his defeats were lost by KO. Recently, he won four consecutive victories and returned to a better state.
Compared with Xu Can, who has been in the battle for a long time, Mexican boxers also have more opportunities to play because of their geographical advantages. It can be said that this battle can not be underestimated for Xu Can, and if it cannot be won, it will also be a heavy blow to his subsequent career.
Looking forward to the game, Xu Can said: "I am increasing the reserves in the arsenal, not only fighting in the inner circle, but also making good use of my distance advantage to play my height and arm span." ”
In the past, Xu Can has always been known for his frequent punches and good physical fitness, but he is more inclined to the fighting type, and has not reached a good level in distance control and movement, and he has suffered a big loss in the match with Wu Deli.
It seems that Xu Can is constantly adjusting and optimizing his technique and playing style through the experience of failure, has a comeback Xu Can become better? The mystery of World War I will be unveiled on October 7.
Source: The Paper