Zhao Xinqiang won the championship at the National University Boxing Championships
Zhao Xinqiang (right) competes fiercely in the arena This version of the picture network screenshot
On April 25, a news that "Gongshan Dulong college students KO (knock down) their opponents at the professional boxing international ranking tournament held in Thailand" caused a sensation in the WeChat circle of friends of many Yunnan people. Who is this Dulong guy? When did he start boxing?
The reporter learned that the Dulong college student boxer named Zhao Xinqiang is from Gongshan County, Nujiang Prefecture, and is now a senior at Yunnan Normal University.
"I firmly believe that no amount of suffering is worth it"
Zhao Xinqiang's home is in Danzhu Village, Cikai Town, Gongshan Dulong Nu Autonomous County, Nujiang Prefecture. Danzhu Village is a border village, bordering Ladango in Myanmar's Grape County in the southwest, where Lisu, Nu, Dulong and other ethnic minorities are inhabited, and Zhao Xinqiang's family is a Dulong family.
Zhao Xinqiang recalled that the first time he was exposed to information about martial arts was when he was in elementary school. "At that time, every weekend, I watched Henan Satellite TV's 'Wulin Style' program with my father, and I also watched the scene of the world boxing champion Zou Shiming winning glory for the country more than once on CCTV5. Since then, I have planted a seed in my heart to become a fighter. Over the past ten years, this seed has gradually taken root in my heart, until I graduated from high school in July 2020 and began to apply for college, I knew that in college, I could take the path I wanted to take. ”
In September 2020, Zhao Xinqiang entered Yunnan Normal University. As soon as he arrived at the school, he quickly began to learn about boxing and learned that the school had a dedicated boxing team. But he also knows that the boxing team is full of high-level athletes, and he is only a sports student who passed the physical examination to enter the normal university, which is a big gap compared with the athletes who have been professionally trained since childhood.
In order to be able to carry out systematic and professional boxing training, Zhao Xinqiang asked for the phone number of the boxing team coach through the head teacher. When he first called the coach and expressed his desire to learn boxing, Zhao Xinqiang thought that he would be rejected because he had "no foundation", but he didn't expect that the coach agreed to his request and let him "come when he has time and take a special class with boxers with single moves". Since then, he has had his own boxing initiation coach, Liu Yunxu, an associate professor at Yunnan Normal University.
In the special class, Coach Liu taught him a lot of basic boxing skills, and the senior brothers and sisters in the team did not dislike this "halfway monk" guy. Zhao Xinqiang recalled: "Everyone was very patient to teach me boxing and help me get the target. Every afternoon after class, I would spend two hours in the gym or boxing gym practicing the basics, sometimes hitting sandbags in front of the mirror, every day. Three or four months after I practiced boxing, the Boxing Team of the Normal University received a notice of the competition, and the coach helped me register for the University Boxing Championship. During the preparation period, I trained hard every night under the leadership of my senior brother in the boxing team, and I was often beaten dizzy. But I really want to be a professional boxer, and I firmly believe that no amount of suffering is worth it. ”
"Keep training for your dreams"
In September 2021, Zhao Xinqiang followed the Normal University boxing team to Qian'an, Hebei Province to participate in the University Boxing Championship. "When I first got in the ring, my legs couldn't help but tremble, my head went blank, just watching my opponent punch, I desperately threw my fists, and before I knew it, I had won the whole match. After getting out of the ring, when the referee read out the results of the match, I was still blind. ”
This competition made Zhao Xinqiang feel very lucky - he won the first boxing championship in his life.
In the second semester of his sophomore year, Zhao Xinqiang went to a famous boxing club in Kunming and began to train professionally. There, he met the second Bole of his life - Coach Lin Guowei. "When I got there, I realized how far apart I was from the professional fighters, especially my ability to resist and punch hard, which was several notches lower than others. At that time, I really wanted to give up, and I felt that there was a big gap between me and everyone, and I felt that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't make up for it. After two or three weeks of ideological struggle, I finally decided that I wanted to continue training for my dream. ”
For a year, Zhao Xinqiang took the subway to the gym to train after classes every day. Slowly, he noticed that his ability to resist blows and his physical fitness had improved a lot. In the first semester of his senior year, his coach signed him up for a professional competition.
In the international ranking competition, Zhao Xinqiang emerged. He recalled that so far, he has won a total of 4 international ranking tournaments, including one in Wenshan, Yunnan Province, and three in Bangkok, Thailand.
On September 16, 2023, he won the 66.7 kg competition in the WBA International Ranking Tournament in Wenshan, Yunnan.
On February 3, 2024, he won the 66.7 kg WBA International Ranking Tournament in Bangkok, Thailand.
On March 28, 2024, in the first round of the 63.5kg WBA International Ranking Tournament in Bangkok, Thailand, he knocked out his opponent in 2 minutes and 19 seconds.
On April 25, 2024, in the first round of the 63.5kg WBA International Ranking Tournament in Bangkok, Thailand, he knocked out his opponent in 2 minutes and 49 seconds.
Starting from Gaoligong Mountain, step by step to a bigger place, to the ring at the decisive moment, Zhao Xinqiang, a young man from the Dulong clan, proved himself with one victory after another, and played his own world in the boxing world.
dialogue
"Be a fighter who constantly fights for your dreams"
Reporter: What is your next plan for boxing and studying?
Zhao Xinqiang: In the next few years, my goal is to challenge and compete for the Asian Intercontinental Boxing Championship belt, and then break out of Asia to challenge the world's strongest players, and the ultimate goal is to challenge the world champion. Of course, I don't know what the future holds, but now I'm going to work towards my goal step by step. I hope that one day in the future, my game can also be broadcast live by CCTV5.
Reporter: What is your mother's attitude towards you fighting professionally?
Zhao Xinqiang: No matter how big or tall we are, we will always be treasures in the eyes of our parents. Every time I go out, the most concerned questions for me are whether I have enough money and whether I can eat well. My mom was no exception. When I told her I wanted to follow the path of boxing, she respected my choice, even though she knew the profession was dangerous. Every time I play a match live, she waits anxiously at home for the results. She didn't dare to watch me play live because she was afraid to see me hurt. When relatives and friends at home knew that I had finished the race, they would send me a message to ask if I was injured and what the result was.
As I approached graduating from college, my mom and I had a conversation about our future plans. My mother wanted me to take the exam, and I said that I wanted to fight for my dream. Now, it can be said that I am on a different path than my mother thought of as the "best path". Although my mother didn't understand what I did, the most common thing she said to me was "trust your decision" and told me to do it when I saw it.
Reporter: What do your two boxing teachers say about you?
Zhao Xinqiang: Teacher Liu Yunxu: Born to engage in boxing projects, coupled with the ability to bear hardships and stand hard work, the future is limitless!
Coach Lin Guowei: Zhao Xinqiang can become a future world champion through hard work.
Reporter: Do you have any message to the younger students in your hometown who love sports?
Zhao Xinqiang: Everyone's life can be an inspirational movie. If you love sports, whether it's basketball, football, badminton...... Please stick with it and don't give up. For the things you love, the process of giving and persevering are all beautiful and worth recalling. We don't need too many champions, but we need to be fighters who keep fighting for our dreams. (According to Nujiang Financial Media)