China’s super-heavyweight Olympic silver medalist Zhang Zhilei is working with Hall of Fame trainer Lou Duva as part of his preparations for the 2012 Games, Xinhua news agency said.
The 26-year-old amateur, a bronze medalist at the 2007 world championships, is already in the US working with Duva, who has handled world champions including Evander Holyfield.
“My dream is to win the title at the London Olympics,” the 201cm Zhang, who lost to Italian Roberto Cammarelle in the final in Beijing last year, told Xinhua.
PHOTO: AP
“These trainers are very dedicated to their professions,” he said. “They have been training me mainly on my awareness and the tactics to deal with different types of opponents. I feel I have improved a lot.”
China has little pedigree in boxing, where home-grown martial arts are far more popular.
Light-flyweight Zou Shiming, however, won the country’s first Olympic medal — a bronze — in the ring in Athens in 2004 and was one of two gold medalists on home soil at the Beijing Games.
Promoters D & D Global, run by Duva’s son Dino and Richard Davimos, said the work with Zhang was just the start of a deal that will see more of China’s top prospects being trained in the US.
“It’s an honor that the Chinese Boxing Federation has entrusted me with its premiere boxers in this training cooperation program,” Duva, 87, told www.fightnews.com. “Working with all of the Chinese fighters is an incredible and exciting opportunity.”
The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly US$17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana to four years and nine months after pleading guilty last year. He was ordered to pay US$18 million in restitution, with nearly US$17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the US Internal Revenue Service. He was
SPEEDSKATER: Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s run at the Asian Winter Games without a medal since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990 Speedskater Chen Ying-chu yesterday made history as the first athlete representing Taiwan to secure a medal at the Asian Winter Games. Competing at the HIC Speedskating Oval in Harbin, China, Chen clocked 10.510 seconds in the women’s 100m event, finishing third behind South Koreans Lee Na-hyum and Kim Min-sun, who posted times of 10.501 and 10.505 seconds respectively. Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s drought at the Asian Winter Games since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990. This year’s Games mark Chen’s debut at the event. Previously excelling in roller speedskating, she won six medals at world championships before transitioning
The 40-year-old LeBron James on Thursday became the oldest player to score 40 points in an NBA game, putting up a season-high 42 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors. James passed the record held by Michael Jordan, his idol and the only other NBA player to score 40 after his 40th birthday. “I’m old, that’s my take,” James said when asked about his latest achievement. “I need a glass of wine and some sleep, that’s what I think.” Jordan did it for the Washington Wizards just three days after turning 40 in February 2003. James is 38
Taiwan’s Lin Yun-ju and Kao Cheng-jui were defeated by their Chinese counterparts 3-0 on Saturday in the men’s doubles final at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Singapore Smash. Lin and Kao received their silver medals after being defeated by third-seeded duo Lin Shidong and Wang Chuqin of China 2-11, 4-11, 11-13. The Taiwan pair were left playing catch-up early in the match after the Chinese duo proved unstoppable in the first and second game. Although Lin and Kao picked up their pace in the third game and at one point took a 10-8 lead, they were crucially unable to take
RSS