By Ian S Palmer
This Saturday, February 22 boxing fans will have another opportunity to follow the young career of Olympic champion Zou Shiming of China as he takes on Yokthong Kokietgym of Thailand. The eight-round flyweight bout will be held at the Cotai Arena, Venetian Resort, in Macau, China. It can also be seen live at 5pm EST in Canada and America via the HBO network.
Shiming is 3-0 so far in his career and his ultimate goal is to eventually win a world title. He’s a boxing hero in China because of his excellent amateur career and he’s trying to keep the momentum going in the pro ranks. However, he is 32 years old already so he may be looking for a world title shot as quickly as possible.
Shiming will be taking on somebody 13 years his junior on Saturday as Kokietgym is just 19 years old. The youngster has a record of 15-3 with 11 Kos to his name. This pair will be the co-main event on a card that also features IBF Lightweight Champion Miguel Vazquez of Mexico taking on Denis Shafikov of Russia. But most of the fans will be there to cheer on their hero Shiming.
With two Olympic gold medals in his pocket it’s obvious that Shiming had an excellent amateur career and has some fine boxing skills. He also won the amateur world championships on three separate occasions. However, he could be in for a rude shock as a professional. This is because Shiming doesn’t possess much in the way of power and his defense isn’t the greatest. In fact, his style could be called somewhat amateurish.
But even though Shiming has several flaws, including his balance and stance, he’s been able to pass every test he’s come up against so far in his boxing career. He does have fast hands and is being trained by hall of famer Freddie Roach. Of course, Roach was brought in to refine Shiming’s wild skills. Roach’s job is to teach the Chinese boxer the pro style and mentality.
Kokietgym has more pro experience than Shiming, but not the same amateur pedigree. But it could mean something in the bout. Kokietgym will be an unknown boxer to most fans and it’ll be interesting to see what he brings to the table. He has probably been handpicked for the fight, so perhaps we shouldn’t expect too much from the teenager. However, with 11 Kos to his credit he does have some power in his fists.
There’s been a lot of hype about Shiming, but he’s basically a bit overrated at this stage in his pro career. He does have some skills that could take him to a title if Roach can work his magic on him. If he can develop his power by planting his feet better then he’s got a shot. But he needs to improve rapidly.
Kokietgym has been stopped twice in his three losses and most of his bouts have been against fighters making their pro debuts. Shiming will be fighting in his backyard and should get by on adrenaline alone. This is likely to go all eight rounds with Shiming taking a decision.
