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Chan Kin-wa

Recovering Chinese boxing star Zou Shiming says he’s not ready to throw in the towel and retire from the ring and if he was forced to quit, it would be like saying “goodbye to an old friend”.
The two-time Olympic gold medallist was asked by Sina Sports in Shanghai this week whether he would hang up his gloves after sustaining optic nerve and bone socket injuries to his left eye in December.
Zou was rushed to hospital after attending the Laureus China sports awards in Beijing after suddenly losing sight in his eye on the flight home to Shanghai.
The Zunyi-born boxer, who turns 37 in May, said the odds of returning are stacked against him but he refused to give up.

“It will be a very difficult [decision to make] and it would be like bidding farewell to an old friend whom you have known for more than 20 years. To be honest, I don’t have the courage to do this [quit the ring] at the moment,” he said. “But if I am really forced to do so, I think there are a lot of other roles I can play in boxing such as working with the China Boxing Association or training the young Chinese boxers so that they can fulfil their dreams just like I’ve fulfilled my dreams.”
Chinese boxing star Zou Shiming not ready to retire; says he’ll fight as long as his body allows him to
Zou’s career hit a low point when he failed to retain his WBO flyweight title last July, losing to Japanese underdog, Sho Kimura, in his hometown in Shanghai, in his last fight. His eye injury was the latest blow to the three-time former world champion, whose career has hit a fork in the road.

“My sporting career is quite perfect,” said Zou who is still receiving treatment on his left eye since leaving hospital in January. “Not all Olympic gold medallists can say they have become a professional world title holder and vice versa. I am so happy to have witnessed Chinese boxing rising from the ashes and for achieving Olympic honour for my country and then winning a professional world title. I know a boxer’s ability is limited and an athlete’s career is not very long.”
Wife’s leaked messages claiming Zou Shiming was owed millions and forced to fight is denied by agents
Zou is weighing his options on the treatment process for his eye, including the possibility of undergoing surgery but he’s not sure what he will do.

“My optic nerve [in his left eye] has been injured since 2014 and it’s been deteriorating. Even the doctors cannot tell me if I can fully recover if I opt for surgery. That’s why I am still considering what’s best for me,” said the boxer, who has a 9-2 professional record with just two knockouts.
‘Worst day’ as fears grow Chinese superstar boxer Zou Shiming might have lost sight in left eye during flight
Zou burst into prominence as a bronze medal winner at the 2004 Athens Olympics before winning gold at the 2008 Beijing Games in the flyweight division. He went on to defend his gold medal at the London Games in 2012 before turning professional in January 2013.
He held the world flyweight title after defeating Prasitsak Phaprom, of Thailand, in Las Vegas in November 2016 before losing it to Kimura nine months later in a massive upset.


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Zou Shiming

I’m not ready to quit the ring ... boxing is an old friend, says recovering Chinese star Zou Shiming

Chinese boxing star Zou Shiming hasn’t fought since losing his WBO world title in July 2017. Photo: AFP

Chinese boxer Zou Shiming and wife Ran Yingying arrive in Shanghai to seek medical checkup for a suspected detached retina. Photos: Sina.com.cn

(180225) -- LOS ANGELES, Feb. 25, 2018 (Xinhua) -- China's boxer Zou Shiming (L, Top) receives the certification of Ambassador of Peace and Concordance presented by Mauricio Sulaiman, the President of the World Boxing Council (WBC) in Los Angeles, the United States, Feb. 24, 2018. Zou received Award of Honor and the title of Ambassador of Peace and Concordance by WBC here Saturday. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

Sho Kimura fight: Sho Kimura throws a right hand against China's Zou Shiming during their WBO flyweight title fight in Shanghai. Photo: Sho Kimura/Facebook. 31JUL17. Handout

Chinese boxing star Zou Shiming not ready to retire; says he’ll fight as long as his body allows him to

Sho Kimura throws a right hand against China’s Zou Shiming during their WBO flyweight title fight in Shanghai. Photo: Sho Kimura/Facebook

(FILES) This file picture taken on July 12, 2017 shows Chinese boxer Zou Shiming training in a gym in Shanghai. China's two-time Olympic boxing champion Zou Shiming on January 12, 2018 came out fighting from severe eye problems that look likely to end his career, declaring defiantly: "I'm still me." / AFP PHOTO / - / - China OUT

Chinese firemen ‘rescue’ wife of boxer Zou Shiming after cutting ring off swollen finger

The ring became stuck on Chinese reality television star Ran Yingying’s index finger on Thursday. Photo: Handout

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Eye injury may delay Zou Shiming's world title shot

Zou Shiming won the fight despite his injury. Photo: AP

China's Zou Shiming lands a right to the head of Kwanpichit Onesongchaigym of Thailand. Photo: AP


How China boxing star Zou Shiming has infuriated his business partners by going it alone

Zou Shiming celebrates his victory over Thailand’s Prasitak Phaprom to lift the WBO flyweight title in Las Vegas last November. Photo: Xinhua

Zou Shiming of China celebrates after winning against Natan Coutinho of Brazil in their WBO international flyweight boxing title bout in Shanghai on January 30, 2016. AFP PHOTO / JOHANNES EISELE

Zou Clash in Cotai

Chinese sports agent Li Sheng with boxer Zou Shiming and trainer Freddie Roach

I might not return to the ring, admits China’s Zou Shiming after surprise WBO title defeat by Japan’s Sho Kimura

China's Zou Shiming speaks to the audience after losing his WBO world title fight in Shanghai. Photo: Handout

Blood pours down the face of Japan's Sho Kimura during his WBO world title fight against China's Zou Shiming in Shanghai. Photo: Handout

CORRECTION - This photo taken on July 13, 2017 shows Chinese boxer Zou Shiming (R) training at a gym in Shanghai. He is a two-time Olympic gold medallist and reigning world champion, but Chinese boxing star Zou Shiming is eyeing an even greater prize: making the sport big in his homeland. / AFP PHOTO / STR / TO GO WITH Box-CHN-fly-Zou,INTERVIEW by Peter STEBBINGS / "The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by STR has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [July 13] instead of [July 12]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We

Zou Shiming and Sho Kimura in Shanghai

Japan's Sho Kimura during warm-up in his fight against Zou Shiming. Photo: DEF Promotions

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Two-time Olympic champion, who held the WBO world flyweight title, says he wants to continue fighting but career in jeopardy as he tries to recover from left eye injury


I’m not ready to quit the ring ... boxing is an old friend, says recovering Chinese star Zou Shiming

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Two-time Olympic champion, who held the WBO world flyweight title, says he wants to continue fighting but career in jeopardy as he tries to recover from left eye injury

Two-time Olympic champion, who held the WBO world flyweight title, says he wants to continue fighting but career in jeopardy as he tries to recover from left eye injury