LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Two time Olympic gold medallist Zou Shiming is grateful to share the billing with Manny Pacquiao as he goes for his first-ever professional boxing crown against a familiar foe in Kwanpichit Onesongchaigym of Thailand.
Zou and Kwanpichit are key components in an international undercard to Saturday’s main event between Filipino boxing star Pacquiao and World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Jessie Vargas.
Zou (8-1, 2 KOs) has been called the “poster boy of boxing” in China but he is just getting his career started in the United States.
Saturday’s bout at the Thomas & Mack Center will be just his second outside of China and his first in the boxing haven of Las Vegas.
Zou, of Guizhou, China, has every reason to be confident heading into their rematch for the vacant WBO flyweight title. He beat Kwanpichit two years ago in Macau, pounding the Thai in an unanimous decision victory at the Venetian hotel.
Kwanpichit (39-1-2, 24 KOs), from Buriram, Thailand, is riding a two- year, 12-bout winning streak since Sou handed him his sole defeat. All of his victories during his current winning streak have come by knockout.
Freddie Roach, who trains both Zou and Pacquiao, said he has warned the 35-year-old Zou to beware of bruising tactics from Kwanpichit.
“The last time we fought him (Kwanpichit) was head butting and landing low blows,” Roach said.
The 2008 and 2012 Olympic gold medallist Zou came up short in his previous title tilt against Thailand’s Amnat Ruenroeng in 2015.
Zou and Kwanpichit’s bout will open the impressive undercard for Pacquiao’s return.
Kwanpichit is unfazed by the prospect of meeting Zou again, adamant that he is a vastly improved fighter to the one comprehensively beaten by Zou two years ago.
“Zou is rated number two and I am rated number three, but that is the only thing that has remained the same from our first fight,” said Kwanpichit.
In another bout on the card, Nonito Donaire of the Philippines will put his WBO junior featherweight crown on the line against Jessie Magdaleno of the United States.
Donaire, 37-3 with 24 knockouts, has been training hard under new trainer Ismael Salas.
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