Xu Chan will take on Kris George for the WBA Oceania Super lightweight title and Wang Xinghua has signed on to fight former Australian champion Will Young in an eight rounder.
George’s opponent – Xu Chan will be a name familiar to some Toowoomba fight fans. Two fight’s ago he defeated Josh Baillie in Wenshan China.
Chan has a record of five wins from seven fights, his most impressive win coming earlier this month against Japan’s Hurricane Futa who boasted an eighteen win, three loss record heading into the bout.
“Xu Chan is a very strong fighter,” Brendon Smith said.
“I got a close look at him when I was in China earlier this year and he’s obviously gone to another level following his win over Japan’s Hurricane Futa.
“He will be fit and he will provide Kris George with the biggest challenge of his professional career on June 27.”
It will be George’s first defence of his WBA Oceania super light weight title. It will also be the fighting fisherman’s first bout since October last year. George, who boast’s a perfect 7-0 record, has been out of action this year with a hand injury.
“This is a big fight for me,” Kris George said.
“You have to respect Xu Chan, which I will – but these are the fight’s I need to win to keep progressing up the WBA ladder.
“I welcome the challenge.”
Another of Liu Gang’s prospects Wang Xinghua will take on Iron Will Young in an eight round featherweight contest.
Xinghua is a southpaw with twenty fight’s under his belt for ten wins and ten losses. His experience outweigh’s that of Will Young who has a four win, four loss record from eight bouts.
“On paper it’s a really good match,” Will Young said.
“Obviously he has far more experience than I do. He’s number two in China and after my loss to Luke Jackson in March i’m no longer number one in Australia i’m number two.
“He’s also a southpaw and he’s only been stopped twice so it’s a big fight for me.
Xinghua is well traveled having fought in six different countries in his last six bouts.
His most recent bout was in Tanzania against the Tanzanian number one Mohammed Mutulmla where he lost a ten round unanimous decision.
Prior to that he traveled to the Phillipines where he was beaten in a twelve rounder for the WBC International title against the highly regarded Renan Trongco – who has since gone on and won a further two fights since defeating Xinghua.
“Xinghua is well traveled and used to fighting long rounds so this is a good test for Will Young,” Brendon Smith said.
“Will still wants to win back his Australian title and possibly challenge for a regional belt – so this is the sort of fight we need to take and need to win to achieve those goals.
“This one will be a great fight.
The presence of Liu Gang in the Garden City is also a massive coup. Gang is boxing royalty in Asia and in particular China.
He represented China at the 1992 Olympic Games and was China’s first ever professional boxer.
Following his career he turned to promoting and managing fighters and now he has a stable of champions under his Zovi Promotions banner.
“Liu Gang is doing wonderful things for boxing in China,” Smith said.
“I’ve had dealings with Liu over a long period of time and during my recent trip to China with Steven Spark and Josh Baillie I was blown away by the magnitude of his shows and the interest in the sport.
“The show we were at was broadcast to an audience of 200 million.
“I look forward to welcoming Liu to our city and hope it’s not the last time we see him here.
“Liu will also be a part of our parade of champions for Brayd.
“We’ve welcomed many visiting boxers to our city in recent years, Thailand, Japan,Phillipines, Brazil,Scotland, Argentina and now we add China to the list.
Liu Gang added.
“It was great to host Brendon and his fighters in China earlier in the year and now I look forward to travelling to Toowoomba.
“Both Xu Chan and Wang Zinghua will be in perfect condition and it would be nice to travel back to China with the WBA Oceania title around Xu’s wait and a victory over an Australian Champion on Wang’s record,” Liu Gang said.
