Xu moving up in world
Xu also became the first Chinese to win a title fight against a Japanese boxer following Xiong's failed challenge against Daisuke Naito for the WBC world flyweight title 10 years ago and Zou's loss to Sho Kimura in his first WBO flyweight defense in 2017 in Shanghai.
Born in remote Zixi county in Fuzhou, Xu moved to Kunming, Yunnan province, at 16, supported by his pastry-making parents. There he trained in renowned Chinese promoter Liu Gang's professional system, carving out a different career path than Zou and Xiong, who were more influenced by the amateur style that prevailed within the State-run system.
Xu's potential caught the eye of Oscar De La Hoya's Las Vegas-based Golden Boy Promotions, which signed a contract with Max Power at the end of 2017 to jointly promote Xu overseas.
Having impressed the world with his ferocious style, Xu is well on track to cement his status as China's first true professional boxing star, according to Roberto Diaz, a Golden Boy matchmaker.
"In pro boxing I'd rather have Xu in my corner than finesse," Diaz told China Daily on Monday.
"Xu is different. He has a more crowd-pleasing style than the other two great champions.
"It's just the beginning for him－not just being great in China as its third ever world champion but in general as a great featherweight champion worldwide."
