Monster's on the hunt for title shot

Wounded, yet never tamed, China's former world champion boxer Xu Can, aka "The Monster", is back on the prowl, more bloodthirsty than ever, as he targets another title shot in a heavier division.

The former World Boxing Association featherweight (126 pound, 57kg) belt holder will have his mettle for the title in the 130-pound class seriously tested on Aug 15, when he defends his International Boxing Organization international title in the super featherweight division against French challenger Jaouad Belmehdi on home soil in Beijing.

The fight was announced on Tuesday as the main event of the "Kzmall's Night", a multi-bout boxing show, organized by Beijing-based Max Power Promotions and sanctioned by the IBO, which will be staged at the National Convention Center in the Chinese capital's Olympic park.

Xu, China's first featherweight world champion under a major sanctioning body, is embracing his defense of the intercontinental belt as a statement of his lofty ambition to become the first Chinese man to win world titles across two weight classes.

"My goal since coming back (from two straight defeats) is to become China's first two-division world champion," said Xu, who claimed his first world title by beating Puerto Rico's Jesus Rojas via a unanimous decision in January 2019 in Houston to snatch up the WBA featherweight strap.

"And to do so, I need to climb the rankings all over again by taking on some legitimate opponents. I am ready for it, I am serious about my mission and I will let my punches do the talking."

After wresting the title from Rojas, Xu kept his momentum rolling with two successful defenses against Japan's Shun Kubo and Manny Robles III of the United States in the same year. It cemented his status as China's most internationally recognized pro boxer, which was underlined by a five-star rating on BoxRec in 2019, while drawing another wave of mainstream attention to the sport following retired Olympian Zou Shiming's back-to-back light flyweight gold medals at Beijing 2008 and London 2012.

The pandemic, unfortunately, hit at the worst possible time for Xu's career ascent, severely disrupting his preparations for a third title defense against then British champ Leigh Wood in a bout that later proved to be a Waterloo for the Chinese star, and pushed him almost to the brink of quitting the sport.

"It was a huge blow for me, psychologically and emotionally, that made me want to give up boxing," said Xu, who was knocked out by Wood with a 12th-round right hook in July 2021 in England, losing his WBA title.

Xu's attempt at an immediate riposte was denied by a split-decision loss to Mexico's Brandon "Leoncito" Benitez in October 2022, dragging him abruptly out of the sport's spotlight.

However, the resilient fighter — known for his slogan: "I am Can, I can!" — refuses to hang up his gloves just yet, having rekindled his fire for a comeback after a yearlong break, accompanied by family and friends, during a healing process that "helped restore his love" for the brutally competitive sport.