Xu's explosive power defuses Bomber

With calculated patience and cunning strategy now among his strengths, China's revitalized boxer Xu Can, aka "The Monster", is a more dangerous animal altogether, and is stalking a second career world title.

The former World Boxing Association featherweight (126 pound, 57kg) champ has thrown down the gauntlet to his next division after he out-punched French challenger Jaouad Belmehdi in a super featherweight (130 pound, 59kg) bout on Friday in Beijing to test his mettle for a future title fight in the higher weight class.

Roared on by a vocal home crowd at Beijing's National Convention Center, Xu successfully defended his 130-pound international belt under the International Boxing Organization via an unanimous decision over Belmehdi, scoring 118-110, 117-111,120-108 from the three judges after a 12-round seesaw battle.

The convincing win in the main event of the "KZmall's Night", a multi-bout boxing show organized by Beijing-based Max Power Promotions, has backed up Xu's resolve to become the first Chinese fighter to reign over two divisions across different major sanctioning bodies.

It was Xu's third straight win in four bouts since coming back from a 15-month hiatus, following a disheartening TKO loss to British challenger Leigh Wood in July 2021, which cost him the WBA belt that he wrested from Puerto Rico's Jesus Rojas by unanimous decision in January 2019 in Houston, Texas.

Now healthy and motivated again, having healed his injured shoulder and cracked confidence, the 31-year-old Jiangxi province native has refused to be written off by the elite ranks.

"I will give myself a full mark of 100 points tonight. I left it all in the ring. The effort I made during preparation was probably my greatest ever," said Xu, who celebrated wildly with black eyes and a swollen face after the fight.

"It was such a high-intensity challenge. The opponent punched really hard, causing the damage that you can see on my face.

"I handled it well, though. I studied his patterns very thoroughly, made a plan to contain his advantage in range and power, and I executed it very well."

Heading into Friday's bout, the 27-year-old Belmehdi, who goes by ring moniker "The Moroccan Bomber" for his lethal combination of swing and hook, had an impressive record of 23 wins, including 11 KOs, and only one defeat.

Xu's tactics of always pressing up on Belmehdi and keeping him within range of his high-volume strikes wore the Bomber out, consigning Belmehdi to his second loss while reminding fans, at least in glimpses, of The Monster's pugilistic prime.

"Xu (was) champion of the world. It's big challenge for me. He's like a tank, pushing me back all the time. I thought it wouldn't be a problem, but it was a problem," Belmehdi said of Xu's style after the fight.

"It's a good experience for me. It's a good experience for him, as well, I think. I don't box just for the show. I box for the big challenge like tonight. Boxing against Xu was an honor."

With his ranking in IBO's super featherweight class expected to climb into the top-15 after this win, Xu said he won't push hard for an immediate challenge against the red-hot current division ruler Anthony Cacace of Ireland.

He's not bothered about playing a waiting game and honing his craft in the process.

"It's not up to me to decide when can I have a shot at the belt. It depends on whoever the current champ will pick," Xu said.

"I will just focus on the process, trying to make my punches heavier to go for more KOs, while maintaining my strength (in agility, endurance and resilience). I know I have to earn my way back into title contention again. If this wasn't enough, I will win another one to get there."

Fighting out of Belfast, Cacace retained his IBO super featherweight title with a ninth-round TKO over Xu's bitter rival Wood in England in May, at Nottingham's Motorpoint Arena, successfully defending the belt for a fourth straight time.

"I am already envisioning his next bout, and then the next time, when he fights for the world title again. Hopefully, that day comes sooner rather than later," said Lu Xiaolong, Xu's promoter with Max Power.

After wresting the WBA title from Rojas in 2019, Xu kept his momentum rolling with two successful defenses in the same year against Japan's Shun Kubo and Manny Robles III of the United States.

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 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 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.

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn