HEAVIES AND CRUISERS CLASH IN SUZHOU WITH HOLYFIELD AS SPECIAL GUEST
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 27 Nov 2015
SUZHOU, CHINA ? Two WBO belts will be at stake this Saturday at the Suzhou Sports Center when cruiserweight Xia Shunkai of China puts his unbeaten record on the line in front of his hometown fans against Amour Amran Umbaya of Tanzania and Australian heavyweight Peter Graham clashes with another Tanzanian, Alphonce Masumbuko.
Xia (5-0,2KO?s) will also defend his China national and CBCA belts. He won his title last month with a hard fought unanimous decision victory over Falani Tavu?i of Somoa at the Dushu Lake Gym also here in Suzhou.
Amour (7-3-1, 4KO?s), whose name appears as Amour Mzungu in boxrec, is from the scenic island of Zanzibar, which is a couple of hours by boat from the Tanzanian mainland.
Xia weighed in at 90.7 kgs (199.95 lbs) while Amour stepped on the scales at 89.3 kgs (196.87lbs) during the official weigh-in held Friday afternoon at the Grand Trustel Aster Hotel in Suzhou. Xia and Amour are penned for ten rounds.
Graham (9-3-1, 4 KO?s) and Masumbuko (12-3-1,11KO?s) will dispute the WBO Asia Pacific heavyweight belt. Graham was at 113.3 kgs (249.7lbs) while Masumbuko, whose name appears as Alphonce Mchumiatumbo in boxrec, weighed 99.9kgs or 220.24lbs. They will fight for twelve rounds.
The weigh-in was supervised by WBO VP for Asia-Pacific Leon Panoncillo and the officials of the Professional Boxing Commission (PBC) of China and the China Professional Boxing Club Association (CBCA).
There will be one Filipino boxer on the undercard, Jomanz Omanz of Cebu, who will be facing Ge Wengeng of China in an eight rounder. Omanz, who also dabbles in MMA, was 121.4 lbs while Ge weighed 120.1 lbs.
Two female boxers Chen Yuqin (134.2lbs) and Shi Haijie (130.5) will battle for four rounds. The eight rounder between Wang Jian (121.25lbs) and Wulan Tuolehazi (119lbs) round up the undercards.
A very special guest in this boxing show is one of boxing?s all time greats, former cruiserweight and heavyweight champ Evander ?The Real Deal? Holyfield.
During the press conference held after the weigh-in, Holyfield spoke briefly and said that it was an honor to be invited here in Suzhou and he was here to teach the people in China about the sport of boxing.
China is in the midst of a boxing boom ever since the ban on professional boxing was lifted. The show will be televised and broadcast online and the organizers expect an audience bigger than America?s Super Bowl.
Evander Holyfield in the press conference with CBCA and PBC official and WBO Asia Pacific Chief Leon Panoncillo
Xia Shunkai with Holyfield and Tanzanian Amour Umbaya
Aussie Peter Graham and Tanzanian Alphonce Masumbuko
Photos c/o Professional Boxing Commission (PBC), International
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