Twice AIBA World Champion and defending Olympic Games winner, 30-year-old Zou Shiming has just came back to the world of boxing after the last edition of the Chinese National Games. Nevertheless he will come to Baku with great expectations.
China's best boxing weapon is unbeaten since the 2007 Asian Men's Elite Championships where he was defeated by Mongolia's defending AIBA World Champion, Purevdorj Serdamba, in Ulanbaatar. Since then, he won every single contest he had and claimed the gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games, even though is job was tough in the final against AIBA World Championships bronze medallist, Kazakh Birzhan Zhakipov.
In the flyweight class, 24-year-old newly crowned Asian Champion Chang Yong won the local competition against former Asian Champion Li Chao and will travel to Baku. The selected Chinese flyweight athlete secured a silver medal at the Asian Games last year and won the Chinese Open Tournament in Guiyang a few months ago.
Asian Games silver medallist Zhang Jiawei has been integrated to the team. The bantamweight boxer lost to his old rival Tajikistan's final winner Anvar Yunusov at the Asian Championships in Incheon. That said he is in a perfect shape.
World Combat Games bronze medallist Liu Qiang is a newcomer in the team, even though he is already 29. For his first major competition, Liu secured a silver medal at the Asian Championships in Incheon where he was defeated - by accepted scores - by Kazakhstan's Aydar Amirzakov.
Former Asian Games winner and Beijing Olympic Games quarter-finalist, 25-year-old Hu Qing moved up a division following his bronze medal at the Asian Games in Guangzhou. The boxer from Anhui will compete in his third AIBA World Championships.
China's top welterweight boxer is Beijing Olympian Maimaiti Tuersunqiong who won the annual Asian Championships thanks to his excellent footwork in the final. The 23-year-old athlete has great chances to reach the Olympic quota in Baku and beat his top rivals.
Former Asian Champion and World Combat Games winner, Zhang Jianting has always lost at the international level this year. But he still has enough skills to reach his target which is the Olympic quota. Zhang advanced to the quarter-finals of the last AIBA World Championships in Milan. A same performance in Baku would mean a ticket to London.
Asian Championships silver medallist and World Combat Games winner, Meng Fanlong secured a bronze medal at the Asian Games in Guangzhou where he was defeated by Uzbekistan's final winner Elshod Rasulov. The 1m90 tall light heavyweight got involved in the national squad at the beginning of the actual Olympic era and already fought with the category's best boxers.
The second newcomer in the team is 21-year-old Wang Xuanxuan who will fight in the heavyweight class. The youngest team-member reached a silver medal at the Asian Championships in Incheon in August.
China's top super heavyweight boxer is Beijing Olympic Games silver medallist and AIBA World Championships bronze medallist, Zhang Zhilei who surprisingly lost in the semi-finals of the annual Asian Championships. Nevertheless he will be a medal contender in Baku and a big hope for China.
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