China aims to cultivate fresh talent at the World Championships, with Olympic gold medalist Zhang Xiaoping (pictured) absent. Photo: Li Zhenyu

By Li Zhenyu

China is keeping its Olympic boxing momentum going with winning combinations at the World Boxing Championships, with three fighters storming into the quarterfinals and two waiting to be qualified eight days into the tournament.

China preserves its best boxers by calling up a relatively young and inexperienced squad of nine to the Worlds, most of which were making their debut in the international ring.

Olympic gold medalists Zou Shiming, Zhang Xiaoping and bronze medalist Silamu Hanati did not take part. Hu Qing, the 2006 Asian Games gold medalist who qualified to the last 16 of the Olympics, was also absent from the Chinese national roster.

"This is simply a temporary team put together with only three weeks of intense training," Tang Ermin, a coach from the Chinese national boxing team, told the Global Times exclusively on the eve of the squad leaving for Milan, Italy.

"Sending a team of rookies to the Worlds is mainly a way to cultivate some fresh talent," Tang confided.

In addition to not representing China's best talent, coaches felt that their roster had not fully prepared in order to battle at the Worlds.

"Based on their training cycle, our fighters won't be at their physical peaks when they compete at the Championships," Tang observed. "Further, we haven't collected any info about our opponents ahead of time. We'll just have to play to the score."

Chao Lu, another coach for the Chinese national team, said that the 2011 World Boxing Championships will have more strategic value for China, as it is one of the major qualifiers for the 2012 London Olympics.

But despite the Chinese team's lack of experience, eight out of nine boxers managed to advance to the second round at the World Championships, most giving impressive performances.

China's super heavyweight favorite Zhang Zhilei struck the first stunning blow for Team China when the Olympic silver medalist swept away his Uzbek opponent with an impressive 11-5 victory, breezing through the first round.

These opening salvos were followed by six other Chinese wins. Light flyweight Li Jiazhao, substitute for Grand Slam boxing champion Zou Shiming, advanced to the second round with no opposition according to the drawing result.

After eights days of tournament boxing, five Chinese have cruised into the last 16, three of them, Li Jiazhao, Gu Yu and Zhang Zhilei, have sealed their spot in the quarterfinals.

Flyweight Li Chao and middleweight Zhang Jianting will contend in the last eight later in the day.