It was a long time coming before the first ever Chinese heavyweight boxer would make his American pro debut from the Peoples Republic of China, ie ruling National Communist Party as opposed to the vestigial Republic of China, ie Taiwan to plainly state saber rattling, missile splashing geo-political distinctions. Last night at the storied Fisherman’s Wharf of San Francisco, California, all seven foot and 300 or so pounds of Taishan Dong swung into action to knock out Alex Rozman, a novice journeyman with an nonthreatening losing record.
It was something of a stealth debut for the little known Dong who is named after a holy Taoist mountain of Mt. Taishan. He may find his fleeting accolades soon shadowed by another supersized countryman come August 8th in Fallon Nevada when Chinese Olympic Superheavyweight Silver Medalist Zhang Zhilei makes a much more touted debut against novice Matt McKinney, 0-0-1, 0 KO and also currently ranking among near the last grouping of the 1000 or so Boxrec listed heavyweights. The stellar amateur accomplishments of Zhilei and the high level professional training he has received cannot be immediately matched by Dong without further development.
The 31 year old Zhilei is definitely cast in the mold of a giant, looking much bigger here than his listed 6-6, 240 claimed pounds as he dwarfs his “advisor” Evander Holyfield. He is also looks to be quite personable which may endear him to American fans, but he’s also a southpaw who may soon be flattening hapless American prospects which may not endear him at all to flag waving Americans, but it is what it is, currently a fragile construct of modern international politics that would allow these types of immigrations to take place.