Recently, the news that "Dulong college students in Nujiang Gongshan were 'KO' competitors in the international ranking match of professional boxing held in Thailand" caused a lot of "shock" in the circle of friends of the masses in Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. Everyone was curious about this Dulong boy.

It turned out that this Nujiang Dulong guy was named Zhao Xinqiang, who lived in Danzhu Village, Cikai Town, Gongshan Dulong Nu Autonomous County, Nujiang Prefecture, and was a senior student at Yunnan Normal University. Danzhu Village is a border village, bordering Myanmar in the southwest, where Lisu, Nu, Dulong and other ethnic groups live together.

Zhao Xinqiang (first from the right) is doing daily training. Photograph provided by respondents

As a boxer, Zhao Xinqiang planted seeds in his heart when he was still a pupil. "At that time, I watched fighting sports programs with my father every weekend, and I watched the scene of Zou Shiming, a boxer, winning glory for the country more than once on TV." For more than a decade, this "seed" has grown in Zhao Xinqiang's heart.

In September 2020, Zhao Xinqiang was admitted to Yunnan Normal University. After entering the university, he often searched for information about boxing. To his delight, there was a boxing team in the school.

Zhao Xinqiang asked Liu Yunxu, the coach of the boxing team, for a phone call through his head teacher, and took the initiative to contact the coach, indicating his idea and determination to learn boxing. "I thought he would refuse me directly because I had no foundation, but I didn't expect that Mr. Liu asked me to come to special classes with boxers recruited separately when I had time, and the seniors in the team didn't dislike me because I was a 'novice'."

Zhao Xinqiang cherishes the hard won opportunity of boxing training. In addition to learning basic skills in special classes, he almost always takes two hours to practice in the gym or the boxing hall after class every day. Sometimes, he can practice for a long time alone in front of a mirror. "Because I want to be a professional boxer too much, I always believe that it is worth the hardship." Zhao Xinqiang said firmly and forcefully.

Zhao Xinqiang won the championship in the 2021 Chinese College Student Boxing Championship. Photograph provided by respondents

In September 2021, Zhao Xinqiang followed the boxing team of Yunnan Normal University to Qian'an, Hebei Province, to participate in the Chinese College Students' Boxing Championship, which was his first time on the challenge arena. Recalling the scene at that time, Zhao Xinqiang said: "When I first entered the game, my head was blank. After I calmed down, I quickly adjusted my state, began to pay attention to the opponent's punches, and I also punched out one punch at a time according to the rhythm..."

Zhao Xinqiang won! He said that he was "lucky" to win the first boxing championship in his life, but everyone knew that he did not rely only on luck. In the view of Liu Yunxu, the coach, Zhao Xinqiang has the talent of boxing, and he is diligent and willing to bear hardships. He will certainly shine in this field.

Zhao Xinqiang made a little progress on the ground. Seeing that the time was almost up, he decided to join a professional boxing club and began to receive professional boxing training. However, here, he found that there was still a big gap between himself and professional boxers.

When he first entered the club, Zhao Xinqiang was often stopped by the coach just after he insisted on a round in the actual fight with the boxers. "I really wanted to give up boxing at that time. I felt that there was a big gap between me and everyone. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't make up for it."

Zhao Xinqiang (first from the right) and his sister, who had been hardworking since childhood, often helped their families with farm work. Photograph provided by respondents

After two or three weeks of ideological struggle, Zhao Xinqiang finally decided to stick to his dream. After classes at noon every day, he took the subway to the club for training and insisted on it for a year. "I don't know how many times I was knocked down in the actual combat practice this year. Gradually, my fighting ability and physical strength have been greatly improved."

His efforts have been rewarded and recognized. In the first semester of his senior year, the coach of the club signed up for his professional competition. So far, Zhao Xinqiang has won four international boxing ranking matches.

Starting from Gaoligong Mountain, Zhao Xinqiang, a Dulong boy, has proved himself with victory after victory.

Zhao Xinqiang said, "I will go step by step towards my goal and become a fighter for my dream. I hope that one day my game will be broadcast live on CCTV5."

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