During his reign as tsar of Russia some three hundred years ago, Peter the Great created his own social experiment with the city of St. Petersburg. Knowing full well that his beloved Russia was technologically and culturally lagging in comparison to powerful European nations, Peter turned St. Petersburg into a modern European city. He made sure that European ideas, goods, and merchandise infiltrated the Russian city so that his citizens could get a glimpse of what the rest of Europe looked like with the hopes that his country would ultimately change for the better. For this reason, St. Petersburg was dubbed the “Window to the West.”
This past Friday, in the Bowery section of Manhattan’s Chinatown, the extravagant Capitale banquet hall served as a modern day St. Petersburg. Except this time it was the Chinese, not the Russians, involved — and this window peered into the East.
Friday’s “Empires Collide” fight card, presented by Dino Duva and Global Sports Entertainment, featured eleven bouts between Team USA and the Chinese national team. Duva, who has traveled to China fourteen times in the past two-plus years, has taken special interest in the development of Chinese boxing, developing a strong working relationship with the Chinese Boxing Federation.
The successful New Jersey-based businessman and promoter certainly senses that the next great generation of fistic superstars may emerge from the Middle Kingdom. He tapped his father, the legendary Lou Duva, as well as accomplished trainer Al Mitchell to help train the Chinese nationals while he showcases them in duals across the United States.
Heading into the 2008 Beijing Olympics, China had earned only one medal in boxing. That medal was a bronze one, earned by Zou Shiming in the 2004 Athens games.
Fast forward to present day and China has added four more Olympic medals to its resume, as well as two bronze medals at the 2009 world championships in Italy. Further, it just bested Team USA in the eleven bout dual by the score of 6-5 at Capitale Friday night.
In Beijing in 2008, Shiming became the first Chinese boxer to ever win multiple Olympic medals when he captured gold in his home country. Xiaoping Zhang also earned a gold medal for the Republic, while both Zhilei Zhang and Silamu Hanati added to their country’s medal count, winning silver and bronze medals, respectively.
Much like the Russian tsar before him, Duva has ‘great’ instincts. Peter wanted to show his country what the rest of Europe had already become. St. Petersburg offered Russian citizens a glimpse into what their country could potentially be.
Similarly, Duva wants to show the world what Chinese boxing has become over the last decade. Seven years ago, China had zero Olympic boxing medals. As the 2012 London games near, China has five — and counting. As Duva continues to showcase the Chinese national team, he offers the rest of the world their “Window to the East.” He gives them a glimpse of what is to come from a country with potential to be the next boxing mecca.
Historically, the Chinese have focused their energies on martial arts such as kung fu or tai chi which honor the country’s rich past. However, with the recent success of Chinese boxing, especially the national team’s success in Beijing, it appears that a boxing undercurrent has been created and it is that is pulling more and more Chinese youth towards the sweet science.
Duva plans to continue to promote the Chinese national team as they prepare for the 2012 Olympics. As he showcases them around the United States and rest of the world, I encourage you to take advantage of watching them fight, take a look through Duva’s “Window to the East.”
Kyle Kinder can be reached at Twitter.com/KyleKinder
PHOTO BY CLAUDIA BOCANEGRA
