Back with a bang

Putting Rio Olympics injustice behind him, Chinese boxer Lyu Bin wins WBA super flyweight title

Avictim of one of boxing’s most notorious bout-fixing scandals, Chinese southpaw Lyu Bin has punched off the shackles of the past as he attempts to rebuild his career in the pro ranks.

With his Olympic hopes crushed by a controversial decision at the 2016 Rio Games, Lyu waved goodbye to amateur boxing in 2018. On March 16, he proved he has what it takes to reboot his career in the professional ring by claiming the World Boxing Association’s super flyweight international title.

Fighting in front of 2,500 rousing home fans in Yongkang, Zhejiang province, Lyu needed just 99 seconds to dispel doubts about his conditioning after a four-year hiatus by dropping Thai opponent Yutthana Kaensa to the canvas with a brutal body shot.

Kaensa is a former WBA flyweight interim world champion, and knocking out the Thai in just his third professional bout secured Lyu a top-15 spot in the 115-pound (52kg) division, officially qualifying him for a potential world-title shot.

However, the returning southpaw insists he will not be rushed into challenging for the world title, currently held by Joshua Franco of the United States.

“Gold medal or the golden belt, I will at least take one home eventually,” said Lyu, who lost to Kenya’s Peter Mungai Warui at the 2016 Rio Olympics in a preliminary bout later found to be part of large-scale corruption in boxing at the Games.

Appointed by the International Boxing Association, Canadian sports law professor Richard McLaren found in an independent investigation released in September 2021 that at least 11 bouts in qualifying and official events at the Rio Olympics were manipulated, with referees and judges bribed to ensure results were decided in favor of certain countries’ athletes.

Having dominated all three rounds, Lyu, who had been the hot favorite for the 49kg gold in Rio, shed tears of disbelief when Warui’s hand was raised in victory by the referee.

The International Olympic Committee later banned all the Rio Games’ boxing referees and judges from officiating at Tokyo 2020.

Lyu, however, has finally moved on from those dark days and is ready to stake his claim in the pro ranks five years after retiring from China’s national system.

“What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger,” he said before the fight against Kaensa in his hometown.

“I don’t hold any grudges about that anymore. I’ve experienced a lot more than my peers normally go through, and actually it has turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

“This is my first fight in Yongkang prospect failing in his attempt to and it’s a good start to my bid for the become the first man to capture a world title again,” said the 28-year-old. major world title in just his second

After seeing his Olympic dream pro fight. fade, Lyu turned pro in 2018 and was Over the next four years, Lyu spent immediately thrust into the limelight time with family, got married and again. He was chosen by boxing legend became a father. He had not fought Manny Pacquiao to challenge any official bouts until the opportunity then WBA flyweight world champion presented by WBA Asia tempted Carlos Canizales of Venezuela on him back to the ring this month. the undercard of the Filipino great’s After getting back to business with welterweight title bout against Lucas a more mature understanding of the Matthysse of Argentina on July 15 that professional boxing scene, Lyu said year. he now knows how to make his blows

Holding a 20-0-1 record with 16 KO count. wins before the title defense, Canizales “Professional boxing is quite different proved too much to handle for from the Olympic bout in pace, Lyu in just his second professional the way you punch and the strategies,” outing. said Lyu. “It values the power of

Lyu was dropped and stopped by punches more, the KOs and wins in Canizales in the dying seconds of an entertaining style.” the last of the 12 rounds by a fourpunch “I’ve got a better grasp of speed and combination, with the Chinese * timing and have improved my punching

technique a lot over these years,” Lyu said of his improvements.

His efficient, no-fuss handling of Kaensa — a proven force with a 24-4-0 record before the bout — has underlined Lyu’s progress from an amateur to a pro, reckoned Xu Can, China’s former WBA featherweight world champion.

“It looks easy but it takes long-term hard efforts to produce it,” said Xu, who helped prepare Lyu over two months of pre-fight training in Kunming, Yunnan province.

“He fights quicker and more aggressively now, taking a step further in professional boxing to build upon his solid amateur foundation,” said Xu, who held the WBA’s 126-pound regular world title from January 2019 to July 2021.

Although technically Lyu is already eligible to challenge for the 115-pound

strap again, his Beijing-based promotion agency Max Power would like to take a more cautious approach this time.

“We have the experience and resources to help Lyu realize his professional dreams but it takes time and we need some solid buildup fights to get him ready,” said Lu Xiaolong, CEO of Max Power Promotions.

“Now I need to take one step at a time and always focus on making the best out of my next bout,” said Lyu.