FORMER WBO International Flyweight Champion Zou Shiming recaptured the title by defeating Brazilian Natan Santana Coutinho by TKO in the eighth round in front of a raucous Shanghai Oriental Sports Center crowd Saturday.

    A three-time Olympic medalist who won China’s first boxing gold medal in 2008, Zou was fighting his first professional match on the Chinese mainland after his seven previous matches were held in Macao.

    “The homecoming was great,” he said. “I really fed off the energy of the crowd.”

    As the Shanghai crowd yelled out “Zou Shiming Jia You (Go Zhou Shiming)” throughout the fight, Coutinho was happy to play to the crowd. He playfully gyrated at Zou twice in the first two rounds of the match as the two were evenly matched.

    However, by the eighth round, Zou had established a couple of strong flurries. By the 2:34 minute mark of that round, he had cornered Coutinho landing a series of blows that caused the referee to call the match a TKO.

    “I’m so happy with the fight,” Coutinho said. “Zou is a great guy, although he did break my face. But I’m just 20 years old and Zou has mastered some things I’m still learning. But I’ll be back and I want to thank the Chinese people for having me.”

    The fight marked Zou’s return to the ring since losing an IBF flyweight title match to Thailand’s Amnat Ruenroeng last March.

    “I’ve taken 10 months off to rest, spend time with my family and even find a little reality TV fame, but my heart never left the ring,” Zou said after the fight.

    “Today I fought patiently and got into a rhythm. [Coutinho] is young and has a powerful right hand, but once I got into a rhythm I was able to control the fight.”

    Billed as “The Return of the King,” the event attracted a sizable crowd in Shanghai.

    “Zou’s performance in this fight was outstanding,” said American boxing promoter Top Rank’s CEO Bob Arum, who also promotes Manny Pacquiao.

    “I really want to test Zou again with another top contender in the spring. If he passes that, we will have him fight for a world championship by the end of the year.”

    (SD-Agencies)