China might be witnessing the birth of another national sports icon after Zhang Xiyan, 29, from Heilongjiang Province, claimed the country's first world title in professional boxing at the weekend.

Zhang won the World Boxing Council Women's Lightweight crown in the southwest city of Chengdu on Saturday night after beating Alicia Ashley of the United States. The two fought a close 10-round bout and were separated only by points. All three referees ruled in Zhang's favor for landing more hits than her rival.

The one-day meet, which featured three WBC title fights, one world title and two continental crowns, was the first world-level professional boxing extravaganza to have been staged on the Chinese mainland. 12 boxers from eight countries took to the ring.

China, a newcomer to professional boxing, managed a total of two titles.

Besides Zhang, who turned pro only three months ago, Wu Zhiyu grabbed the men's light heavyweight crown.

"We had never expected such a good result before the tournament," said Chang Jianping, the director of the Chinese Boxing Association. "Our fighters have lifted themselves to an unprecedented standard, much to everyone's surprise."

Professional boxing, due to its huge potential commercial value, has become increasingly popular on the mainland in the last few years following the lifting of a decades-old ban. Evander Holyfield planned a much-hyped World Boxing Association heavyweight title fight with John Ruiz in 2001 in China but it never materialized because of a contractual dispute between the promoter and the boxers' agents.

But that setback didn't dampen the country's passion for the sport.

Professional boxing is featured weekly on CCTV 5, the country's largest sports TV channel, and draws a good audience rating.

(Shanghai Daily April 18, 2006)