If top promoter Bob Arum gets his way - and he usually does - China can look forward to a great boxing future.
"For any serious business person... it's a country of 1.4 billion people and it's a country that's emerging economically to be a real super power," said Arum, founder and chief executive of Las Vegas-based Top Rank promotions.
"It's a country where people are just starting to have the opportunity to sample what we in the West are used to, like professional boxing.
"I think if it's done right, this will be the premier audience for the sport of boxing in the world," Arum, 81, told reporters after staging a night of boxing at the grandiose The Venetian hotel-resort in the casino haven of Macau.
Arum has lumped his bets on China's two-time Olympic champion Zou Shiming, who made his professional debut on Saturday. Top Rank estimated 300 million people in China had tuned in live to watch the 31-year-old flyweight.
Zou defeated Mexican boxer Eleazar Valenzuela on a unanimous points decision in their four-round non-title bout. The home hero reportedly picked up a cool US$300,000 for his effort.
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