Zou Shiming said he will cast aside his friendship with IBF flyweight champion Amnat Ruenroeng and “try to kill him in the ring.” Zou, 33, and Amnat, 35, have been friends since their amateur days when they fought three times, but they will clash for the first time over 12 rounds tomorrow at the Cotai Arena in Macau with Zou looking to win China’s first professional world boxing title.
“We are professionals and although it’s true we are good friends, when he is in the ring I will want to hurt him, to try to kill him,” Zou said.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist beat Amnat the last time they fought as amateurs, at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, but the Thai is the more experienced professional with an unbeaten 14-fight record.
Zou, who won gold at the Beijing and London Olympics, will be fighting for just the seventh time as a pro. But he said he is light years ahead of the boxer who stepped into the same Macau ring for his pro debut just over two years ago.
“I was too excited back then,” Zou said. “I’m much more relaxed now. That comes from confidence which comes from experience.”
Zou has a formidable mentor in the form of Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach, who will dash straight back to Los Angeles after the fight to supervise Manny Pacquiao’s preparations for his superfight with the unbeaten Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas on May 2.
Roach revealed his first thoughts were to stay in LA to help Pacquiao, but the Filipino superstar told him: “Go help Shiming win the world title. Because with you there he has a much better chance of winning.”
Zou said he learned a lot from Roach and together they “improved my power and speed.”
Amnat, though, has no intention of letting his opponent walk off with his belt.
“Before our first fight [in the King’s Cup in Thailand in 2007] my team didn’t expect me to beat Zou because I was a replacement fighter,” Amnat said. “But I did. Now we are confident I will do it again.”
