“Wonder Kid” Rex Tso Sing-yu is still “far away” from landing a world title, respected local commentator Wai Kee-shun has warned, with the unbeaten fighter’s career hampered by opponents withdrawing at the last minute.
Wai, a boxing commentator for TVB and Cable TV for many years but now retired, says the 27-year-old southpaw must improve immeasurably if he is to realise his dream of becoming a world champion.
Tso’s cause has not been helped by his latest opponent, Japanese southpaw Kenta Okumura, pulling out of their fight on the undercard of next week’s “Clash in Cotai II”, headlined by Manny Pacquiao at the Cotai Arena in Venetian Macao.
Tso’s bout in “Featherweight Fury” in May also turned into a circus when his opponent was twice changed and he was almost beaten by Thailand’s Ratchasak Kokietgym, surviving two knock-downs before winning by unanimous decision.
Organisers have thrown around several names as a replacement for Okumura, who injured his hand, but none has been confirmed.
“Rex needs to fight outside Macau and make a name for himself to get better recognition,” said 81-year-old Wai, a former chairman of the Hong Kong Amateur Boxing Association.
“He needs to fight tougher opponents. I have watched his fights and he must develop more. His attack is still a bit weak and his defence is vulnerable.
“Rex doesn’t possess the knockout punch and his fighting technique is what we call the ‘windmill’ style, where he just throws left, right, left right. He must develop a stronger punch. His rhythm is the same.
“He should also be careful with his defence because he was twice knocked down by a double left hook against one of his opponents [Thailand’s Ratchasak Kokietgym]. But he still has time on his side and he can get more experience,” he said.
Wai said Tso, who is 14-0-0 with nine knockouts, is still not rated by Ring Magazine, boxing’s bible, even though he is rated ninth in the World Boxing Council (WBC) list in the super flyweight category.
“There are many world boxing associations and they are owned by promoters, but Ring gives a much more honest assessment of a fighter,” he said.
“However, Rex is the most promising boxer to come out of Hong Kong and he can achieve the things he wants to achieve if only he improves and if he gets a world-class trainer among other things,” he said.
Meanwhile, Indonesia’s Espinos Sabu (11-2-1, 5 KOs) has emerged as a likely opponent, subject to approval by promoters Top Rank.
Sabu, 25, an orthodox fighter, was beaten by Filipino Warlito Parrenas by unanimous decision for the WBO Oriental super flyweight title in his last fight.
Tso’s trainer, Jay Lau Chi-yuen, said he was extremely upset by Okumura’s withdrawal, as they had worked months on Tso’s technique against a fellow southpaw. “We looked high and low for a suitable opponent for Rex and finally came up with Sabu. It should be confirmed by organisers soon,” said Lau.
