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China's time to shine in the ring

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China's Zou Shiming fights France's Nordine Oubaal during their 2008 Olympic Games light flyweight (48 kg) bout in Beijing. Jacques Demarthon / Agence France-Presse

China has its sights set on at least two gold medals when the Asian Games boxing starts on Tuesday, with women's bouts making their debut.

Regional powerhouse Uzbekistan topped the boxing medal standings four years ago in Doha, where several countries and regions emerged as legitimate contenders.

One of those was China, and there is growing interest - even beyond Asia - in the fast development of the sport in the country, that now boasts some top-class amateur pugilists.

China shocked traditional regional powers Kazakhstan, Thailand and the Republic of Korea by finishing second last time around after bagging two gold medals through Zou Shiming (light flyweight) and Hu Qing (lightweight).

The Chinese followed that up with a surprise four medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics including a first-ever gold - for Zou - and the sport continued to grow in the country since.

In October, China's national team beat the United States 6-5 in an amateur tournament in New York as Beijing medalists Zhang Zhilei (super heavyweight) and the highly talented Zou both pounded out wins.

Coach Zhang Chuanliang said his team "is capable of winning at least two gold medals" in the southern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou.

But he cautioned the lightning-quick Zou, 29, considered the finest in the world in his class, is not at his devastating best.

"Zou's training is not systematical and his response and fitness have therefore declined," Zhang told Xinhua news agency.

Zou's major opponent to defending his Asian Games crown is Purevdorj Serdamba of Mongolia, who lost to Zou in the final in Beijing in 2008 but went on to win the world amateur championships the following year.

Host China has a team of 13 boxers at the games, including women.

But it is not all about the Chinese, with India's Vijender Singh hoping to put the disappointment of last month's Commonwealth Games behind him after he crashed out in the semifinals on home soil.

Singh, a national celebrity in India, is the No 1-ranked amateur middleweight in the world and won Olympic bronze in Beijing.

International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge is a strong advocate of women's boxing, and he pushed through the decision to make it an Olympic sport in 2012.

The Asian Games and the Olympics will have three categories for women: flyweight (48-51kg), lightweight (56-60kg) and middleweight (69-75kg).

Chinese women picked up one gold, three silver and three bronze at the recent world championships in Barbados and are the heavy favorite here.

In the flyweight final in the Caribbean, Ren Cancan made Chinese history, becoming the nation's first two-time women's world champion.