Xu Can to challenge WBA featherweight champion

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Xu Can, a boxer from China's Mission 2023 (M23) Team, will challenge current Featherweight WBA World Champion Jesus Rojas on January 26, 2019, according to multiple sports media outlets including Sina Sports and Tencent Sports.

"I want to thank the M23 Team and Max Power Promotions Ltd for giving me this great opportunity to fight for the golden belt. I am confident that I can be the third Chinese world boxing champion so I can change my fate to create better lives for my parents," said Xu.

Xu fell in love with boxing when he was 14 years old and dropped out of school two years later to step onto the boxing ring. His parents have been in his side from the beginning and sold everything they had to relocate to Kunming to support their son.

Jesus Rojas, Featherweight WBA World Champion from Puerto Rico /VCG Photo

24-year-old Xu currently is No.2 on the WBA Featherweight Rankings and he's the highest-ranking Chinese boxer on BoxRec, a record website for professional boxers. Since his debut on November 16, 2013, Xu won 15 of his 17 fights with two KOs. He also made the first appearance in the US on September 13 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas with a victory against Enrique Bernache.

The opponent Xu will fight next January. 31-year-old Rojas has 26 wins (including 19 KOs), two losses and two draws, and he has lost only one fight in the past 10 years. Rojas is well-known for his heavy hands and strong chin and he will definitely be Xu's biggest challenge to date.