Deliveryman delivers China's first WBA boxing title

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"Every day, I feel like a caged beast," says Zhang Fangyong, a 25-year-old deliveryman. "But once I jump into the ring, I am free." In 2017, he became China's first WBA youth bantamweight champion.

Photo courtesy of Zhang Fangyong

Zhang was born in Yunyang County in Chongqing Municipality, which is known as "the land of noodles." It should, therefore, be no surprise that most local residents are experts in handmade noodles. After primary school, Zhang's parents began to run their own diner in another area. Because they didn't have enough money to hire staff, Zhang helped out at the business for three years until he turned 15 when he went to junior high school in his hometown.

"As a big boy, I felt guilty spending my parents' money," he says. "So, I thought of making a living by doing something."

Zhang said he got interested in boxing after watching a documentary of Manny Pacquiao, the Filipino great who rose from poverty to become the only eight-division world champion in the history of the sport.

Inspired, Zhang started looking for boxing training. With 3,000 yuan wired by his parents, the 17-year-old took an 18-hour bus ride and joined his first club in Xi'an, capital of northwestern China's Shaanxi Province. "I thought the accommodation was covered in the tuition fee," Zhang says. "But the staff suggested that I get a part-time job to support myself. That was a shock."

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Zhang had to turn to a relative who was in the flour business. "As a skinny boy, I wasn't welcome there. A bag of flour weighs 25 kg. At first, I could only carry one at a time. Gradually, I could carry two, and then four. I became robust and strong during that period." Eventually, he excelled at the club and needed more chances to polish his skills.

At the time, the family's business went south. In order to pay the debt for his parents, he had to turn professional quickly. "I was expecting considerable appearance fees," he recalls.

He used his savings to transfer to a boxing club in Kunming, capital of southwestern Yunnan Province.

Zhang worked as a security guard, a street vendor, and a day laborer at construction sites to make ends meet. "What I was concerned about was only rent and food," he says. "The rest was the least important, as long as I had time for training."

He helped out in a restaurant kitchen and in 2016, learned about food delivery. "The job is as simple and steady with a payment of nearly 300 yuan a day." He pooled some money with his friends to buy an electric motorcycle and became a deliveryman.

Photo courtesy of sports.eastday

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After two or so weeks, the motorcycle was stolen in front of his very eyes. "I chased for over 2 kilometers before I was exhausted and panting heavily," he says. "Then I sat on the ground for half an hour, holding the customer's food in my hands. Only a few days before that, I told my parents on the phone that I was about to get paid and I could wire them a lot of money. But it's gone. No motorcycle, no more delivery, no more salary. I felt that it was totally unfair. I fought so hard, yet things were getting harder."

Rather than mope around, Zhang thought of Xiong Chaozhong, a grass-roots boxer who held the WBC minimumweight title from 2012 to 2014. He used to be a miner and in the same club with Zhang. "He's gone through the same; fighting for years before he could challenge a world champion. I hoped I could be like him."

Zhang Fangyong is put through training exercises. /Photo courtesy of sports.eastday

Zhang then bought another motorcycle on borrowed money and started over with his double life as a deliveryman and boxer. "I have a steamed bun for breakfast and deliver food until 1 p.m. We have a two-hour lunch break. I finish my lunch in 10 minutes, rush home to grab my bag and head off to the club. After the training, I get changed, ready the delivery box, turn on my mobile and take orders again." Busy though he was, he set a company record of delivering 69 orders in one day.

Zhang once had a crushing defeat in a match in Thailand. "Those international boxers were far better than us. My opponent's punch was hard and precise. No matter what I did, I always got hit. There was the gap between me and the world's first-class boxers. I was like a punching bag in the ring." The referee stopped the fight, seeing it was an unequal contest. Zhang stayed home and recuperated for over two weeks.

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Coming back with no reward but medical bills, Zhang thought about giving up. "My father also loved sports. He could see that deep down I didn't want to quit. He said that 'what matters is not exactly being a world champion, but that you tried. Just follow your heart,'" says Zhang. "My grandfather didn't know much about boxing. Before he passed away, however, he told everyone in the hospital that his grandson was a boxer, and he wished me success."

"Dream" is a luxury among the poor folks in Zhang's hometown. Nonetheless, he's determined to get up whenever he falls.

He seems vigorous in the ring. All the stress and unfairness he feels are released with his punches. "While other boxers are there to win a game, I fight for life. I don't really care how my rival plays. Once in the ring, I'm all out without mercy. I punch over 200 times in a round, making him feel overwhelmed."

Photo courtesy of Zhang Fangyong

In 2017, Zhang finally won his first championship. "It's so hard for a grass-roots boxer like me, but I did it," he says. Always preparing for Asian and world championships, Zhang tries to rearrange his life and stay safe at work. "I need a steady income. I can't quit my job to prepare for the matches."

In fact, the title didn't bring Zhang much financial reward but he is at peace with it. "Having switched between boxing and working for so many years, I'm truly confident now," he says. "Anyone who asks me how much I earn as a professional boxer, I tell them directly that boxing doesn't bring me money. I just feel like doing it, and I'll keep on doing it. Be there great success or not, I'll give it my all in every match."

The story is one in The 1.3 Billion series exploring the diverse lives that make up China.

Director: Lei Rong, Yu Yaqing

Editor: Jiao Yixi, Yu Yaqing, Gao Xingzi

Filmed by: Zhang Han

Designer: Qu Bo, Li Wenyi

Online writer: Zhu Siqi

Copy editor: Bertram Niles

Producer：Wen Yaru

Chief editor: Lin Dongwei

Supervisor：Pang Xinhua