Eighty-year-old boxing referee Xu Jingmao wears a golden medal he won at the Hercules Chinese Open series. [Photo/Hangzhou.com.cn]

Boxing referee Xu Jingmao, reputed as Hangzhou's Ip Man (legendary martial-arts master and Bruce Lee's mentor), continues to train even though he is now in his 80s. He plans to cheer on young boxers at the Asian Games Hangzhou 2022.

Hangzhou's Ip Man

Xu started boxing at the age of 14. He stood 1.74 meters tall and had an impressive arm span of 1.8 meters, which caught the attention of coaches. Every morning, he would run to the top of a mountain to practice.

Xu can perform five punches per second and has a maximum punching power of 125 kilograms. Even in his 70s, Xu was able to lift a 175-kg tire at the Zhejiang International Hercules Open in 2019 and win the championship.

Xu started to teach students at the age of 31. He has lost count of how many students he has trained over the years, but he maintains contact with over 40 of them. Gao Fei, his youngest student, is now the head referee at the Hangzhou Boxing Association.

Overcoming adversity

Unfortunately, Xu was never able to become a professional boxer. Nationwide boxing tournaments were halted in 1959, just as Xu had begun making a name for himself.

However, the strong work ethic and dedication he cultivated during his boxing years helped him gain admission to the Civil Engineering Department of Zhejiang University.

It was not until 1986 that boxing returned to China, when Xu was already in his 40s. Wang Guojun, head coach of the national boxing team, invited him to attend the founding ceremony of the Chinese Boxing Federation.

He studied hard and later became a national first-class boxing judge in 1989 and served at the Asian Games Beijing 1990, which, he said, was the most memorable experience of his life.

Fighting on

"Were I a couple of years younger, I would definitely return to the ring," said Xu.

Now in his 80s, Xu's passion for boxing persists to this day. He continues to train in order to stay healthy. His biggest wish now is to cheer for Chinese boxers at the Hangzhou Gymnasium, the boxing venue for the Asian Games Hangzhou 2022.