• 2012 Olympics, 108 pounds - Gold Medalist…
• 2011 World Championships, 108 pounds - Gold Medalist…
• 2008 Olympics, 105 pounds - Gold Medalist…
• 2007 World Championships, 105 pounds - Gold Medalist…
• 2005 World Championships, 105 pounds - Gold Medalist…
• 2004 Olympic Games, 105 pounds - Bronze Medalist…
• 2003 World Championships, 105 pounds - Silver Medalist…

At the age of 32, Zou is fighting as a pro for the second time. A former international amateur standout, he is the greatest amateur boxer in the history of the light-flyweight division - a two-time Olympic gold medalist and three-time World Championships gold medalist - and one of China’s most popular athletes.

He made his pro debut on April 6 in Macau and won a four-round unanimous decision against Eleazar Valenzuela.

After the fight, Brian Campbell wrote on ESPN.com [excerpts]: Zou Shiming showed good speed and technique in his pro boxing debut against Eleazar Valenzuela.

Zou proved a scintillating showman as he played to the adoring crowd in and out of the ring at the Cotai Arena at The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel. And considering how popular the fighter, who medaled in three separate Olympic games, is within his native country of nearly 1.4 billion people, there were plenty of estimates (including ring announcer Michael Buffer’s ambitious notion of 300 million viewers) that Zou's first professional fight could end up being the most-watched boxing match in history.

Despite that kind of pressure on his shoulders, Zou failed to disappoint against Eleazar Valenzuela, who never stopped coming forward. Zou’s speed and deceptive style - adapted to the pro game by trainer Freddie Roach - proved way too much to handle as he cruised to scores of 40-36 on all three scorecards.

After firing up the home crowd by extending his arms outward and pumping his fists during his ring walk into the arena, Zou unveiled his marketable fighting style by repeatedly dropping his hands in the opening round and countering with quick, flush jabs and looping counter right hands….

Dressed in gold trunks, Zou showed tremendous footwork when Valenzuela amped up his pressure in the second round by sidestepping his opponent’s advances and tagging him with counter hooks at unpredictable angles. In Round 3, Zou stepped on the gas pedal and made a run at stopping his opponent by darting in and out to land a series of clean shots to the head of Valenzuela. [End Campbell item]

Trainer Freddie Roach said, "I was very pleased with how quickly Shiming learned what I was teaching during our first training camp, and he is the hardest worker in the gym. This time our main focus will be on getting him to punch harder. Shiming will need to learn how to sit down on his punches to maximize their power."

Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum announced the signing of the two-time Olympic gold medal winner and three-time world amateur champion at a press conference in January at the Four Seasons Hotel Bejing.

"Zou is an incredible talent who is beloved in the Peoples Republic of China," said Arum.  "We at Top Rank will make every effort to make certain that he has a spectacular career as a professional boxer."

Shiming was also a bronze medalist at the 2004 Olympics, which made him his nation's first Olympic medalist in boxing, as well as its first boxing gold medalist in the World Championships and the Olympics.

Known for his extraordinary speed and superb footwork - thanks to years of martial-arts training - Zou has said that his heroes are Muhammad Ali and Jackie Chan. 

AMATEUR HIGHLIGHTS:

2012 OLYMPICS - London, England, 108 pounds - GOLD MEDALIST: in his first fight on 8-4-12 he won a 14-11 decision against Yosvany Veitia of Cuba; in the quarterfinals on 8-8-12 he won a 13-10 decision against Birzhan Zhakipov of Kazakhstan; in the semifinals on 8-10-12 he had a 15-15 draw, but won the tiebreaker against Paddy Barnes of Ireland; in the finals on 8-11-12 he won a 13-10 decision against Kaew Pongprayoon of Thailand...

Sun Xiaochen reported from ringside [BoxingScene.com - excerpts]:  Zou Shiming is happy to have made his country proud but is even more delighted to have fulfilled his promise to his 13-month-old son.

Zou defended his light flyweight Olympic championship by overcoming Thai Kaeo Pongprayoon in a close fight.

Zou overcame a heel injury...to retain the title he won in Beijing in 2008. He said his most powerful motivator was a promise he made to his boy.

"My boy was born just one month before the London Games' one-year countdown. He is an Olympic baby, and I told him I would fight for a gold as his first birthday gift," an emotional Zou said after beating Pongprayoon in the final at London's ExCeL.

"I realized the commitment of a father to his son, and that's the most important reward for me."

Right after stepping out of the ring, Zou rushed to his wife, who watched and chanted as he hugged his son on the tribune. He kissed his boy and flew the national flag to celebrate his victory.

Zou's second gold made him the first man to win three medals in the light flyweight division. He took bronze at the 2004 Athens Games….

"I am so excited to finally get here," he said.

"I've come a long way. And I just want to stay with my family now, especially my son. No one can separate us now."

Zou was proud but conflicted when his son gripped a boxing glove, as well as pens, toys and books, at his 100-day-old party - a Chinese tradition that's believed to hint to a child's future.

"He showed an inborn interest in boxing so young," Zou said. "If he insists on boxing when growing up, I'll respect his wishes and pass along what I know to him." [End Xiaochen item]

2011 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS - Baku, Azerbaijan, 108 pounds - GOLD MEDALIST: in his first fight on 9-26-11 he won a 17-9 decision against Juan Gabriel Medina of Dominican Republic; in his second fight on 10-3-11 he won a 12-2 decision against Istvan Ungvari of Hungary; in his third fight on 10-4-11 he won a 12-5 decision against Mark Anthony Barriga of the Philippines; in the quarterfinals on 10-5-11 he won a 14-8 decision against Kaew Pongprayoon of Thailand; in the semifinals on 10-7-11 he won a 15-8 decision against David Ayrapetyan of Russia; in the finals on 10-8-11 he won a 20-11 decision against Jong-Chun Shin of Korea...

2008 OLYMPICS - Beijing, Peoples Republic of China, 105 pounds - GOLD MEDALIST: in his first fighton 8-16-08 he had a 3-3 draw, but won the tiebreaker against Nordine Oubaali of France;in the quarterfinals on 8-19-08 he won a 9-4 decision against Birzhan Zhakipov of Kazakhstan;in the semifinals on 8-22-08 he won a 15-0 decision against Paddy Barnes of Ireland; in the finals on 8-24-08 he stopped Purevdorj Serdamba of Mongolia in the 2^nd round...

Patrick Vignal reported from ringside [Reuters - excerpts]: An emotional Zou Shiming thrilled China by winning their first Olympic boxing title in unexpectedly easy fashion on Sunday.

World champion Zou was leading 1-0 on the scoreboard 19 seconds into the second round of the light-flyweight final when his Mongolian opponent Serdamba Purevdorj, suffering from a recurrent shoulder injury, returned to his corner.

His coach threw in the towel, meaning Zou, who had handed China their first boxing medal with bronze at the 2004 Athens Games, was awarded victory to deafening roars from a partisan crowd.

Zou draped himself in the Chinese flag and burst into tears during the medal ceremony.

"I did not cry four years ago when I got the bronze but I told myself, ‘When you get gold, you can cry.’ I originally wanted to go out there and put on a good show for everybody but the main thing is getting this gold," he added. [End Vignal item]

2007 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS - Chicago, Illinois, 105 pounds - GOLD MEDALIST: in his first fight on 10-25-07 he won a 15-3 decision against Constantin Paraschiv of Romania; in his second fight on 10-28-07 he won a 30-13 decision against Birzhan Zhakipov of Kazakhstan; in his third fight on 10-31-07 he won a 23-6 decision against David Ayrapetyan of Russia; in the quarterfinals on 11-1-07 he won a 22-8 decision against Paddy Barnes of Ireland; in the semifinals on 11-2-07 he stopped Nordine Oubaali of France in the 3^rd round; in the finals on 11-3-07 he won a 17-3 decision against Harry Tanamor of the Philippines...

2005 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS - Mianyang, China, 105 pounds - GOLD MEDALIST: in his first fight on 11-14-05 he won an 18-10 decision against Łukasz Maszczyk of Poland; in his second fight on 11-16-05 he won a 22-9 decision against Salim Salimov of Bulgaria; in the quarterfinals on 11-18-05 he won a 12-10 decision against Yan Bartelemy of Cuba; in the semifinals on 11-19-05 he won an 18-13 decision against Sherali Dostiev of Tajikistan; in the finals on 11-20-05 he won a 31-13 decision against Pal Bedak of Hungary...

2004 OLYMPICS - Athens, Greece, 105 pounds - BRONZE MEDALIST: in his first fight on 8-18-04 he won a 22-9 decision against Rau'Shee Warren of the U.S.; in his second fight on 8-21-04 he won a 31-8 decision against Endelkachew Kabede of Ethiopia; in the quarterfinals on 8-24-04 he won a 20-12 decision against Alexander Nalbandyan of Armenia; in the semifinals on 8-27-04 he lost a 29-17 decision against Yan Bartelemy of Cuba...

2003 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS - Bangkok, Thailand, 105 pounds - SILVER MEDALIST: in his first fight on 7-9-03 he won a 22-15 decision against Yan Barthelemy of Cuba; in the quarterfinals on 7-10-03 he won a 21-9 decision against Rudolf Dydi of Slovakia; in the semifinals on 7-11-03 he won a 21-13 decision against Harry Tanamor of the Philippines; in the finals on 7-12-03 he lost a 23-19 decision against Sergey Kazakov of Russia...