New Stars

Page 8

Boxing

Boxing requires physical fitness, strategies and self-discipline, thereby inspiring positive values. In this issue, we interviewed two emerging boxing stars, Wong Kei-laam and Tang Kit-fu. Both of them got lost in life and were, fortunately, put back on track by boxing.

Wong Kei-laam

A Passion for Boxing, A Fresh Start

In the past, Wong Kei-laam, a Form 6 student aged 17, had led a boring life without special interests. It was until the summer holiday of Form 3 when he came across a boxing video clip online and, after watching it, he suddenly wanted to learn the sport. Since then, he has left behind his boring and repetitive life.

Given that Wong seldom did exercise then, it was inevitable that he lacked physical strength to throw punches. Thanks to his persistence, he managed to make improvements to his skills in a gradual manner. With just a year of practice, he won his first amateur competition. He did not rest on his laurels but reviewed in detail his performance after the match. He believed that he failed to tap his potential owing to nervousness. Given this, he was determined to show his skills fully on the boxing ring in the future.

Going from Strength to Strength, Striving for Excellence

Last year saw Wong compete with boxers from all over the world. It was the first time he had encountered boxers from outside Asia. He lost by technical knockout to a strong opponent before the end of the first round. Though frustrated at his failure, he managed to pull himself together immediately and review his performance. He learnt from this match that there would be someone better out there, reminding him the importance of striving for excellence.

Wong will soon visit Serbia for a competition. He is well aware that he still needs to enhance his mental quality, hoping that he can overcome anxiety during competitions early to deliver the best performance. He strongly believes that so long as he can keep persevering, he will surely claim victory in the adult group one day.

Tang Kit-fu

Tang Kit-fu was inextricably linked with boxing from the day he was born. As the son of a renowned boxing coach, Tang has watched boxing fights with his family since five. Born to a family of boxers, he was not interested in this sport, but had been obsessed with the online world instead. It was only when he saw a video of the legendary Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao online that he became interested in boxing and decided to give it a go. From then, he has kicked off his road to boxing.

Boxing training was physically demanding, forcing Tang to consider quitting it after the first class. Thanks to the repeated encouragements from his coach, he eventually entered his first amateur competition half a year later.

Overcoming Demons, Facing up to Challenges

Tang clinched a silver medal in his first competition at just 15, after which he became more confident and was convinced that he was unbeatable. However, he encountered an opponent from Mongolia on his first occasion at the ASBC Asian Youth & Junior Boxing Championships, and was defeated in the third round. He learnt a lesson from such a defeat that there would always be someone stronger than him.

Seeing the prowess of overseas boxers, Tang once gave up his idea of participating in the Championships, for he was so worried about failure one more time. Thanks to the patience of and encouragements from his coach, he decided to give it one more try. Despite the fact that he was defeated by an Uzbek boxer, he himself and his coach were so satisfied with his performance. He also learnt from this match that one should tough out difficulties when it came to boxing as fear would only “lead to demise until the end of life”.

Staying Humble, Realising Dreams

Tang has grown up into a more mature man since he started practicing boxing. He realises his inadequacies and therefore strives for progress. The once self-complacent troublemaker has now stayed humble. The 16-year-old Tang, a rising boxer, is not only inspired by Pacquiao, but also aspires to achieve notable successes in boxing, just like the Chinese boxer Zhilei Zhang. He will seek continuous improvements to his skills and performance to realise his dream of competing for Hong Kong in the Olympics.