Wuzhati Nuerlang

Chinese boxing hasn't really made the impact on the world scene that many had been expecting. In fact if anything the Chinese fighters who have made it to a world title shot, such as Ik Yang and Zou Shiming, have been really disappointing. Yang was made to look hapless by Cesar Rene Cuenca whilst Shiming's short reign as the WBO Flyweight champion was a thoroughly forgettable one with the double Olympic champion losing the belt in his first defense, to Sho Kimura.
One of the fighters trying to change that reputation of faltering Chinese fighters is the once beaten Wuzhati Nuerlang (11-1, 9) [吾扎提·努尔郎], a Chinese 22 year old from Urumqi, where a lot of Chinese fighters are starting to emerge. Unlike many Chinese fighters he's not competing at the lower weights, instead he's someone making a name for himself up at Super Middleweight, where he has actually broken into the WBO rankings, albeit only just.
There is little known about about Nuerlang's amateur career, though given he made his debut at 19 year's old he certainly didn't have a long one. What we do know however is that he fought in the 2013 Chinese Youth National Championships, though failed to reach the semi-finals.
In November 2015 Nuerlang made his professional debut, fighting in a 4 round bout against Chengbo Zheng in Haikou. Sadly for the 19 year old Nuerlang he would come up on the losing end of a majority decision. Since then however Nuerlang has improved drastically, and really began to make a name for himself on the Chinese scene.
Less than 4 months after his debut loss Nuerlang returned to the ring and scored a 3rd round TKO victory over the debuting Mingwu Wang in March 2016. That began his rise, and a real burst in activity which would see Nuerlang record his second win the following month by stopping Chongzhen Wu inside a round. The momentum would continue to build for Nuerlang when he defeated Tianchun Jiang in 2 rounds in May. The momentum of success was rolling and would continue to grow when he stopped Guang Yang in June, also in 2 rounds and then Jianhon Yu in July, with Yu lasting into the third round.
One of the fighters trying to change that reputation of faltering Chinese fighters is the once beaten Wuzhati Nuerlang (11-1, 9) [吾扎提·努尔郎], a Chinese 22 year old from Urumqi, where a lot of Chinese fighters are starting to emerge. Unlike many Chinese fighters he's not competing at the lower weights, instead he's someone making a name for himself up at Super Middleweight, where he has actually broken into the WBO rankings, albeit only just.
There is little known about about Nuerlang's amateur career, though given he made his debut at 19 year's old he certainly didn't have a long one. What we do know however is that he fought in the 2013 Chinese Youth National Championships, though failed to reach the semi-finals.
In November 2015 Nuerlang made his professional debut, fighting in a 4 round bout against Chengbo Zheng in Haikou. Sadly for the 19 year old Nuerlang he would come up on the losing end of a majority decision. Since then however Nuerlang has improved drastically, and really began to make a name for himself on the Chinese scene.
Less than 4 months after his debut loss Nuerlang returned to the ring and scored a 3rd round TKO victory over the debuting Mingwu Wang in March 2016. That began his rise, and a real burst in activity which would see Nuerlang record his second win the following month by stopping Chongzhen Wu inside a round. The momentum would continue to build for Nuerlang when he defeated Tianchun Jiang in 2 rounds in May. The momentum of success was rolling and would continue to grow when he stopped Guang Yang in June, also in 2 rounds and then Jianhon Yu in July, with Yu lasting into the third round.
To close out 2016 Nuerlang faced Chengbo Zheng in a rematch of his debut loss. This time around Nuerlang would come out on top, avenging his sole loss, with a 3rd round TKO win. It was a great win for Nuerlang and a chance to put his defeat behind him, though didn't massively increase his reputation. That however was soon to come.
To begin 2017 Nuerlang would record his 7th successive stoppage win, as he forced Yihao Wang to retire at the end of round 3. Only weeks after stopped Wang we'd see Nuerlang take a big step up in class to face the unbeaten Maimaitijiang Nuermaimaiti, then 4-0-1 (3), for the WBO Greater China Zone Light Heavyeweight title. The bout saw Nuerlang record his 8th straight stoppage victory as he forced Nuermaimaiti, another fighter from Urumqi, to retire at the end of the 4th round. The great run of stoppages that Nuerlang was stringing together would eventually come to an end when he dropped down in weight, moving from Light Heavyweight to Super Middleweight. His first bout as a Super Middleweight saw him face off with with Ghanaian puncher Iddrisa Amadu, then 9-1 (9), in a bout for the WBO Asia Pacific Youth Super Middleweight title. Despite going the 10 round distance with Amadu there was no doubting the winner, with Nuerlang taking a shut out over the man from Ghana. This past April fans saw Nuerlang score, potentially, his biggest win to date, as he shut out Indonesian veteran Alexander Bajawa over 6 rounds. Going into the bout Bajawa had had more than 50 professional contests, and despite the huge gulf in experience Nuerlang dominated, taking a 6 round unanimous decision win over the visitor. After going the distance in back-to-back bouts Nuerlang's reputation as a heavy handed fighter was waning. That was until this past June, when he defeated Thai visitor Bordin Peepueh, aka Petchbodin Sithmorseng Por Nob, in just 2 rounds in Jinan. Aged 22 Nuerlang is one of the most promising fighters in China. He's younger than the other two notable Chinese Super Middleweights, Ainiwaer Yilixiati and Zulipikaer Maimaitiali, who are 25 and 24 respectively, so will be able to learn from their mistakes. He's a fast and aggressive fighter, who looks to make the most of being a diminutive fighter, standing at just 5'9”. Despite his height he managed to put fighters on the back foot quickly, with under-rated footwork, smart movement and his heavy hands. When watching Nuerlang fans won't be seeing many jabs come from the Chinese hopeful, though when he does use it it is a very stiff shot. Instead what you'll is a very strong and powerful fighter looking to grind opponents down with relentless pressure and an unerring ability to land hooks from further away than he really should. His shots, to head and body, both appear to be very hurtful and powerful, and although there is a crudeness to him, that we often see with Chinese fighters, there is a real grit to his work. Although we'd not agree with his world ranking, which is #15 with the WBO at the time of writing at Super Middleweight, there is a lot to like about him, and we're really hoping that the future is bright for the exciting youngster. |
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