The sport of boxing, previously regarded as barbaric and violent, is now seen by Wuxi residents as a fashionable way of bodybuilding and reducing the stress of daily life.

In a boxing club at the Wuxi Sports Center on Nov 25, several club members, most of whom are young people, were training hard under the eye of their coach Chen Zilei, former national 91-kg boxing champion.

The club adopts professional training methods featuring dozens of instructional and sparring training sessions. "Many people consider boxing too violent and a boring repetition of punching," said the coach, "but they do not know it requires all kinds of skills to finish a set of technical movements, such as adjusting the position of your hands and feet to punch while staying a safe distance from your opponent."

Among the boxing students, 26-year-old Ms. Mao drew a lot of attention as she is one of the very few female students in the club. "I love sports and boxing has now become my favorite hobby," said Mao, "I really appreciate the active atmosphere here and I enjoy the process of bodybuilding. I also make a lot of friends."

Before the end of training, Mao had a practice match against a male student. "It was a tough match-up. I sweated a lot but felt rather relieved," said Mao, adding, "and I believe for girls, boxing is a useful self-defense skill as well."

The 26-year-old Ms. Mao has a practice match against a male student in the boxing club. [Photo/wxrb.com]

Besides boxing clubs, many gyms in the city have been equipped with rings and opened boxing courses. Many residents have taken up in the sport as boxing combines both strength and aerobic training, and is more effective in keeping fit.

Wu Xinwu, secretary-general of the Wuxi Boxing Association, pointed out that boxing is also beneficial to our mentality. "Many people do not have the courage to step into the ring at first, but after several matches, they become more confident and are eager to win every round."

"For teenagers," Wu added, "boxing teaches them to calm down and be brave when facing challenges, making them stronger both physically and mentally."

Boxing has proved a positive sport for Wuxi city. The municipal boxing team, since its foundation in 2003, has cultivated many elite boxers like Chen Zilei and Xu Zichun. Xu just won the women 57-60kg boxing championship in the 2015 Fuzhou National Youth Games.