Hong Kong boxing veteran Rex Tso Sing-yu is no longer the “Wonder Kid” he once was, but said he is as hungry as ever, with Asian Games and Paris Olympics now in his sights.
The seasoned Southpaw was in top form in his first bout on home soil since November 2019 on Friday night, taking a unanimous decision win in his 57kg bout against Mongolian boxer Kharkhuu Bilguunsaikhan.
Speaking after the Ultimate Extreme Fight (UEF) Hong Kong 2023 at Southorn Stadium, Tso revealed he had been struggling for the past year, but is ready to take the next step forward in his career.
“I thought my technique had reached a bottleneck and felt it was a step back for me,” the 35-year-old said. “I struggled and could not do what I wanted despite my continuous training.
Despite a clean 5-0 sweep on the scorecards, featherweight Tso was critical of his performance. “It was probably just 60 per cent of my training performance, I was nervous and did not fight too well,” he said.
“As much as I am starting to get used to amateur fights now, I tend to think too much far too often in the ring. My opponent struck when I froze and when he hit me I rushed even more, it was such a vicious cycle.”
“A split-second in the ring makes all the difference, especially in amateur boxing with only three three-minute rounds.”
Tso, who previously retired with an unbeaten professional record of 22-0, said there was still much work to be done in making the transition to amateur boxing.“The matches are so condensed and they are not like professional fights,” he said. “They are much quicker and the rhythm does not allow me to watch and gauge the fight.”
Since switching to the amateur circuit, Tso was just one win away from a Tokyo Olympics berth and he was eliminated in the Round of 16 at the National Games in Shaanxi in 2021.
The former professional boxer admitted he “fought poorly” in his last few bouts, but was now on a new path.
“I need to use my skills and techniques naturally. My body has to be in fluid motions when preparing to attack, or switching between offence and defence because I am losing time and position if I stop and think.”
Currently ranked No 51 among the featherweights on the International Boxing Association list, Tso is expected to fight in the World Championships, held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from May 1 to 14.
“The Asian Games in Hangzhou remains my top target this year. I want to get some great results there as well as the world championships, and hopefully I can earn my ticket to the Paris Games.”
With Tso, Raymond Poon Kai-ching, Taqdeer Singh and Ruru Yang Sheau Ru all on the winning side, Team Hong Kong won half of the fights at UEF.Tso said Hong Kong boxers had improved a lot in recent years and hopes to see the team make waves globally.
“Representing Hong Kong felt special as always. We usually had one or two boxers in our team compared to 10 or 20 on other teams.”
“It will be great if we can send such a team to compete and I hope this day will come. May all the boxers keep working hard and our efforts will be seen and we can represent this city together.”
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