Rex Tso's winning run ends

Ben Kwok March 10, 2020 12:29

Following his loss in the quarterfinals of the regional Olympic qualifiers, Hong Kong’s ‘Wonder Kid’ boxer Rex Tso has apologized to his fans for letting them down. File Photo: Xinhua

Nothing lasts forever, so let's not fret too much about the setback suffered by our wonder boy Rex Tso Sing-yu.

The 22-win streak of the Hong Kong boxing star came to an end Monday night as he was defeated by the world featherweight champion Mirazizbek Mirzakhalilov during the quarterfinals of the Asia/Oceania Olympic qualifiers in Amman, Jordan.

Tso put up a valiant fight but still proved no match to the top-seeded Mirzakhalilov in the regional qualifying round for the Tokyo Olympics.

Yet, it doesn't mean the end of the road for the Hong Kong champion, who began professional fights in September 2011, as he will have one more opportunity to join the Tokyo Olympic squad.

Following his quarterfinal loss, Tso will on Wednesday compete in a playoff for the fifth and sixth position. Winning that match would qualify him for an Olympic berth.

Losing is not something familiar to Tso. After the match with Mirzakhalilov, Tso apologized to Hong Kong fans and vowed to keep fighting hard.

“I am very sorry to let down all of you. But there is one more match. I would not give up and would continue to try my best to fight,” he said.

Despite an unbeaten track record, the 32-year-old was an underdog in last night's match. Earlier, Tso marginally edged out Tajikistan’s Bakhtovar Sagizov last week en route to the last eight.

Standing five-feet seven, Tso began his wonderful journey after winning the WBC Asia Continental Super Flyweight title in December 2012 in a bruising 2-round contest against Timur Shailezov of Kyrgyzstan in the 10th round.

He earned the nickname “Wonder Boy” and set off frenzy among fans after winning several regional titles at super-flyweight and ranking among the world’s top 10.

All these excitements almost came to an end in October 2017 when he fought Japan's Kohei Kono and won on a technical decision and ended with a swollen eye. That was the last match in his professional life before he switched back to amateur status.

Now, with his winning streak getting punctured, Tso will hopefully find himself freed of some of the pressures of stardom and the media hype. And have a chance to enjoy his life more.

Let's bear in mind the words of tennis superstar Venus Williams, who was overtaken by her sister Serena Williams.

"Grand Slam losses are hard," said the senior Williams. "I treat myself after losses though, I usually go to McDonald's and I have a hamburger and you know, something. Because you know, you just need to be nice to yourself sometimes after the loss. “

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Ben Kwok

EJ Insight writer

Hong Kong

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