GOOD SPORT I was born in Qingdao, Shandong province, in eastern China, and, of course, was an only child. My father was a runner and my mother a basketball player, so sport runs in the family. By the time I was born, they had stopped competing and were working in a factory. Despite their sporting backgrounds they wanted me to be a regular student and didn't encourage me to start young. It came naturally to me anyway. So, when I was 13, my parents suggested I join a professional running team, but the coach said I was too short. I was about 180cm tall but the running coach wanted people at least 186cm in height. I've always been strong, so instead I took up shot put.
FIGHT CLUB I had two heroes as a child: footballer Maradona, who I saw on television, and Muhammad Ali, who I was fascinated by and read as much about as I could. Once, when I was doing shot-put training, I saw some professional boxers and their coach asked me if I was interested. I'd never even had a fight at school. I got picked on by other kids, but my parents taught me not to hit back. I was keen, but when I decided to get into boxing my parents and the rest of the family objected. Still, I would go to the coach's home every day and train in his backyard. There was no ring, we just wore gloves and hand wraps. The first time I sparred I didn't know what to do. I tried to swing a lot of punches but missed every time. Finally, I landed one and felt very happy. Even when I got hit the first time I didn't know what to do - so I just kept going forward.
PROUD AS PUNCH My first fight was at the Qingdao City Cup. There was a big audience. My parents didn't come but my aunt was there to support me. Ironically, my first opponent was someone who used to bully me. I got my revenge when I beat him up. This confirmed for me that I wanted to fight as a career and would train hard to achieve it. Once I started competing, I found I had great ability and soon rose through the ranks. I made the provincial team and became youth champion. Then I went on to box for the national youth team. In my first fight for the professional team, I won by decision after four rounds. The best moment of my career came when I entered the local championships. I'd only turned semi-pro six months earlier. I knocked out all three opponents in a total of five minutes.
ROUND TWO By the age of 24, after twice winning China's Youth Boxing Championships, I was getting bored, so I stopped fighting and became a coach. I'd moved to Beijing in 2003 where I worked as an instructor in a gym and lived in a dormitory. I did other jobs on the side for money. Then someone said to me there was a competition where you can do anything, including kicking, so I thought I'd give it a try. Mixed martial arts is a combination of boxing, wrestling and martial arts. Fighters come from all backgrounds, including jiu-jitsu and sanda [a type of kung fu]. There are three rounds of five minutes and you can kick, punch or wrestle, winning by a knockout or submission. We wear four-ounce boxing gloves with bare fingers, so we can grapple. The sport was developed in the 1990s when there were no weight classes and no limits. It was brutal. I'm told it was invented to settle arguments about who would win a fight between a boxer and a jiu-jitsu fighter. At my first fight I was given the choice of two opponents. One was tougher than the other because he was an expert in sanda. I chose the hard one and lost in the first round. I'd only ever done boxing and hadn't fought for a long time. It was very difficult, and that's when I knew I had to learn other skills. Six months later, I had my second fight and I won. Now I'm at a training camp in Xian getting ready for my fight in Macau on October 30. I'm working with coaches from Team Quest [a mixed martial arts training camp] who have come here from the United States. Preparing for a bout normally takes about six to eight weeks preparation and right now I'm working on my fitness and techniques. I'm in the heavyweight division and need to be less than 93kg at the weigh-in the day before the fight. I'm heavier than that normally, more than 100kg, so like most other fighters I will dehydrate myself for the weigh-in and then put it back on before the fight.
MIND OF A CHAMPION To be a champion you have to have determination. Even if you experience difficulties, you should never give up. I've seen people with great talent who have gone on to do something else. Some just give up. Discipline is important. I believe that is as important in life as it is in the ring. And, just as when you are fighting, that also means being flexible, not stubborn. I have a son who is three months old. My thinking has changed since he was born because I have more responsibility. I want to earn money and give my children the best opportunities. Nowadays, my parents don't object to the life I have chosen, but they seldom come to watch me fight. I send them tapes and they watch those. When my son's old enough I want him to be ringside and watch me fight and be proud of me.
Liu Wenbo will take part in the Legend Fighting Championship 6 next Sunday at City of Dreams, Macau.
