Hong Kong ‘Wonder Kid’ Rex Tso gets Nike backing in Tokyo Olympic boxing gold bid

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South China Morning Post
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Southpaw recently returned to the ring as an amateur after 13 months out

South China Morning Post |
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Boxer Rex Tso Sing-yu in a Nike advertising campaign.

Hong Kong boxing hero Rex Tso Sing-yu is the subject of Nike’s new Dreamers: Rex Tsovideo, built around the fighter’s dream of representing Hong Kong at the Olympics in Tokyo in 2020.

The Wonder Kid has spent seven years as a professional but has returned to amateur status as he eyes Olympic gold in two years’ time.

The strapline for the campaign is “2020. It’s only crazy until you do it,” with a “justdoit” hashtag.

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The video has already been watched almost 400,000 times on YouTube.

Viewers see his rise from unknown to one of the most famous faces in Hong Kong, something proved by him topping the charts for the city’s most googled sports and current affairs star in 2017.

Southpaw Tso had 22 straight victories as a professional but only recently returned to the ring after 13 months away. He beat Taiwanese boxer Chiang Yi-hung by a unanimous judges decision in the amateur bout at Southorn Stadium.

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After the fight, Tso revealed his desire to succeed in Tokyo.

“I had the chance to compete in the Olympics 10 years ago but I was lazy and didn’t go for it. I will try my hardest to qualify for it beginning with the Olympic qualifiers next year,” the southpaw said.

“It’s really been a long time away from the ring. I really missed the thrill of fighting. After I came back from training, I received so many messages of support. Hopefully, everybody will continue to support me while I try for the Olympics,” he said.

Nike HK has also released a customisable T-shirt for the campaign, a move that they made for the launch of the Hong Kong football team’s new kits earlier this year.

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