Xu Can

Xu Can
Xu Can
Statistics
Real name	徐灿
Nickname(s)	Monster
Weight(s)	Featherweight; Super-featherweight; Light-welterweight;
Height	5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Reach	69 in (175 cm)
Nationality	Chinese
Born	March 9, 1994 (age 27); Fuzhou, Jiangxi, China
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	21
Wins	18
Wins by KO	3
Losses	3

Xu Can (simplified Chinese: 徐灿; traditional Chinese: 徐燦; pinyin: Xú Càn; born March 9, 1994) is a Chinese professional boxer who held the WBA (Regular) featherweight title from 2019 to 2021.

As of March 2021, Xu is rated as the second best active featherweight by ESPN,^[1] third by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board,^[2] and fourth by BoxRec.^[3]

Professional career[]

Early career[]

Xu turned professional in 2013. His first 14 fights ended in decision, of which he was victorious in 12 of them. In his 15th fight on October 3, 2017, he recorded his first stoppage win against former WBA (Regular) super bantamweight champion Nehomar Cermeño, prevailing via seventh-round corner retirement. The win saw Xu capture the vacant WBA International featherweight title.^[4]

WBA (Regular) featherweight champion[]

Xu vs. Rojas[]

On January 26, 2019, Xu defeated former WBA interim champion Jesús Rojas by unanimous decision, with scores of 118-110, 117-111, 116-112, to win the WBA (Regular) featherweight title. An exuberant Xu dedicated the victory to his nation: “My power is from China. It was for my country.”^[5] The fight was notable for its high activity, with both men throwing upward of 1200 punches each on the night.^[6]

Xu vs. Kubo, Robles III[]

Xu achieved two successful defenses of the title before the end of 2019, defeating Shun Kubo by sixth-round technical knockout on May 26,^[7] and Manny Robles III by unanimous decision, with scores of 120-108, 119-109, 118-110, on November 23.^[8]

Failed Warrington negotiations[]

Talks were held in 2020 and early 2021 to try to make Xu's third defense of his title against the IBF champion at the time, Josh Warrington. However, the fight was postponed due to disagreements from both sides: Xu wanted fans present at the fight, and Warrington refused to leave the United Kingdom to fight on Chinese soil.^[9]^[10] The chances of Xu and Warrington ever fighting were dramatically reduced when Warrington subsequently vacated his IBF title and then lost to the unheralded Mauricio Lara in February 2021, when he was sensationally knocked out by Lara in an upset defeat.^[11]^[12]

Xu vs. Wood[]

On July 6, 2021, it was announced that Xu would be defending his WBA (Regular) title against British featherweight champion Leigh Wood in Brentwood, England on July 31 as part of Matchroom's Fight Camp.^[13] Despite being a -350 favorite,^[14] Xu was outboxed during periods of the fight, and suffered an upset defeat via twelfth-round technical knockout.^[15]

Personal life[]

Xu was born in Fuzhou, Jiangxi, and has since moved his residence to Beijing.^[16] His parents were pastry-makers, and he was encouraged by his father to pursue a career in boxing. When Xu dropped out of junior high school during his third year, he joined China's only professional boxing club at the time, named Zhongwei, in Kunming, Yunnan where he began training as a boxer.^{[citation needed]}

Professional boxing record[]

Professional record summary hide
21 fights	18 wins	3 losses
By knockout	3	1
By decision	15	2

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
21	Loss	18–3	Leigh Wood	TKO	12 (12), 2:43	Jul 31, 2021	Matchroom Headquarters, Brentwood, England	Lost WBA (Regular) featherweight title
20	Win	18–2	Manny Robles III	UD	12	Nov 23, 2019	Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, Indio, California, U.S.	Retained WBA (Regular) featherweight title
19	Win	17–2	Shun Kubo	TKO	6 (12), 1:16	May 26, 2019	Fuzhou Sports Center Gymnasium, Fuzhou, Jiangxi, China	Retained WBA (Regular) featherweight title
18	Win	16–2	Jesús Rojas	UD	12	Jan 26, 2019	Toyota Center, Houston, Texas, U.S.	Won WBA (Regular) featherweight title
17	Win	15–2	Enrique Bernache	SD	8	Sep 13, 2018	The Joint, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
16	Win	14–2	Jelbirt Gomera	TKO	7 (10), 2:22	Jul 27, 2018	Qingdao Guosen Gymnasium, Qingdao, China
15	Win	13–2	Nehomar Cermeño	RTD	7 (12), 3:00	Oct 3, 2017	Gym of Datong University, Datong, China	Won WBA International featherweight title
14	Win	12–2	Jack Asis	UD	12	May 7, 2017	Shaanxi Normal University Stadium, Xi'an, China	Retained WBA International super-featherweight title
13	Win	11–2	Spicy Matsushita	UD	12	Dec 17, 2016	Zhejiang University Stadium, Hangzhou, China	Won vacant WBA International super-featherweight title
12	Win	10–2	Ramiro Blanco	UD	12	Sep 30, 2016	Wenzhou Gymnasium, Wenzhou, China	Retained WBA International super-featherweight title
11	Win	9–2	Corey McConnell	UD	12	Jun 24, 2016	Capital Indoor Stadium, Beijing, China	Retained WBA Oceania and WBA International super-featherweight titles
10	Win	8–2	Isaias Santos Sampaio	UD	12	Feb 12, 2016	Olympic Park Arena, Luzhou, China	Retained WBA Oceania super-featherweight title; Won vacant WBA International super-featherweight title
9	Win	7–2	Chaiyong Chanthahong	UD	10	Sep 18, 2015	Yageer Gymnasium, Ningbo, China	Won WBA Oceania super-featherweight title
8	Win	6–2	Kris George	UD	10	Jun 27, 2015	Rumours International, Toowoomba, Australia	Won WBA Oceania super-lightweight title
7	Win	5–2	Hurricane Futa	UD	6	May 8, 2015	EXPO Garden Hotel, Kunming, China
6	Win	4–2	Josh Baillie	MD	6	Feb 22, 2015	Wenshan, China
5	Loss	3–2	Bao Dong	MD	6	Sep 8, 2014	World Horti-Expo Garden, Kunming, China
4	Win	3–1	Hongpeng Zhang	UD	4	Aug 23, 2014	Expo Garden Hotel, Kunming, China
3	Loss	2–1	Neeraj Goyat	SD	4	Jun 7, 2014	World Horti-Expo Garden, Kunming, China
2	Win	2–0	Kota Hamamoto	UD	4	Apr 13, 2014	Sangyo Hall, Kanazawa, Japan
1	Win	1–0	Tang Yuan Yuan	UD	4	Nov 16, 2013	Yu Hang Gymnasium, Hangzhou, China

References[]

^ "Divisional rankings: Juan Francisco Estrada solidifies top spot at junior bantamweight". ESPN.com. 2021-03-20. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
^ "RANKINGS | Transnational Boxing Rankings Board". Retrieved 2021-03-29.
^ "BoxRec: Ratings". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
^ "BoxRec: Bout". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2021-07-14.
^ "Xu Can Stuns Jesus Rojas, Wins Decision To Capture WBA Belt". Boxingscene. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
^ Esco, Wil (2019-01-26). "Can Xu upsets Jesus Rojas in action-packed battle, snags WBA title". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
^ "China's Xu defends featherweight title with TKO victory in his hometown". South China Morning Post. 2019-05-27. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
^ Salazar, Francisco. "Xu Can Retains WBA Title, Decisions Manny Robles". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
^ Lewis, Ron. "Josh Warrington Furious With Xu Can's Refusal To Fight Behind Closed Doors". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
^ "Can Xu scolds Josh Warrington for only fighting at home ⋆ Boxing News 24". Boxing News 24. 2021-01-29. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
^ "Josh Warrington vacates IBF featherweight belt to chase The Ring magazine title | DAZN News UK". DAZN. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
^ "Josh Warrington suffers shock knockout defeat to Mauricio Lara". the Guardian. 2021-02-13. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
^ Stumberg, Patrick L. (2021-07-06). "Xu Can vs Leigh Wood joins Benn-Granados on July 31st". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved 2021-07-14.
^ Williams, Joe. "Can Xu vs. Leigh Wood fight odds, picks and prediction". The Oshkosh Northwestern. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
^ Christ, Scott (2021-07-31). "Fight Camp results and highlights: Leigh Wood drops and stops Xu Can to take WBA featherweight belt". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
^ "BoxRec: Can Xu". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2021-03-29.

External links[]

Boxing record for Xu Can from BoxRec

Sporting positions
Regional boxing titles
Preceded by Kris George	WBA Oceania super-lightweight champion June 27, 2015 – August 2015 Vacated	Vacant Title next held by Darragh Foley
Preceded by Chaiyong Chanthahong	WBA Oceania super-featherweight champion September 18, 2015 – September 2016 Vacated	Vacant Title next held by Billel Dib
Vacant Title last held by Dardan Zenunaj	WBA International super-featherweight champion February 12, 2016 – October 2016	Vacant Title next held by Himself
Vacant Title last held by Himself	WBA International super-featherweight champion December 17, 2016 – June 2017 Vacated	Vacant Title next held by James Tennyson
Vacant Title last held by Scott Quigg	WBA International featherweight champion October 3, 2017 – 2018	Vacant Title next held by Jordan Gill
World boxing titles
Preceded by Jesús Rojas	WBA featherweight champion Regular title January 26, 2019 – July 31, 2021	Succeeded by Leigh Wood

[1] "Divisional rankings: Juan Francisco Estrada solidifies top spot at junior bantamweight". ESPN.com. 2021-03-20. Retrieved 2021-03-29.

[2] "RANKINGS | Transnational Boxing Rankings Board". Retrieved 2021-03-29.

[3] "BoxRec: Ratings". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2021-03-29.

[4] "BoxRec: Bout". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2021-07-14.

[5] "Xu Can Stuns Jesus Rojas, Wins Decision To Capture WBA Belt". Boxingscene. Retrieved 2019-01-26.

[6] Esco, Wil (2019-01-26). "Can Xu upsets Jesus Rojas in action-packed battle, snags WBA title". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved 2021-04-27.

[7] "China's Xu defends featherweight title with TKO victory in his hometown". South China Morning Post. 2019-05-27. Retrieved 2021-06-22.

[8] Salazar, Francisco. "Xu Can Retains WBA Title, Decisions Manny Robles". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 2021-06-22.

[9] Lewis, Ron. "Josh Warrington Furious With Xu Can's Refusal To Fight Behind Closed Doors". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 2021-03-29.

[10] "Can Xu scolds Josh Warrington for only fighting at home ⋆ Boxing News 24". Boxing News 24. 2021-01-29. Retrieved 2021-03-29.

[11] "Josh Warrington vacates IBF featherweight belt to chase The Ring magazine title | DAZN News UK". DAZN. Retrieved 2021-03-29.

[12] "Josh Warrington suffers shock knockout defeat to Mauricio Lara". the Guardian. 2021-02-13. Retrieved 2021-03-29.

[13] Stumberg, Patrick L. (2021-07-06). "Xu Can vs Leigh Wood joins Benn-Granados on July 31st". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved 2021-07-14.

[14] Williams, Joe. "Can Xu vs. Leigh Wood fight odds, picks and prediction". The Oshkosh Northwestern. Retrieved 2021-07-31.

[15] Christ, Scott (2021-07-31). "Fight Camp results and highlights: Leigh Wood drops and stops Xu Can to take WBA featherweight belt". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved 2021-07-31.

[16] "BoxRec: Can Xu". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2021-03-29.

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