Tokyo Olympics still in boxer Rex Tso’s dreams – ‘I’m not going to quit … I’ll keep going’
- Former unbeaten professional is still hopeful of flying the Hong Kong flag at this year’s Olympics
- The 33-year-old ‘Wonder Kid’ intends to compete in June’s Paris qualifiers but ‘everything is up in the air’
“I’m not going to quit. I’m going to keep going. I will still continue to train and box and I plan to take part in other [amateur] events, such as the world championships in future,” said Tso, who turns 34 in July.
“Right now, I am focused on achieving my goal and that is to qualify for the Tokyo Games. I need to maintain my fitness and improve my technique and footwork.
“As you know, we don’t know whether the Games will be held or not. Still, I need to be ready,” said the bantamweight, who switched to the amateur ranks in late 2018.
Like many professional athletes in Hong Kong, Tso is feeling the brunt of the pandemic, with gyms closed and the fate of the Olympics hanging in the balance.
Tso is aiming to become the first Hong Kong boxer in 57 years to take part in the Olympics since Law Hon-pak and Lee Kam-wah represented the then-colony at the 1964 Tokyo Games. But there is serious doubt whether the Tokyo Olympics will be held as the pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the sports calendar.
As a professional, Tso trained for up to five hours a day but these days, training is spent in outdoor parks with his intensity not as high as it once was. He maintains his fitness by running and hitting pads with his training partner, but he hasn’t hit the punching bag in weeks.
And like many athletes in Hong Kong, the boxer known as the “Wonder Kid” has not been able to work out in gyms, with centres closed as the city continues to battle the fourth wave of the pandemic.
Tso revealed he became a shareholder of a gym in Tai Koo 12 months ago, but he’s unable to train there because of Covid-19 restrictions.
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“I used to train in several gyms in Central such as Southpaw gym and I am also a partner in another gym in Tai Koo called RCT [RCT Boxing & Fitness Gym], but all the gyms have been closed because of the pandemic,” he said.
The former No 1 ranked WBO (World Boxing Organisation) super flyweight boxer said the pandemic had prevented him from travelling overseas for training. Last year, he went to Bulgaria for two weeks before he competed in March’s Asia-Oceania Olympic qualifiers in Amman, Jordan, where he failed to qualify for Tokyo after losing two straight bouts.
“It was difficult to adapt to the amateur way of fighting after boxing as a pro [for years]. Opponents don’t fight toe-to-toe in the amateur ranks. I’ve had no competition since last March and I’m not happy about it. I was feeling down last year but things are looking brighter for me.”
Tso said he intends to take part in the June’s World Olympic Qualification Event in Paris – his last shot at qualifying for Tokyo – but there has been no word yet whether Paris will take place.
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Hong Kong Boxing Association sports executive Alex Yeung said the pandemic had made it extremely difficult for Tso to maintain his fitness and improve himself as a boxer.
“Because of the pandemic, we can’t invite an overseas coach like we did last year. We hired a mainland coach last year but it’s difficult to travel these days. The Olympics Games, the boxing qualifiers are all up in the air. We don’t know what’s happening but Rex is still training and getting ready,” said Yeung.
