Y Dreams to Box: Macao's 1st Professional Boxer
By Kam Leong

"Hold on to your dream when you're able to, especially when you're young," said a young man who suspended his study to chase his dream to be a professional boxer - a story about making use of opportunity to make the dream come true.

He is Ng Kuok Kun, whose name may not be familiar to most of the people but he is a rising star in Macao's boxing scene. After winning his very first World Boxing Council (WBC) championship this May, he devoted himself to becoming the first professional boxer in Macao.

Ng was first introduced to combat sports by his brother when he was 15. At first, he played varieties of combat sport, but not boxing specifically. "I was playing combat sports just to strengthen my health, I didn't intend to be a professional boxer back then," Ng said.

"At that time, I usually practiced one to two hours after school. For me, it was more like a leisure activity. I spent less time on the computer so I got time for the practice," said Ng as he recalled his first few years of boxing training, "later, I quit for two years for my studies."

However, that was not the only time that he stopped practicing, according to Ng, he quit for another two-year term when he was in senior high for the same reason.

After graduation from high school, Ng entered the School of Physical Education and Sports in Macao Polytechnic Institute (IPM). It was that time he realized that he had to get back to where he was from -- boxing.
 "At the beginning, I didn't think about any achievements. I just wanted to be a PE teacher and that was it," Ng claimed, "however, for my major, everyone needs to have a kind of sports which he/she is good at. I realized mine was boxing, nothing else. So I returned to the ring."
However, as a full time student, Ng was not able to practice boxing as much as he wanted. During the preparation for the professional WBC competition, he could only practice for two to three hours per day.

Although he won the championship, he realized that he still has more to improve, "For example, the time for training wasn't enough and I also had to manage my studies. All these made me not able to concentrate so I thought if I wanted to perform at my best to develop this career, I have to focus only on one thing."

The idea had stuck in Ng's mind until he got a surprising invitation, "I was invited by the Venetian to participate in another boxing championship. So I told myself that it's a must for me to go full-time," said Ng.

Ng explained, "I don't want to lose, but most importantly, I don't want to do something that I won't be able to do best. If I'm still holding that part-time attitude in professional fights, it'd be a dishonor to me, to my family and to all my supporters."

However, this road is more challenging than others. Ng has been training for at least five hours a day, which includes energy-consuming activities, such as a 10 kilometer run every morning. "Compared to national team boxers, mine is only half of their training load," Ng said.

Apart from the strenuous training, financial stability is another obstacle. "For a junior dealer in casinos, you can get around MOP15,000 per month. For me, without records and titles, I can only earn around MOP7000 for each game." Ng revealed honestly the hardness in supporting his living.

Nevertheless, his determination motivates him to go on, "My family is against it but this is a precious opportunity. Some people have been boxing for 20 years but still are not able to fight in a single professional game."

When asked about his future plan, Ng replied, "I want to do my best as I can. I want to be the champion for once in my weight category, like Rex Tso, the young professional boxer with WBC Asian Continental Title in Hong Kong. Also, I want to stand up for this industry, making it more appreciated and popular in society."

In Ng's boxing journey, besides his own efforts and the opportunities received, Ng has one person whom he owed his gratitude to---his coach, Chan Yuk Sing, "I want to thank my coach for always being there for me all these 10 years. He's like family to me. He always supports me. He has turned a boy like me who knew nothing about boxing into a professional boxer. It was him who made me realize we young people must fight for our life and our dreams."