Huang Wensi, from Ningbo, Zhejiang province, celebrates her eight-round unanimous decision over Russia's Snezhanna Tsarikaeva in their bantamweight elimination bout on Saturday's IBF Silk Road Champions tournament card in Beijing. CHINA DAILY

Chinese bantamweight grabs spotlight at Silk Road tourney 

Leave it to a mom to steal a kid's thunder - but strictly in a good way.

The "kid" in this case was 26-year-old Sun Xiangxiang, who completed his trifecta of International Boxing Federation regional titles by capturing the IBF Asia lightweight crown with a unanimous 10-round decision over Roldan Aldea of the Philippines on Saturday night at Xiedao Resort in Beijing. 

It was a shining moment for Sun, who improved to 15-0 in adding the golden strap to a collection that already included the IBF China and IBF Belt & Road titles. 

Still, the biggest cheers at the eight-bout Silk Road Champions tournament card were reserved for Huang Wensi, a 29-year-old southpaw from Ningbo, Zhejiang province, who punched her way to a surgical eight-round decision over Russia's Snezhanna Tsarikaeva in their bantamweight elimination clash. 

Huang, a late substitute for Georgia's Sopo Kintsurashvili, is China's first - and only - pro boxer who is also a mother. With her two-year-old son watching from ringside, she used a piston-like jab and superb footwork to up her record to 10-3-1, earning scores of 80-72 and 78-74 (x2) from the three judges. 

After her powerful right fist was raised in victory, Huang flashed a huge smile and cut loose with an impromptu dance in the middle of the ring, igniting thunderous applause from the crowd. 

"I don't usually dance like that; it just happened because I was so happy to win in front of all the fans - and especially my son," Huang said afterwards.

"Being able to do well in the IBF Silk Road tournament means a lot because if I continue to win and advance, I will get more opportunities to fight foreign opponents and hopefully bring glory to China and to my hometown." 

Huang first laced on the gloves at age 11 and turned pro at 16. She married in 2013 and took a four-year break from boxing before returning to the ring last year to mark her son's first birthday. 

"I was kind of a naughty child and wasn't always well behaved, but then I started boxing and learned about discipline and respect," she said.

"When my son was born, I knew I wanted to pass on those lessons and give him a gift from my career. That happened in September when I won the golden belt as the WBC Continental super flyweight champion. Now I want to win an IBF title."