Zou Shiming a big hit in China

Well Zou Shiming may not be popular in the rest of the world, but he's apparently a hit sensation in his home country of China. Top Rank announced that his Jan. 30th TKO win over Natan Santana Coutinho drew a total of 36.5M viewers, with 6.5M tuning in on television and the remaining 30M watching via live stream. There were also 12,000 in attendance to watch the fight in person.

"These events are growing the sport of boxing in China at a tremendous rate," Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said. "The voracious appetite of the fans and the sponsors proves that mainland China is very fertile territory for our sport. The potential is unlimited and should pay off big benefits in terms of exposure."

Obviously Top Rank will continue to put on cards in mainland China as Arum sees this emering market as being fertile soil for growing boxing's popularity. But whether or not this will translate into any international crossover appeal or PPV buys, or even to other fighters aside from Shiming for that matter, remains to be seen.