Zou Thrills Home Crowd With Opening Win

The 27-year-old Zou stepped up a gear after a cautious first round and firmly took control from the second.

China's top boxing prospect Zou Shiming started his Olympic campaign with a comfortable win over Venezuela's Eduard Bermudez Salas to deafening roars from a partisan crowd on Wednesday.

Some 8,000 fans at the Workers' Gymnasium went wild when the scoreboard showed 11-2 for the local light-flyweight after a one-sided bout.

The 27-year-old Zou stepped up a gear after a cautious first round and firmly took control from the second, during which Bermudez Salas received a standing count.

Accurate, elusive and much too clever for his opponent, Zou could even afford the luxury of dancing around the Venezuelan in the final round.

"I was a little nervous before the fight but when I got into the ring, I heard all the spectators cheering for me and then I forgot about the pressure," said Zou, who will be tested in the next round against world championship bronze medallist Nordine Oubaali of France.

The pocket-sized Zou, who became China's first Olympic boxing medallist by claiming bronze four years ago in Athens and gave his country their first world amateur title the following year, has been obsessed with the Beijing Games for four years.

After winning his medal in Greece he was offered a mobile phone and asked to be assigned a number ending "2008". He also got a car and made sure the licence plate ended "2008".

On a day of contrasts, the heavyweights also took to the ring with Cuba's Osmay Acosta outclassing Nigerian Olanrewaju Durodola 11-0.

Cuba have won the last four Olympic heavyweight titles but are without 2004 champion Odlanier Solis, who defected to turn professional.

Italy's Clemente Russo, the world heavyweight champion, also made a smooth start, outpointing Viktar Zuyev of Belarus 7-1.

American heavyweight Deontay Wilder gave the U.S. team, who came here with nine boxers but are already down to five, something to cheer about.

The towering Wilder recovered from a slow start and a warning for holding to outpoint Algeria's Abdelaziz Touilbini 11-4.

"I didn't get excited," Wilder said. "The coach told me to step it up a little and that's what I did. I'm here for the gold and I won't stop until I get it."