China's first Olympic boxing gold medalist Zou Shiming has shelved plans to defend his title in London in 2012 and will instead turn professional next year, local media reported yesterday.

Zou claimed gold in the light-flyweight category at August's Beijing Games as China topped the medal count in the sport with two golds, a silver and a bronze.

"I want a professional golden belt for my country. I think I am capable," the 27-year-old Zou told Beijing News.

"The professional contests are easier and more attractive to watch."

Zou earned the country's first Olympic boxing medal with a bronze at the 2004 Athens Games and China has gone from strength to strength on the amateur stage. Zhang Xiaoping won the light-heavyweight title in Beijing.

However, while Zhang Xiyan won the women's World Boxing Council crown in 2006, the men have struggled on the professional circuit.

"There are now more than just one or two of us," said Zou, whose Olympic feat saw him recently rewarded with a free apartment in Shanghai.

"We have made improvements across the board with better coaching."

Meanwhile, the Klitschko brothers, who hold four of the world's five heavyweight titles, have challenged giant Russian Nikolai Valuev to a showdown for his WBA title.

Vitali, who last month came out of retirement to defeat Samuel Peter for the WBC crown and together with younger brother Wladimir, become the first siblings to simultaneously hold world heavyweight belts, issued the challenge yesterday.

"Valuev is the biggest heavyweight champion in history. He's huge and dangerous, this won't be easy and I don't want to underestimate him," the Ukrainian said of the 2.13-meter champion at the WBC's annual convention in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province.

"It will be a difficult fight, but we have a dream, and we are going to make it come true, by taking the last belt for the Klitschko family."

Vitali, having long ruled out a potential unification bout between the brothers, added it did not matter whether he or IBF, IBO and WBO champion Wladimir took on the intimidating Russian. "(This) won't amount to a dispute between close brothers," he said.

"My message to Valuev is that this isn't about size, but internal quality, so let's see who's the strongest and the best. Why not Kiev, Moscow or London? We'd have to do this in a stadium which holds 30 or 40 thousand people or more."

(Agencies via Shanghai Daily November 4, 2008)