China's Zhang Xiyan (left) fights Alicia Ashley of the US en route to capturing the World Boxing Council women's lightweight title in Chengdu on Saturday.(Source: Shanghai Daily)

¡¡  BEIJING, April 18 -- China may be seeing the birth of another national sports icon after Zhang Xiyan, a 29-year-old from Heilongjiang Province, claimed the country's first world title in professional boxing over the weekend.

    Zhang won the World Boxing Council women's lightweight crown in the southwest city of Chengdu on Saturday night at the expense of Alicia Ashley of the United States. The two fought a close 10-round bout and were separated only by points. All the three referees ruled in Zhang's favor for scoring more hits than her rival.

    The Chengdu one-day meet, featuring three WBC title fights, one world title and two continental crowns, was the first world-level professional boxing extravaganza staged on the Chinese mainland. Twelve boxers from eight countries took to the ring, with China, a newcomer to professional boxing, reaping a rich harvest.

    Besides Zhang, who turned pro only three months ago, Wu Zhiyu grabbed the men's light heavyweight crown.

    "We had never expected such a good result before the tournament," said Chang Jianping, the director of the Chinese Boxing Association. "Our fighters have lifted themselves to an unprecedented level, much to everyone's surprise."

    Professional boxing, due to its huge potential commercial value, has become increasingly popular on the mainland over the past few years following the lifting of a decades-old ban. Evander Holyfield planned a much-hyped World Boxing Association heavyweight title fight with John Ruiz in 2001 but the event failed to take off because of a contractual dispute between the promoter and the boxers' agent.

    But that setback hasn't dampened the country's passion for the sport.

    Professional boxing has been a regular weekly feature on CCTV 5, the country's largest sports TV channel, drawing a good rating.