In 2011, when seven-time undefeated boxing champion Michele Aboro visited Shanghai for the very first time, it was intended to be a short visit. However, seeing the Chinese fitness and wellness industry still in its infant stages led to a change of heart. At the time, more and more people in China were becoming interested in boxing, an interest fueled by Chinese boxer Zou Shiming’s spectacular performance in the Olympic Games where he claimed the bronze medal in 2004 and then gold in 2008 (and he would go on to take the gold again in 2012). However, despite this, the boxing scene was still lagging behind. Michele saw a chance to help develop the burgeoning industry and make boxing even more accessible to the masses, an endeavor that she felt was much more meaningful than running a gym in the West where the fitness and boxing scene is already well established. In 2014, she opened Aboro Academy in Shanghai alongside her partner Yilan Yuen.

Michele and Yilan were highly ambitious, aspiring to do much more than simply run a generic boxing gym. They envisioned Aboro Academy as three different components: The first component is Aboro Recreational Training, which is a specialized regimen designed by Michele that allows boxing to be accessible to individuals of all skill levels and ages; the second part is Aboro Pro Boxing, which is geared towards preparing high-level athletes for boxing in a competitive setting; and finally, at the core of the organization, is the Aboro Foundation.

Aboro Foundation is a non-profit established to help provide career-orientated fitness and wellness training to underprivileged youth in China. For Michele, it was a way of paying it forward. When Michele first began boxing back in London, the coaches who took Michele under their wings were understanding of her financial plight – as she was one of seven children in a single-parent family – and didn’t hesitate to train her. Without them, Michele wouldn’t have become the world-class champion that she is today. As a result, with the same knowledge and kindness that they shaped her life with, she yearns to channel that positivity back into the community in her new home of Shanghai. “If you have knowledge, it’s almost a sin if you don’t pass it on to someone else,” Michele says, radiating a kindred warmth as she spoke. “It’s only justified that I do the same.”

Zhang Yifeng, one of the current coaches at Aboro Academy, met Michele back in 2012, two years before Aboro Academy even opened. At the time, Yifeng was only focused on fighting competitively. “He approached me to train him and I didn’t train anybody at the time, so I said ‘Sorry, but I’m not training anyone at the moment,’” Michele recalls of their initial encounter. “But he was very persistent, and eventually, I started training him, and he would still go fight under his shifu.”

In traditional Chinese martial arts, the dynamic between shifu and disciple is quite interesting; it’s similar to the relationship between coach and athlete, yet quite different at the same time. For disciples, training under a shifu is often considered as a lifetime commitment where they uphold the teachings of their teacher. Unfortunately, as time went on, the concept has been bastardized, with some shifu in China now regarding their athletes as property to be owned. “It was shocking and eye-opening,” Michele describes. “It’s a different mentality from the West, where trainers and coaches looked to sharpen their athlete’s skills rather than using them as a device to feed their egos.”

With different motivations behind wanting to develop Yifeng’s skills, he and Michele’s relationship went beyond just coach and athlete or shifu and disciple. They became family. Michele wanted nothing more than to see him succeed. She not only wanted to improve his athletic skills but sought to better his life skills. Eventually, rather than only focusing on training him as a competitive fighter, Michele saw that he had massive potential beyond duking it out in the ring. Harnessing his determination and passion for boxing into a different direction, she began transitioning him into the role of a coach. This was Michele’s way of ensuring that he can remain in the boxing environment and maintain his love of the sport outside of competitive matches in the future. Hesitant at first, Yifeng has become an important part of the Aboro team and continues to coach there to this day.

For Yifeng, his foray into boxing and his serendipitous meeting of Michele altered his entire mindset towards the art of boxing and changed his life for the better. Boxing began for him as a way of venting his frustrations through aggression. But now, he’s no longer fueled by this frustration, and boxing isn’t a way of venting aggression. The sport has taught him how to stay clear headed and find peace. When he’s in the ring, rather than mindless aggression, it’s more like a choreographed dance, disciplined and strategic, and each move is executed with precision. Rather than solely relying on pure strength and landing hits, he understands that staying calm, remaining focused, and maintaining mental resiliency is even more important. And now, as he coaches new fighters, he imparts this same zen-like philosophy.

As Yifeng continues to grow and learn alongside the Aboro team, Michele and Yilan are moving full steam ahead, continuing to pave the way for the next generation of boxing enthusiasts in China. Their ultimate goal is much more important than profit, fame, or winning – it’s to foster a community of passionate, like-minded individuals who can all take part in a sport that has done so much for their lives.

Website: aboroacademy.com
Facebook: ~/aboroacademy

Contributor & Photographer: David Yen
Videographer: Damien Louise