China boxing champs given exclusive Blades tour
Sheffield United's Chinese connections don't just stretch to the football pitch, after some of the world's best boxers were given an exclusive tour of the club.
World champion Shiming Zou and Olympic medallist Zhilei Zhang were amongst an elite squad of boxers and trainers given a VIP behind the scenes visit of the club's Bramall Lane stadium.
The tour included a visit to the Blades museum - Legends of the Lane, before seeing the player's dressing room and having a stroll on the hallowed pitch ahead of the next anticipated season.
The boxers were also wowed by the recently unveiled statues of former United legends Derek Dooley and Joe Shaw, before heading to the Superstore to check out the Chengdu Blades merchandise.
Peter Stone, of Sheffield United's promotions department delivered the tour. He said: "The tour was great and it was a privilege to be able to show China's top boxers around Bramall Lane.
"The group really enjoyed it, especially the tour of the pitch. They learned about rugby too, as the Eagles played here at the weekend and they were confused as to why the goal posts were different!"
The Chinese boxers visited the city for the Four Nation's Challenge at EIS Sheffield, an international boxing tournament, which saw Great Britain's best take on China, Kazakhstan and France.
The event was brought to Sheffield by the British Amateur Boxing Association (BABA), with support from Sheffield City Council's Major Sports Events Unit, working in partnership with BABA and UK Sport.
