Pugilist packing a punch for charity

Croatian's combination of philanthropy and coaching enhancing life in Suzhou

"Love is stronger than fists," declares Goran Martinovic, a boxing coach whose positive influence in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, extends far beyond the ring.

Almost every day at 6 am, the former Croatian boxing champion leads his charges in morning exercises－many of them kids, who roar as they pound the punch bags with gusto.

Housed inside the Suzhou Center, the eastern city's largest shopping mall, Martinovic's gym is proving a big hit with the locals, with around 500 people enrolled in his training courses. However, the coach's impact outside the ring is just as, if not more, impressive.

Earlier this month, the 33-year-old staged a charity boxing match－the 'Suzhou Showdown'－which featured 14 fighters, including a 16-year-old with autism, from various countries.

Martinovic donated the event's proceeds－totaling 100,000 yuan (about $15,000)－to a charitable organization in Suzhou, which helps severely ill children.

It is the eighth time that Martinovic has hosted such an event. He first came to Suzhou in 2015 to help his brother organize a charity boxing festival.

"It was a big success and we donated all the funds to a local girl with cleft lips and a cleft palate," said Martinovic, who afterward decided to move to Suzhou and continue his philanthropic work.

"Now more than 300,000 yuan has been raised to give hope to severely ill kids."

Martinovic also donated a boxing ring to a school in Suzhou Industrial Park, and has volunteered to teach students boxing courses.

In 2017, he opened his first gym in the city, coaching white-collar workers boxing and wrestling. He also coaches impoverished kids free of charge. He opened his second gym in the Suzhou Center last year, when he earned the Jiangsu local government's friendship award－the highest honor the province can bestow on a foreigner.

The Croatian decided he wanted to offer assistance when the coronavirus epidemic broke out in China early this year. He donated around 20,000 medical masks to Suzhou, which he calls his "second home".

"I knew that we would get through this fight together and win," he added.

"After all this, everyone will pay more attention to physical health and love life more."

With the epidemic under control in China, Martinovic's boxing business has gradually returned to normal.

He is planning to increase the size of his gym as more people discover a passion for pugilism.

"The past few years have seen changes," Martinovic said.

"Previously, Chinese parents wouldn't normally allow their kids to learn boxing, but now kids are encouraged to box and stand in the ring, to shape both their body and minds.

"I will continue to teach people boxing in China, making it more popular, and hope to spread more love through the sport."