Chinese boxer Zou Shiming, right, fights with Colombian boxer Luis De La Rosa during the WBO international flyweight title match in Macao, China, July 18, 2014. Zou Shiming won the competition. [Photo/IC]

For Zou Shiming, it's oddly appropriate that the most succinct articulation of boxing's ultimate truism was uttered by a fictional fighter.

"It ain't about how hard you hit," declared celluloid slugger Rocky Balboa. "It's about how hard you can get hit and keep movin' forward."

But where Rocky's courage was purely the stuff of Hollywood screenwriters, Zou's is the real deal ... and comes with a painful price tag.

Last week in Macao, China's double Olympic gold medalist proved he is prepared to pay that price - which is why he's now poised to challenge for a piece of the world junior flyweight title after just five punch-for-pay outings.

En route to a unanimous decision over Colombia's Luis De La Rosa in their slugfest at the Venetian Resort's Cotai Arena, Zou (5-0) boldly went where he had never gone before: the 10-round limit - or nearly half the total number (23) he banked in his first four pro fights.

In stark contrast, De La Rosa entered the ring with a record of 23-3-1 from 114 professional rounds - albeit with his share of spoon-fed warm bodies. But that doesn't change the fact he's an experienced and dangerous puncher who knows how to win.

In boxing parlance De La Rosa is a good trial horse, the kind of awkward banger every prospect must convincingly vanquish in order to step up to the level of title contender. Zou accepted the challenge with poise and unrelenting aggression, demonstrating he's ready to gun bigger game.