by David P. Greisman

The fourth professional fight of Taishan Dong saw the 7-foot Chinese heavyweight take some clean, flush shots, though he remained standing and was able to take a four-round majority decision over Jamal Woods.

Dong has been in the paid ranks for less than a year and is essentially learning as he goes. But while some may have watched Dong vs. Woods and seen a big stiff soon to get laid flat, Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions acknowledged the tough moments while remaining optimistic.

“I was actually pleasantly surprised. First of all, I’m glad he didn’t get knocked out. He showed me he has a good chin. He took some really good punches,” De La Hoya said afterward. “He has four fights. He showed that he’s learning. He showed that he’s serious about boxing. He threw combinations. He threw more punches. He was actually impressive, considering he has four fights.

“We’re going to develop him,” De La Hoya said. “We’re going to move him. He has the build. He has the physique. But he has the hunger. He has that demeanor. He wants to continue. He wants to fight. We’re going to move him slowly. He’s learning.”

Pick up a copy of David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” at http://bit.ly/fightingwordsamazon or internationally at http://bit.ly/fightingwordsworldwide . Send questions/comments via email at fightingwords1@gmail.com