En Bo (; born 1962) is a Chinese

Mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

(MMA) and Sanda coach and former Sanda practitioner. He is the founder of Chinese MMA club,

Enbo Fight Club Enbo Fight Club () is a mixed martial arts (MMA) gym based in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Overview Enbo Fight Club was founded in 2001 by En Bo (恩波), an ethnic Tibet Autonomous Region, Tibetan and retired army police officer. En Bo was born in ...

Early life

En Bo was born in 1962 in Heishui County, Aba Prefecture in Sichuan province. He is of

Tibetan Tibetan may mean: * of, from, or related to Tibet * Tibetan people, an ethnic group * Tibetan language: ** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard ** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...

ethnicity. En came from a poor background. When he was eight, his father died. When En was eighteen, he joined the

People's Armed Police ) , abbreviation = PAP ("People's Armed Police") CAPF ("Chinese Armed Police Force"), formerly abbreviated''Wujing'' ( zh , s = 武警 , p = Wǔjǐng , l = Armed Police , labels = no ), or WJ as on vehicle license plates , patch ...

and started practicing Sanda. In 1980, En won two championships in parallel bars and

grappling Grappling, in hand-to-hand combat, describes sports that consist of gripping or seizing the opponent. Grappling is used at close range to gain a physical advantage over an opponent, either by imposing a position or causing injury. Grappling i ...

at a competition hosted by the Aba Prefecture Armed Police. En has stated he regrets he didn't pick up fighting earlier as it was too late for him to be joining professional competitions.

Career

En has stated that during his time in the armed police, he encountered orphaned children wandering in the mountains or on the streets. In 1997, En retired from the armed police to work in construction engineering to raise funds for launching a club that could help orphans and prevent them from turning to crime. In 2001, En founded the Aba Prefecture Sanda Club (which would later be renamed to

). It gradually became known as a martial arts club for children from rural and underdeveloped areas. In 2015, the school transitioned to become a MMA club and started hiring MMA coaches. En told West China City Daily that the children were sent to the club by relatives to acquire skills. Children at the school call En "Godfather" and said he treats them well. In 2017, a video surfaced of two 12-14-year-old boys competing in a commercial MMA bout which gained 12 million views and caused outrage in China. Shortly after the video surfaced, the police in China opened an investigation into the Enbo Fight Club. En stated that the club did not do anything illegal and that no children were forced to do such things. He also said the club went through proper procedures when recruiting children to join it.

Media portrayal

The 2023 film, '' Never Say Never'' is a fictional portrayal of En and the Enbo Fight Club. En is portrayed by

Wang Baoqiang Wang Baoqiang (; born 29 May 1984) is a Chinese actor, martial artist and director. His debut role was that of Yuan Fengming in the movie ''Blind Shaft'', for which he shared the Best New Performer prize at the 2003 Golden Horse Awards. Early ...

as Xiang Tenghu, a former fighter who starts a fight club for orphans. Wang spent six years working on the film. En as well as his students from the club were at the film's

premiere A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its first ...

. Earlier on in March 2023, En Bo suffered a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

and was hospitalized. He was in a coma for many days and had lost 57 pounds. Wang not only helped contact experts to help but also paid for the medical expenses. Wang stated he and En Bo had many similarities such as coming from poor backgrounds and refusing to give up despite difficult circumstances.

Students

* Song Yadong (UFC fighter, peak ranking 7th in

Bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from Ba ...

division) * Su Mudaerji (UFC fighter, peak ranking 11th in

Flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb). Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of bo ...

Division) *

Liu Pingyuan Liu Pingyuan (born February 13, 1993) is a Chinese mixed martial artist (MMA). He currently competes in the bantamweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Mixed martial arts career Early career Liu started his professiona ...

(UFC fighter) * Rong Zhu (UFC fighter, Road to UFC Season 2

Lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...

tournament winner) * Maheshate (UFC fighter, first fighter from China to win a UFC contract on

Dana White's Contender Series Dana White's Contender Series, formerly named Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series, is an American mixed martial arts promotion. In May 2017, the UFC announced White would hold the competition weekly on UFC Fight Pass (It has since been move ...

) * Yi Zha (UFC fighter, Road to UFC Season 2

Featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, this ...

tournament winner)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:En, Bo 1962 births Living people Chinese martial artists Chinese sanshou practitioners People from Ngawa People of Tibetan descent

Early life

Career

Media portrayal

Students

See also

References