En Bo (; born 1962) is a Chinese
Mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world.
In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...
(MMA) and
Sanda coach and former Sanda practitioner. He is the founder of Chinese MMA club,
Enbo Fight Club.
Early life
En Bo was born in 1962 in
Heishui County,
Aba Prefecture in
Sichuan province
Sichuan is a Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capita ...
. He is of
Tibetan 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
Parallel bars are floor apparatus consisting of two wooden bars approximately long and positioned at above the floor. Parallel bars are used in artistic gymnastics and also for physical therapy and home exercise. Gymnasts may optionally wear ...
and
grappling
Grappling is a fighting technique based on throws, trips, sweeps, clinch fighting, ground fighting and submission holds.
Grappling contests often involve takedowns and ground control, and may end when a contestant concedes defeat. Shou ...
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
Construction engineering, also known as construction operations, is a professional subdiscipline of civil engineering that deals with the designing, planning, construction, and operations management of infrastructure such as roadways, tunnels, bri ...
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
Enbo Fight Club). 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 martial artist, actor and director. Wang first received recognition in the film '' Blind Shaft'' (2003), for which he shared the Best New Performer prize at the Golden Horse Awards. He went on to ...
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 premiere, also spelled première, (from , ) is the debut (first public presentation) of a work, i.e. play, film, dance, musical composition, or even a performer in that work.
History
Raymond F. Betts attributes the introduction of the ...
.
Earlier on in March 2023, En Bo suffered a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
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 and weightlifting. 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 ...
division)
*
Su Mudaerji
Su Mudaerji ( zh, 苏木达尔基; ; born January 20, 1996), sometimes written as Sumudaerji, is a Chinese professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight and Bantamweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship ...
(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 up to and including 51 kg (112 lb) for a title fight.
Professional boxing
The flyweight division was the last of boxin ...
Division)
*
Liu Pingyuan (UFC fighter)
*
Rong Zhu (UFC fighter,
Road to UFC Season 2 Lightweight
Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing (sport), rowing.
Boxing Professional boxing
The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) boxing weight classes, weight class in the spor ...
tournament winner)
* Maheshate (UFC fighter, first fighter from China to win a UFC contract on
Dana White's Contender Series)
* 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, ...
tournament winner)
See also
*
Enbo Fight Club
*
''Never Say Never'' (2023 film)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:En, Bo
1962 births
Living people
Chinese male martial artists
Chinese sanshou practitioners
People from Ngawa
People of Tibetan descent