Humanoid robots battle it out in China’s robot fighting debut

  • Humanoid robots just starred in the world’s first robot boxing match
  • The bots used advanced AI to make punches and spin kicks
  • Human operators controlled the robots in real-time matches

Published on Jun 01, 2025 at 10:38 PM (UTC+4)
by Jason Fan

Last updated on May 30, 2025 at 6:53 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Emma Matthews

It’s not science fiction anymore; humanoid robots are officially lacing up and stepping into the boxing ring.

In a scene that feels straight out of a futuristic anime, China just hosted the world’s first humanoid robot fighting tournament.

Held in Hangzhou and livestreamed across the globe, the event turned heads and twisted bolts as cutting-edge bots showed off their combat skills.

If you recall Hugh Jackman’s role in the 2011 robot boxing movie Real Steel, this is about as close as it gets.

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The China Media Group (CMG) World Robot Competition – Mecha Fighting Series marked the debut of humanoid robots as stars of the ring.

These aren’t just remote-controlled toys, either.

They are high-powered, AI-assisted machines that have precision motion control and lightning-fast reflexes.

Unitree Robotics, one of China’s leading robotics companies, took center stage with its flagship humanoid, the Unitree G1.

This agile little fighter is over four feet tall, weighs about 77 pounds, and can throw a mean straight punch.

The Unitree G1 was already able to perform kung fu moves with astonishing accuracy and balance, but this was its fight debut.

In a tag-team effort between machine and human, operators directed their robotic fighters in a series of boxing matches that had viewers cheering from their screens.

It wasn’t just about brute force, as the robots needed quick thinking, coordinated movement, and the ability to recover from a fall with style – and balance.

According to organizers, the event wasn’t just a flashy spectacle, though the flashing lights and crowd roars certainly helped.

It was also a high-stakes test of structural design, AI decision-making, and mechanical dexterity under pressure.

And this is just the beginning.

Another full-sized humanoid robot tournament is already on the books for December in Shenzhen, courtesy of EngineAI.

In fact, China’s robot renaissance is charging full steam ahead.

According to the Chinese Institute of Electronics, the country’s humanoid robot market could hit a staggering 870 billion Yuan (about $120 billion) by 2030.

Not surprising really, given that humanoid robots in China do everything from selling cars to working as car mechanics.

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Jason Fan is an experienced content creator who graduated from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore with a degree in communications. He then relocated to Australia during a millennial mid-life crisis. A fan of luxury travel and high-performance machines, he politely thanks chatbots just in case the AI apocalypse ever arrives. Jason covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on technology, planes and luxury.