Have robots learned how to fight, literally? World's first humanoid kickboxing match leaves viewers awestruck and uneasy

Time of India

26-05-2025

In a spectacle that looked straight out of a sci-fi blockbuster, four
humanoid robots
laced up their gloves, donned protective headgear, and faced off in what is being dubbed the world's first
robot kickboxing championship
— and the footage is as eerie as it is fascinating.
Organized by
Unitree Robotics
in Hangzhou, China, the tournament featured four of their
G1 humanoid robots
sparring in one-on-one matches. Standing 130 centimeters tall and weighing 35 kilograms, these robots mimicked human fighters so convincingly that many spectators did a double take, half-expecting someone to step out of the suit. But no — these weren't people in costumes. These were pure machines, controlled remotely by human handlers ringside.
The Real Steel Moment
For a generation raised on movies like
Real Steel
and
Transformers
, the championship was a bizarre real-life crossover into fiction. The robots 'warmed up' with pre-match demonstrations — punches, kicks, even standing tall after being shoved. Their movements, powered by sophisticated motion-control algorithms and large AI models, were impressively lifelike, eerily synchronized, and — to some — deeply unsettling.
Each bout ran for two-minute rounds. The G1 bots scored points by landing hits to the opponent's head or torso. In the final match, Lu Xin's robot, dubbed 'AI Strategist,' crushed the competition with knockouts in all three rounds against Hu Yunqian's 'Energy Guardian.'
Post-victory, Xin shared his triumph on Weibo, boasting about bringing back a 'strong entrepreneurial vibe' not seen in a while — whatever that might mean in a ring of robot prizefighters.
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— NRNAgents (@NRNAgents)
Entertainment or Engineering Leap?
While the spectacle drew millions of curious eyes, it's the timing of this event that has tech analysts raising eyebrows. According to the
South China Morning Post
, China's robotics industry is revving up to mass-produce humanoids by 2025 — with six out of 11 domestic companies aiming to deliver more than 1,000 units each. Unitree, AgiBot, Engine AI, and others are at the forefront of this robotic gold rush.
This robot rumble wasn't a one-off, either. The championship also includes robotic football and basketball — turning sports into a potential AI proving ground.
— Intern_SaharaAI (@Intern_SaharaAI)
Uneasy Applause
Online reactions were split between awe and anxiety. One Weibo user quipped:
'Wait until you see that running at you wearing full body armor at 50mph and simultaneously shooting in your direction… and you knowing its hit rate is over 95%.'
Others were skeptical, with some calling the footage 'fake' or 'staged.' But make no mistake: this is not CGI. It's not a Hollywood set. This is the real deal — a turning point in robotic capability and public imagination.
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From Half-Marathons to Heavy Punches
The kickboxing event follows China's earlier robotic headline-grabber — a half-marathon in Beijing where robots reportedly raced alongside humans. While Unitree later distanced itself from claims of formal participation, it's clear the G1 bots are ready for a different kind of endurance — inside the ring, not on the track.
As China races to the frontlines of
AI and humanoid robotics
, the rest of the world watches — part amused, part alarmed. If the idea of AI fighting in rings today seems amusing, one can only imagine the unease when tomorrow's bots walk, run, and maybe even think on their own.
In the words of one online commenter:
'This don't worry me... until they learn how to throw a real punch.'
Too late — they already have.