Korea: Boxing South of the 38th Parallel

Ted Sares returns to Bad Left Hook today with another feature on a topic that doesn't get much play in the boxing press. Enjoy.

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Today sweat, Tomorrow champion!

---South Korean gym motto

Kill or be killed. / Win or die.

--Quotes attributed to Duk Koo Kim

One step back, then I die. This is a match on the brink. I just want to live a simple life in a pretty house on a green landscape with someone I love. Now, I don't like the smell of blood anymore. I'm just afraid of tomorrow.

--Found in Yo Sam Choi's diary after he beat Indonesian Heri Amol on Christmas Day 2007 in a fight in which Choi suffered fatal injuries, apparently from the last punch of the fight.

The Korean War (June 1950 - July 1953) is something many Americans under the age of 30 only remember from watching "M*A*S*H" on television. The Korean conflict is fast becoming a footnote in our history and that's a shame to those who fought and died in that brief but highly intensive and deadly conflict. There are 34,000 reasons never to forget. Many of my classmates, teammates, and college friends were veterans of this war and they made me feel like a boy among men. As the saying goes, it was a growth experience. Some of these vets suggested the conflict might have been conveniently forgotten by politicians because it ended in a stalemate. But those who fought in it did not feel that the reasons for the war were questionable, and neither did I. Not for one second.

At any rate, from a military standpoint, it was an incredible seesaw of action that was analogous to an intense boxing match featuring ebb and flow, strategic retreats (from the Chinese offensive), regrouping, counterpunching, and even sneaky side shots (think Inchon Landing).

The South Koreans proved their innate grit when they, along with United Nations troops, drove the Chinese and North Korean Communist forces back over the 38 Parallel. Today, the contrast between the prosperous and bustling South Korea and its foreboding neighbor to the North is a stark one. I can attest to that as I lived in South Korea (Seoul) in the mid 1980's.

Reflective of that same grit and enterprising nature, South Korean boxers have won an inordinate number of world championships since the early ‘60s, but things have now slowed down considerably.

Unfortunately, there are few "experts" in the U.S. who have actually witnessed enough fights in the small weight classes to rank the top ten best Jr. Bantamweights let alone rate the top Junior Flyweights. But in Asian countries, many of the boxing stars come from these divisions. There were plenty of South Korea fighters like Soo Hwan Hong, Chan Hee Park, and Jae Do Yuh who sold out the venues during their world championship bouts. Hong, a former bantamweight and super bantamweight champion, drew thousands of tumultuous crowds. While their styles were extremely exciting and all-action all the time, the careers of many top Korean fighters were cut relatively short as they invariable peaked in their early twenties. This may have been due to their all-out all action style that is bound to take its toll.

There is a notable paucity of boxers from Asian countries represented in the International Boxing Hall of Fame (and note, the word "International" is in the name). Maybe it's because the writers who vote for the Inductees are too young to recall some of these greats; maybe it's because the fighters received little, if any, global attention; or maybe it's because they fought in the lower weight divisions. The answer likely is a combination of all three factors. But if even one voter has to ask "who are these guys," the problem goes much, much deeper.

Pancho Villa, Flash Elorde, Khaosai Galaxy, and Masahiko "Fighting" Harrada are in the Hall, and now that a South Korean, Jung-Koo "The Korean Hawk" Chang, was finally inducted in 2010, perhaps at least one of the following will warrant more attention:

Masamori Tokuyama (alias Chang Soo Hong) - 1994-2006

In-Jin Chi -1991-2006

Myung-Woo "Sonagi" Yuh - 1983-1992

In-Chul Baek - 1980-1990

Soo-Hwan Hong - 1969-1980

Ki-Soo Kim- 1961-1969 (South Korea's first world boxing champion)

The Future

Boxing's popularity has declined steeply in a country that is now soccer and golf-crazed (not to mention speed skating). In fact, much of the boxing these days is done by females (few people know that South Korea has several reigning female world boxing champions), though there are some young male fighters such as Jae-Sung Lee and Min-Sung Lee, and bantamweight Seung-Suk Chae is making an amazing comeback. Jung-Bum Kim has the OPBF light welterweight title as well. But some go so far as to say boxing is mainly a macho metaphor for what the country was in the ‘70s and '80s before its economy skyrocketed.

The "Volcano"

On September 12, 2009, heavy handed Ji Hoon "Volcano" Kim erupted in Gauteng, South Africa and stopped Zolani "Untouchable" Marali (20-2 coming in) in the tenth round to win the South African's IBO Super Featherweight Crown. He then spewed hot lava again on February 12, 2010, by stopping slick Tyrone Harris in five. It was Kim's 12th win in a row, with all but one coming by way of stoppage, including a one-round shocker over highly regarded Koba Gogoladze in Las Vegas in 2008. However, his lava flow was slowed down by crafty Miguel "Titere" Vazquez (26-3) on August 14. The vacant IBF Lightweight Title was stake. Still, the Volcano (21-6) is a throwback to South Korean fighters of the past as he continues to win fights both inside and outside of South Korea and may well be a work in progress, particularly if he can get batter handlers. And what makes him even more compelling is that he never fought in the amateurs.

"Canelo"

As an aside, the slick Vazquez has lost only three times. One was to slick Timothy Bradley in 2007. The second was to Saul Alvarez in "Canelo'"s third fight in 2006. It was Titere's pro debut. Then in 2008, he lost again to Alvarez. Just an indication of how good the redheaded Mexican is.

Recommended Reading: Hall of Fame: Jung Koo Chang, "The Korean Hawk" by Ted Sares