October 31, 1999

KOREAN JONGKWON BAEK WRESTS WBA SUPER-FEATHER TITLE ON SPLIT DECISION OVER LAKVA SIM

This reporter just returned from Pusan via Osaka, since it was hard to book a direct flight from Narita to Pusan, a port city at the southern end of South Korea. So, yours truly went to Pusan via Fukuoka, Japan, and came home via Osaka. It is a fight report of yesterday's world title bout.

October 31, 1999
PUSAN, KOREA-Unbeaten Korean JONGKWON BAEK, 130, wrested the WBA super-featherweight belt as he survived a visit to the deck in the 10th, fought back hard and was awarded a split verdict over defending champ LAKVA SIM, 130, Mongolia, over 12 heats.

Some 7,000 fans were in attendance at Kudok Gymnasium to expect Baek to capture the crown. But the Korea-based Mongolian Sim seemed a formidable opponent for Baek to conquer, having dethroned Japan's Takanori Hatakeyama on a spectacular 5th round stoppage in Tokyo on June 27 last.

Baek, former 135-pound champ of the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF), moved down to the super-feather division, and showed his opening attack with his advantageous physique in the first session. Sim covered himself up and probed his rival's aggressive style. The champ threw fewer blows, but scored a solid left hook that had him off balanced. Baek, an inch taller, kept on positively tossing jabs and left-right combinations to have the champ defensive.

Sim started his fireworks in the third, as he whipped the Korean with sharp shots to the face and belly with Baek pinned to the ropes. The 4th was so furious as Baek remained more aggressive, though Sim occasionally forced him to the ropes with a flurry of punches.

The Mongolian champ, in the 5th, came forward with good jabs and combos with precision, nailing him to the ropes repeatedly. The 6th saw Sim lift a vicious uppercut that bounced off his head and keep aggressive with Baek desperately retaliating with non-stop but less accurate blows.

Encouraged by his cornermen, Baek turned loose and put on a persistent attack in the 7th, when Sim cautiously picked up his punches. Referee Stanley Christodoulou, from South Africa, had often given the champ a warning for his using the elbow, but finally penalized a point in the 8th.

Baek appeared a bit tired due to his high pace in earlier rounds, but his partisan fans hotly hailed and encouraged him to go on. The Mongolian champ scored a sole knockdown in the fight in the 10th, when he caught Baek with a short but well-timed left hook to drop him on the seat of his pants. Pulling himself up from a flash visit to the deck, Baek showed his desperate retaliation to avoid Sim's follow-up afterward.

In the 11th, Baek utilized his footwork and kept circling around, while Sim maintained the pressure despite less effectiveness due to his visible fatigue. The 12th and final session saw each try to win this round, when Baek attempted to show his last surge with a barrage of punches. Sim countered him with a short right and had him reeling to the ropes, but Baek kept on fighting back.

A split decision was rendered to Baek, who was raised by his fanatic aficionados with joy. Sim, on the contrary, showed his displeasure with the verdict and sat down in the center of the ring for a while.

Scored: Derek Milham (Australia) 114-113 and Ferdinando Estrella (Philippines) 116-113, both for Baek, and Chalerm Prayadsab (Thailand) 115-112 for Sim.

Baek, 27, raised his unblemished mark to 21-0, 18 KOs. Sim, 28, dropped to 11-2-1, 9 KOs.

Baek became the second world champ born here in two weeks along with Yosam Choi, his stablemate, dethroning the WBC light fly ruler Saman Sorjaturong in Seoul on October 17. Madam Yongja Shim, a lady promoter, must be the happiest person who now holds a couple of world champs. Shim had cultivated such world titlists like Sungkil Moon, Yongkan Kim, et al.

Promoter: Madam Shim's Sungmin Promotions.
WBA supervisor: Yangsup Shim (Korea).
(10-31-99)

SCORESHEETS

DEREK MILHAM (AUSTRALIA)
ROUND 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 TOTAL
SIM 9 9 10 9 10 10 9 9(-1) 10 10 10 9 113
BAEK 10 10 10 10 9 9 10 10 9 8 9 10 114

FERDINANDO ESTRELLA (PHILIPPINES)
ROUND 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 TOTAL
SIM 9 9 10 9 10 10 9 10(-1) 9 10 9 10 113
BAEK 10 10 9 10 9 10 10 10 10 8 10 10 116

CHALERM PRAYADSAB (THAILAND)
ROUND 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 TOTAL
SIM 10 9 10 10 10 10 9 9(-1) 9 10 10 10 115
BAEK 9 10 9 9 9 9 10 10 10 8 10 9 112

REFEREE: STANLEY CHRISTODOULOU (SOUTH AFRICA)

COMPLETE RECORD OF JONGKWON BAEK

Born on November 7, 1971
Promoter: Yongja Shim
Trainer: Min Cho
Height: 175 cm (5'9")
Style: Orthodox
Type: Boxer-puncher

1992
Sept.26 SUNGHO CHOI KOREA KO 3
Nov. 20 UIMAN KIM KOREA KO 2
Nov. 21 BONDOL KIM KOREA KO 2
Dec. 19 CHONGHO PARK KOREA KO 2
(Remarks: His fights on Nov. 20 and 21 might be fought in the Korean Novice King tournaments, and these results are correct.)

1993
Jan. 16 HYOYOUNG LIM KOREA KO 5
Jul. 3 CHANGHOON LEE KOREA KO 1
Jul. 31 HYONWOOK CHUNG KOREA KO 2
Nov. 21 HANJIN KIM KOREA KO 2


1994
Mar. 26 KAPYONG LEE KOREA KO 9
(Won Korean lightweight title)

1995
Feb. 8 AL COQUILLA KOREA KO 10
Mar. 31 LAURO WILTON KOREA TKO 8
Aug. 23 JAEKYUNG KIM KOREA W 10
Nov. 24 BOY LIGAS KOREA W 10


1996
May 2 NICK AMPONG KOREA KO 2
Aug. 26 ALFREDO BAGUIO KOREA KO 4
Nov. 13 JUN MONDONEDO KOREA KO 4


1997
Mar. 13 ALI ALBARACIN KOREA KO 1
(Won the OPBF lightweight title)
Jul. 18 TEOFILO TUNACAO KOREA KO 10
(Defended the OPBF lightweight title)

1998
Apr. 10 NICK ENERO KOREA KO 8
(Defended the OPBF lightweight title)

1999
Jul. 6 ESTEBAN LORENZO KOREA KO 6
Oct. 31 LAKVA SIM KOREA W 12
(Won the WBA super-featherweight title)

-- Joe Koizumi If you wish to refer to my previous reports, please access to: http://www.ring-japan.com/oriental.htm