Duk Koo Kim

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Duk Koo Kim bigraphy, stories - South Korean boxer

Duk Koo Kim : biography

January 8, 1959 – November 17, 1982

Kim Duk-Koo (January 8, 1959 – November 17, 1982) was a South Korean boxer who died following a boxing match against Ray Mancini. His death sparked a number of reforms in the sport aimed to better protect the health of fighters, including reducing the number of rounds in championship bouts from 15 to 12.

Professional boxing record

|- | colspan=8|17 Wins (8 knockouts, 9 decisions), 2 Loss (1 decision 1 ko), 1 Draw |- | style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Res. | style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Record | style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Opponent | style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Type | style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Rd., Time | style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Date | style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Location | style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Notes

|- |Loss |17-2-1 | Ray Mancini |KO || 14 |November 13, 1982 ||Caesars Palace, Nevada, USA||For WBA Lightweight title, Kim died 4 days later | |- |Win |17-1-1 | Tadao Ishido |TKO || 4 |July 18, 1982 ||Seoul, South Korea||OPBF lightweight title | |- |Win |16-1-1 | Nick Caputol |UD || 10 |June 21, 1982 ||Seoul, South Korea | |- |Win |15-1-1 | Flash Villamer |UD || 12 |May 30, 1982 ||Seoul, South Korea||OPBF lightweight title | |- |Win |14-1-1 | Suradej Kiongphajorn |KO || 1 |April 4, 1982 ||Seoul, South Korea||OPBF lightweight title | |- |Win |13-1-1 | Kwang-Min Kim |UD || 12 |February 28, 1982 ||Seoul, South Korea||OPBF lightweight title | |- |Win |12-1-1 | Katsuhiro Okubo |TKO || 3 |December 12, 1981 ||Seoul, South Korea | |- |Win |11-1-1 | Flash Romeo |KO || 4 |September, 09 1981 ||Seoul, South Korea | |- |Win |10-1-1 | Jun Escalera |PTS || 10 |August 16, 1981 ||Seoul, South Korea | |- |Win |9-1-1 | Hong-Kyu Lim |TKO || 4 |April 22, 1981 ||Seoul, South Korea | |- |Win |8-1-1 | Pil-Gu Lee |PTS || 10 |December 6, 1980 ||Seoul, South Korea||Lightweight title | |- |Win |7-1-1 | Tony Flores |TKO || 8 |July 16, 1980 ||Metro Manila, Philippines | |- |Win |6-1-1 | Han-Ki Choi |KO || 8 |June 21, 1980 || Seoul, Korea | |- |style="background:#dae2f1;"|Draw |5-1-1 | Chang-Pyo Kim |PTS || 8 |February 26, 1980 ||Busan, South Korea | |- |Win |5-1 | Young-Dae Kim |PTS || 4 |October 6, 1979 ||Seoul, South Korea | |- |Win |4-1 | Suk-Soo Chang |PTS || 4 |September 1, 1979 ||Seoul, South Korea | |- |Win |3-1 | Myung-Soo Park |KO || 1 |March 25, 1979 ||Ulsan, South Korea | |- |Loss |2-1 | Jong-Sil Lee |PTS || 4 , |December 9, 1978 ||Seoul, South Korea | |- |Win |2-0 | Young-Wung Sung |PTS || 4 , |December 8, 1978||Seoul, South Korea|| |- |Win |1-0 | Myung-Soo Park |PTS || 4 |December 7, 1978 ||Seoul, South Korea||Pro Debut

In popular culture

  • Champion, a South Korean biopic about Kim’s life, was released in 2002.
  • Alternative rock group Sun Kil Moon recorded a song dedicated to Kim on their 2003 debut Ghosts of the Great Highway.
  • Duk Koo Kim and Ray Mancini are featured in the song "Boom Boom Mancini" by Warren Zevon.

Aftermath of Kim’s death

Mancini went through a period of reflection, as he blamed himself for Kim’s death. After friends helped him by telling him that it was just an accident, Mancini went on with his career, though still haunted by Kim’s death. His promoter, Bob Arum, said Mancini "was never the same" after Kim’s death. Two years later, Mancini lost his title to Livingstone Bramble., ESPN.com

Four weeks after the fatal fight, the Mike Weaver vs Michael Dokes fight at the same Caesars Palace venue ended with a technical knockout declared 63 seconds into the fight. Referee Joey Curtis admitted to stopping the fight early under orders of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which required referees to be aware of a fighter’s health, in light of the Mancini-Kim fight, and a rematch was ordered.