Professional Boxer. Duk Koo Kim was born in South Korea and learned to fight on the street. He turned pro at age 18 and fought mostly obscure opposition in his native South Korea. Kim compiled a record of 13-0 and was ranked #1 by the WBA. On November 13, 1982, Kim fought WBA Lightweight Champion Ray 'Boom Boom' Mancini for the Championship in Las Vegas. The 2 fighters went toe to toe for most of the fight but Mancini began to get the upper hand in the later rounds and knocked out Kim in the 14th round. Tragically, Kim suffered a blood clot on the brain and lapsed into a coma. Surgery was performed but the injury was too severe. 5 days after the fight, Kim was dead at age 23. In the wake of Kim's death, many reforms in boxing were enacted. Championship fight distances were shortened from 15 to 12 rounds, and a much more thorough medical examination including electrocardiograms, brain tests and lung tests would be performed on fighters before fights. The story of Kim's life was taken to the big screen in his native South Korea in 2002 when director Kwak Kyung Taek directed the movie named 'Champion' and was an enormous hit.
Professional Boxer. Duk Koo Kim was born in South Korea and learned to fight on the street. He turned pro at age 18 and fought mostly obscure opposition in his native South Korea. Kim compiled a record of 13-0 and was ranked #1 by the WBA. On November 13, 1982, Kim fought WBA Lightweight Champion Ray 'Boom Boom' Mancini for the Championship in Las Vegas. The 2 fighters went toe to toe for most of the fight but Mancini began to get the upper hand in the later rounds and knocked out Kim in the 14th round. Tragically, Kim suffered a blood clot on the brain and lapsed into a coma. Surgery was performed but the injury was too severe. 5 days after the fight, Kim was dead at age 23. In the wake of Kim's death, many reforms in boxing were enacted. Championship fight distances were shortened from 15 to 12 rounds, and a much more thorough medical examination including electrocardiograms, brain tests and lung tests would be performed on fighters before fights. The story of Kim's life was taken to the big screen in his native South Korea in 2002 when director Kwak Kyung Taek directed the movie named 'Champion' and was an enormous hit.
Bio by: Soorus
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