Chang Jung-koo
Chang Jung-Koo (Hangul: 장정구, Hanja: 張正九) (born February 4, 1963 in Busan, South Korea) is a South Korean former light flyweight boxing champion. He is known by his nickname, The Korean Hawk.
| Chang Jung-Koo | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Chang Jung-Koo |
| Nickname(s) | The Korean Hawk |
| Weight(s) | Light Flyweight |
| Height | 5 ft 3 1⁄2 in (161 cm) |
| Nationality |  South Korean |
| Born | February 4, 1963 Busan, South Korea |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 42 |
| Wins | 38 |
| Wins by KO | 17 |
| Losses | 4 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 0 |
Chang took the tough road to becoming a world champion. In Chang's 15th pro fight, he faced former WBA flyweight champion Alfonso Lopez. Chang knocked out Lopez in the 3rd round. Next, Chang faced future IBF flyweight champion Jong-Kwan Chung, stopping Chung in the 6th round. In his 18th fight, and last before challenging for his first world title, Chang scored a 10 round unanimous decision over former WBC light flyweight champion Amado Ursua.
In Chang's first world title try, he lost to Hilario Zapata of Panama by a 15 round split decision in 1982, by scores of 148-145, 142-144 and 144-147. However, in a rematch held in Seoul, he avenged that loss and became WBC light flyweight world champion by knocking out Zapata at 2:46 of the 3rd round.
Chang then went on to establish a then-world record for the most defenses as world light flyweight champion, defending the title successfully 16 times between 1983 and 1988 when he retired.
In his first defense, he defeated Masaharu Inami and followed it with a win over future champion German Torres.
In 1984, he defeated future champion, Sot Chitalada, former champion Katsuo Tokashiki and Tadashi Kuramochi.
He started 1985 with a narrow majority decision in a rematch with German Torres. The outcome was determined by a single point on one judge's scorecard. Later in the year, he defeated Francisco Montiel and Jorge Cano.
In 1986, Chang faced Torres in a third meeting, this time defeating him by unanimous decision. He followed it with a rematch victory over Francisco Montiel and a knockout over future champion Hideyuki Ohashi.
After securing victories over Efren Pinto and Agustin Garcia in 1987, he faced future champion Isidro Perez. In a hard fought battle, Perez dropped Chang in the opening round, however, the referee failed to rule it as such. Chang was ultimately awarded a close unanimous decision victory.
After a TKO victory in a rematch over Hideyuki Ohashi in 1988, Chang announced his retirement. However, financial difficulties pushed him back into the ring in 1989 when he challenged and lost to Humberto González, who was the WBC light flyweight champion at the time.
After moving up to the flyweight division, he challenged WBC flyweight champion Sot Chitalada who he had defeated several years prior. In a closely contested bout, Chang lost a disputed majority decision.
Chitalada then lost that title to Muangchai Kittikasem, prompting Chang to challenge the newly crowned champion. Chang dropped the champion three times, however, Kittikasem rallied back to stop him in the final round. Chang announced his retirement immediately after.[1]
Chang's record for successive title defenses in the 108-pound division would soon be broken by fellow South Korean boxer Yuh Myung-Woo, who successfully defended his WBA light flyweight title 17 times in his first reign between 1985 and 1991.
Chang had a record of 38 wins and 4 losses, with 17 wins by knockout.
On June 2010, Chang and 12 other boxing personalities were inducted in the International Boxing Hall of Fame.[2] He became the first Korean boxer to be inducted in the prestigious boxing hall of fame, and the 5th Asian boxer to receive the honor.
See also
- List of light-flyweight boxing champions
- List of Koreans
- List of Korea-related topics
- Sport in South Korea
References
- https://www.boxingmonthly.com/stories/jung-koo-chang-the-best-fighter-youve-never-heard-about/
- "Boxers "Little Red" Lopez and Chang Elected to Int'l Boxing Hall of Fame - IBHOF.com". Archived from the original on 2009-12-13. Retrieved 2010-01-23.
External links
| Achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Hilario Zapata |
WBC light flyweight champion March 26, 1983 – 1988 Retired |
Vacant Title next held by Germán Torres |