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In the beautiful city of Wando,
seven hours outside of the
capital Seoul, WBF womens world
lightflyweight champion Ju Hee
Kim put in a masterful
performance to outclass the
gutsy Thai challenger Fahpratan
Looksaikongdin over 10 rounds at
the Farmer and Fisherman Sports
& Cultural Centre to retain her
title for the first time.
The 25-year-old Kim dominated
the fight, being the aggressor
throughout, forcing the pace
while Looksaikongdin fought off
the back foot trying, and
successfully at times, to
counterpunch the always
advancing champion.
With many top politicians and a
capacity crowd in attendance the
South Korean heroin prevailed
victorious with the judges
scoring 100:90 (Moon Moo Hong),
99:90 (Kho Ki-Bong) and 98:92 (Choi
Yoo-Suk).
With an accidental clash of
heads in round five completely
shutting Kim's left eye,
she nevertheless continued to
outbox the game Thai. Ju Hee
Kim's record moves to 15-1-1 (6)
while Looksaikongdin drops to
7-3 (0).
Kim is a truly special
champion. She is a dignified,
respectful, delightful young
lady, with a great sense of
humour and warmth. Her demeanour
is one of a true and respected
champion, and she remains a
humble and wonderful human
being. With WBF President Howard
Goldberg at ringside, the WBF Asia
Pacific Coordinator Jung Moon
Ho must be congratulated for his
outstanding work and superb
organisation on behalf of the
World Boxing Federation.
The support in Korea for Ju Hee
Kim is mindblowing. She was
virtually on every TV network
after the fight, with posters
and banners showing her with her
title everywhere. The people of
Korea adore her, as do the high
ranking politicians who attended
the fight en masse. It was an
honour for the WBF that out of
all the titles she defended on
this occasion, only the
president of the World Boxing
Federation was invited to make a
speech at the weigh-in. The WBF
made many friends and we have
already secured a formal date
early next year for Kim to once
again defend her WBF title. |
