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The Golden Age of the
Little Guys and the Forgotten Tale of the Korean
Hawk
By
Joon Lee, Staff Writer,
www.fightworld.us
While the golden era of
heavyweight boxing took place from the early to mid
70s, the era for the little guys came about late 70s
to late 80s. Salvador Sanchez, Danny Lopez, Wilfredo
Gomez, Carlos Zarate, Alfonso Zamora, and Ruben
Olivares were some of the popular names from the 118
– 126lbs weight classes. They thrilled the fans in
their explosive wars that often fueled rivalries
between and within Latin American countries. Such
rivalries also surfaced in Asia, between Japanese,
Korean, Philippines and Thai fighters.
The 1980’s, perhaps, were the
best era of the lower weight class fighters. To name
a few, fighters like Eusebio Pedroza, Miguel Canto,
Myung Woo Yuh, and Khaosai Galaxy are former
champions who had set their respective division
record for most consecutive title defenses. We don’t
see too much of that often these days and even so,
we barely even notice it. For example, how often do
you hear people talk about current WBC bantamweight
champion Veerapol Sahaprom who’s on his way to break
Orlando Canizalez’s record for most consecutive
title defenses in the 118lb. division? Did anyone
notice that Sven Ottke retired with a record of 21
consecutive title defenses on his ledger? Today,
some of these fighters mentioned above are often
forgotten and it seems that they only remain in the
hearts of those who really cherished the sport.
Due to the fact that most of the
fighters from straw-weights to bantamweights reside
in small countries mostly in Asia or Central and
South America, these lower weight class fighters are
relatively unknown here in United States. Unless
they are showcased in American TV networks, the
chances are they still won’t draw much attention
from the public. Just ask Ricardo Lopez, who was
without a doubt one of the best fighters of the 90s
but mostly found himself fighting on the under card
of Mike Tyson’s PPV shows.
In U.S., there are less than few
experts out there who have seen enough fights to
rank the top 10 best Jr. Bantamweights let alone
rate top 10 Jr. Flyweights. But in small Asian
countries such as Japan, Thailand, and Korea, the
stars of boxing were produced from those small
weight classes. Former undisputed Flyweight and
Bantamweight champion, Masahiko “Fighting” Harada
captivated the hearts of Japanese fans during the
60s as one of the most celebrated athletes that the
country has ever produced. During the 70s, the
flyweight (108 – 115lbs) divisions were ruled by the
likes of Yoko Gushiken, Shoiji Oguma, Masa Obha and
Jiro Watanabe.
Not too far apart from the
island, there were plenty of talents in South Korea
where fighters like Soo Hwan Hong, Chan Hee Park,
and Jae Do Yuh sold out the stadiums in Seoul during
their world championship bouts. Hong, a former
bantamweight and super bantamweight champion, drew
thousands of tumultuous crowds in his battles, which
elevated the popularity level of the sport in the
country. But, in spite of their exciting styles,
most Korean fighters’ careers were cut relatively
short as they peaked in their early twenties.
Enter the 80s where boxing once
again started to get popular since the retirement of
Muhammad Ali. By the time a twenty-year old Mike
Tyson broke into the boxing scene in 1986 with this
emphatic two round destruction over Trevor Berbick,
across the continent in South Korea, there was
another great young champion who they called “The
Korean Hawk”.
Jung Koo Chang, born on February
4th, 1963 in Pusan of South Korea was a
young teenager who often found himself involved with
street gangs and neighborhood thugs. After dropping
out of middle school, Chang decided to move to the
nation’s capital, Seoul, where he joined the city
boxing gym. Here is where he met two world champions
at the time, Sung Jun Kim and Tae Shik Kim. Inspired
by the two, Chang decided to take the sport
seriously and started his amateur career in the late
70s where he left a brief and concise mark. At
seventeen, he turned pro, fought six times in 1980
finishing the year with an unblemished mark of 6-0
with 2KOs.
His display of boxing skills and
his charismatic attitude was comparable to the great
Aaron Pryor, which is how Chang adopted the moniker,
“The Korean Hawk”. Chang possessed amazing hand
speed and footwork, which also made him an elusive
boxer puncher. Like Pryor, his offense consisted of
swarming his opponents with barrages of punches with
accuracy. And like many Korean fighters you see
today, he was a very rough fighter who didn’t hold
back when it came to throwing head butts and elbows.
As he went on to win 12 more
fights in an impressive fashion, he quickly grabbed
the fans and the media’s attention. As he quickly
climbed his way up into the top 10 rankings, he
earned his spot to challenge for the WBC Jr.
Flyweight title. On September 18th of
1982, only having 19 years of age, Chang got his
first crack at the world title against the WBC
champ, Hilario Zapata out of Panama. Like his fellow
countryman Roberto Duran, Zapata was a great fighter
who had 10 title defenses on his ledger. Going into
the highly anticipated fight, the defending champ
was a slight favorite considering his championship
pedigree. From the get-go, Chang got the better of
the champion as he swarmed Zapata with relentless
attacks, but Zapata stood his ground and fought back
bravely. After fifteen competitive rounds, Chang
seemed to have prevailed and it was this bout that
confirmed his reputation as a top fighter and not
just hype. The Korean crowd cheered on as they
waited for the crowning of a new champion. The crowd
booed at the final verdict as two of judges’
scorecards were read in favor of Zapata and the
other in favor of Chang. Ending up in the short end
of the stick, Chang was contained with disbelief as
his sweet green tea turned into sour soy milk.
Infuriated by the decision,
Chang’s promoter demanded for a rematch from the WBC.
After winning a pair of tune-up fights, the rematch
was set for March 26, 1983. This time around, Chang,
a favorite going into the fight, made his intentions
to not let the fight be in hands of the judges. In
what was touted to be a competitive rematch, it
turned out to be a blow out win for Chang as Zapata
succumbed to Chang’s furious body attack over three
rounds. A new champion was crowned and a new
national figure was born. At only 20 years of age,
Chang was now a big sports figure in the small but
populated country of South Korea. Comparable to
Manny Pacquiao in the Philippines, Chang quickly
gained instant fame in his country of South Korea.
With his popularity, Chang also drew a lot of
attentions to young females. Despite his lack of
education, he would go on to marry an older woman
who was a graduate of Seoul University (acknowledged
as the best in S. Korea).
After his title winning effort,
the Korean Hawk went on to campaign as the champion
for four years without tasting defeat. During his
title reign, he defended his title against all
comers including Hideyuki Ohashi (twice), Sot
Chitlada, German Torres (three times), and Isidro
Perez who all later went on to win world titles of
their own. Chang also became the first Korean boxer
to ever be ranked in the top 10 P4P by the Ring
Magazine and also became one of the few champions
from the lower weight classes considered as the best
fighter pound for pound. Chang went on to defend his
title fifteen consecutive times, where he would set
a new record for most title defenses at the Jr.
Flyweight division.
Despite his dominant performances
over top-notch contenders, Chang was often
criticized for his torpidity when it came to
training. He was also known for excessive partying
and drinking when he wasn’t in the gym. By the time
he got to his 15th title defense, his
deterioration in reflexes was apparent as he barely
edged out the tough contender from Mexico, Isidro
Perez in a less than stellar performance. On his 15th
and final defense of his crown, Chang flew to Japan
for a rematch against the number contender Hideyuki
Ohashi who he had previously stopped in five rounds.
The rematch was expected to end in similar result as
Chang badly hurt Ohashi in the opening round. In
round 3, Chang sent Ohashi to the canvas three
times, but the challenger rose back, hurting the
champion with a counter punch before the round
ended. As the fight progressed, Ohashi began to come
on strong knowing that he was badly behind on the
scorecards and the two started exchanging heavy
blows without much of any defense. Chang ended up
stopping Ohashi after dropping him twice in round 8.
Despite the win, again, it seemed as though Chang’s
peak came to an end. Briefly after the fight, Chang
announced his retirement from the sport with the
record of 36-1. He was only twenty five.
It would’ve been a perfect ending
had Chang retired with the division record and money
he made. But then again, we don’t see too much of a
happy ending in this sport. Promoters have
financially cheated many fighters have been
financially cheated in the past. Even the great Joe
Louis lived the last part of his life broke and
bankrupt. For Chang, it was another bitter moment in
his life as his wife took off to America with all of
his money. Not having a high school diploma or a
degree, Chang inevitably made his return to the
ring. It seemed as a possible task for Chang to win
another world title since he was only twenty-six
years old in his return. But like Mike Tyson and
Wilfredo Benitez who were looming to become greats
in the long run, Chang’s prime arguably ended in his
earlier 20s. After winning a tune up bout in 89,
Chang challenged the young champion from Mexico,
Humberto “Chiquita” Gonzalez. In a semi competitive
bout, Gonzalez’s youth and superior skill later
overcame the former champion’s ring savvy as
Gonzalez prevailed with a unanimous decision.
Following another tune up bout, Chang challenged his
former opponent Sot Chitlada for the WBC Flyweight
title. In his attempt to become a two-division
champion, Chang looked more of his former self, as
he appeared to have outworked the Thai champion. In
what could have been another career defining win,
Chang had to settle for another loss on his record
as Chitlada escaped with a razor-thin majority
decision.
In what would be his last and
final fight, Chang again challenged for the
flyweight title, this time against Maungchai
Kittikasem of Thailand. In a fantastic barnburner
between a young champion and a rugged veteran, Chang
dropped his Thai opponent twice and looked as though
he was on his way to become a two-division champion.
Going into the 12th and final round,
Chang was comfortably leading on all three of the
scorecards, but as father time caught up, so did
Kittikasem’s monster left hook that sent Chang
reeling to the canvas. After wobbling to get up,
Chang was knocked down again through the ropes and
though he managed to get up for the count, it was
apparent that he was seriously hurt and the ref had
no choice but to stop the fight.
Chang retired for good after his
previous attempts at the world title. He again,
became financially broke.
 After his retirement, he
began working with Korean promoters and later came
back to the ring as a trainer for former WBC jr.
flyweight champion Yo Sam Choi. Today, he runs a
chain of boxing gyms along with former jr.
bantamweight king Sung Kil Moon in Seoul and he’s
also involved in promoting young talents in Korea.
Most people who have seen the
last stages of Chang’s career might say that he
wasn’t a great fighter. But what they forget or fail
to realize is that, like Danny Romero and Wilfredo
Benitez, Chang himself peaked in his early twenties.
Despite his amazing record of fifteen title
defenses, the Korean public has gradually forgotten
about the boxing legacy that Chang has set. Fans
should remember that before Chiquita Gonzalez,
Michael Carbajal, and Finito Lopez came along, it
was Chang who sparked up the jr. flyweight division.
It almost doesn’t seem fair.
Barry McGuigan a former world featherweight champion
was inducted into the hall of fame, but there was no
mention of Jung Koo Chang ever being inducted. Now,
don’t get me wrong, McGuigan was a spectacular
fighter and near-great one in his prime. But his
reign was rather brief and he surely cannot be
considered as an all-time great featherweight.
Despite his absence in the hall, what’s notably
important is the acknowledgement of the fans. Among
many of the experts today, Chang is perceived as one
of the best if not the best jr. flyweights of all
time. 94’s issue of the Ring Magazine rated Chang #2
best jr. flyweight of all-time right behind Michael
Carbajal. Still to this day, Chang remains
relatively forgotten as he continues to yearn for
his spot in Canastota.
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