Tae-Shik Kim Took the Flyweight Belt With a Second-Round
Tae-Shik Kim won the WBA flyweight championship on February 17, 1980, knocking out Luis Ibarra in the second round in Seoul. His championship reign included one successful defense before Peter Mathebula took the title later that year.
Career highlights
Kim defended against Arnel Arrozal in Seoul on June 29, 1980, winning a unanimous decision over fifteen rounds. The bout took him the full championship distance after the quick finish that had brought him the belt.
On December 13, 1980, Mathebula defeated Kim by split decision over fifteen rounds in Los Angeles. The result ended Kim’s WBA reign after less than a year.
A later world-title challenge
Kim returned to the championship stage against WBC flyweight champion Antonio Avelar in Seoul on August 30, 1981. Avelar won by second-round knockout. Kim’s world-title record therefore includes both a successful WBA reign and a later challenge for the other major flyweight championship of that period.
Kim had recovered from a stoppage defeat in his professional debut to win fourteen consecutive bouts, eleven inside the distance. His career ended after a September 1982 split-decision victory over Roberto Ramirez, when surgery for a subdural haematoma forced retirement. He later remained connected to boxing, opening the Kim Tae-sik Boxing Gym in 2007.
Sources
- BoxRec: Kim’s WBA championship reign
- BoxRec: Kim’s WBA championship results
- BoxRec: Avelar–Kim championship result
- Asian Boxing: Kim’s early winning run and retirement
