Hwan-Jin Kim: South Korea’s WBA Light-Flyweight Champion
Hwan-Jin Kim was a South Korean professional boxer who held the WBA light-flyweight world championship in 1981. He won the title from Mexico’s Pedro Flores, defended it against Alfonso López and lost it to Katsuo Tokashiki. His championship record belongs to the 108-pound division.
Career and championship record
Kim captured the WBA belt in Daegu on July 19, 1981. Flores had ended Yoko Gushiken’s long reign earlier that year, but his own first defense ended with Kim winning by technical knockout in the thirteenth round. The victory placed Kim between Flores and Tokashiki in the WBA championship succession.
His successful defense came in Daejeon on October 11, 1981, against López, a former world flyweight champion from Panama. Their contest lasted fifteen rounds, with Kim retaining by majority decision. It was the sole successful defense of this WBA reign.
On December 16, 1981, Kim traveled to Sendai, Japan, to face Tokashiki. The challenger won a unanimous decision after fifteen rounds and took the WBA title. Kim’s reign consequently lasted about five months, comprising the title win, one successful defense and the championship loss.
BoxRec identifies Kim as an orthodox boxer and lists his height as 155 centimeters. The WBA title chronology offers the clearest account of his major achievement: a world championship won in South Korea and lost in Japan during the same calendar year.
Sources
Article Tags
Boxing, Boxing History
