Jong-Kwon Baek’s Busan Title Shock: Lakva Sim Outpointed
On October 31, 1999, Jong-Kwon Baek defeated Lakva Sim by decision in Busan to capture the WBA super-featherweight championship. A draw in his first title defense kept the belt in Baek’s hands, but Joel Casamayor subsequently stopped him.
A hard-fought title win at home
Baek, a South Korean professional who boxed from 1992 onward, reached his defining opportunity against Sim, the Mongolian champion. The 130-pound title contest took place at Gudeok Gymnasium in Busan. A contemporary account in The Korea Economic Daily described Sim as a powerful puncher and reported that Baek was knocked down once in the tenth round and was also badly shaken. He recovered to finish the fight strongly enough to earn a split decision. BoxRec’s title-fight record confirms the 12-round decision and the transfer of the WBA belt.
The close verdict mattered in two ways: it made Baek a world champion, and it ended Sim’s four-month reign, which had begun with a stoppage win over Takanori Hatakeyama. For Baek, the result was the high point of a seven-year professional climb from his September 1992 debut. The WBA’s own championship listings subsequently named him as its super featherweight titleholder, with a reign beginning on October 31.
A draw, then a change of champion
Baek’s first defense came three months later, on January 30, 2000, against fellow South Korean Kyu-Chul Choi. The 12-round fight was scored a draw, so Baek retained the championship. It was a successful defense in the official title chronology, although not a win on his record. The WBA’s period ratings list that bout as his last defense.
On May 21, Baek traveled to Kansas City to face Cuban contender Joel Casamayor. WBA title-fight chronology. Casamayor won by technical knockout in the fifth round, taking the WBA championship. The title-fight record shows the short sequence clearly: Baek defeated Sim, retained against Choi in a draw, then lost to Casamayor by a fifth-round stoppage.
Baek returned to the ring after the title loss and added professional victories in South Korea before his final recorded bout in 2002. His championship period was brief, but it included a road-tested title win against a reigning champion, a defense that went the distance, and a meeting with a future multi-time world titleholder. The verified record is a concise story of a contender who reached boxing’s summit and then encountered two difficult fights at the top.
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Jong-Kwon Baek, Boxing, Boxing History, Championship Results
