| Won Woo-min, Korean super lightweight champion of KBF and KBM, holds his belt over his shoulder at his boxing club, Tuesday. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |
Won Woo-min to aim for the Asian title in next year February
By Kim Jae-heun
Won Woo-min, a Korean super lightweight boxing champion, has trained himself to be an early morning person. Here in Korea, diligence is a must for all aspiring world champions before they can make their dreams come true because they need jobs so they can finance their dreams.
He wakes up early at 6 a.m. and runs 10 kilometers for training every day. His next Asian title match is just around the corner ― he is set to fight Japanese contender Noriaki Sato on Feb. 10.
But he cannot fully focus on the forthcoming bout. He has too many tasks at hand. The 33-year-old father has to share some of the housework with his wife and drops his son off at kindergarten in the morning. Then he opens his gym at 10 a.m. The operating hours continue until 11 p.m.
If Won wins his Asian title bout, he will be entitled to $30,000 as prize money. Half of it goes to his coach and promoter.
| Boxer Won Woo-min wraps his bandages before starting training at his gym in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |
“Two jobs are inevitable for a boxer like me until I rise to be an Asian champion of the Oriental Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF),” Won said during an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. “Even after you succeed in clinching the Asian title, you still have to fight at least three bouts a year if you want to earn an annual income of $40,000. You can earn that amount if you win all three matches. You can fully concentrate on training if you make $40,000 a year.”
Won said he is lucky to have his own business. Other Korean professional boxers fight for $200 for four rounds and have part-time jobs to finance their dreams of being the next Floyd “Money” Mayweather.
The Korean champion knows how hard it is because he experienced the same miserable life when he first started boxing at 24.
| Boxer Won Woo-min trains on a heavy sandbag at his gym in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |
Won learned how to box for six months before he did his mandatory military service. When he was released from the military two years later, he was determined to become a Korean champion.
His home was far from the gym, so he moved to the boxing club to save time. There he slept and trained and worked as a coach. His monthly income was as small as $100. It took seven months for Won to become a professional fighter.
“I thought it was part of the learning process to open my own boxing gym. I also firmly believed if I start from scratch and work hard at the same endeavor for 10 years, I could become the best,” Won said.
| Boxer Won Woo-min, right, spars with professional fighter Lee Jun-soo at Won Woo Min Boxing Gym in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |
For two years, he won five bouts then lost his sixth with a split decision of 2 to 1. He was disappointed and thought seriously about quitting.
“I was the strongest candidate to be the MVP for the contest and I really put all my heart into it. But I lost and I panicked. My anger moved onto grievance toward my coach and I thought I couldn't live on $100 per month,” said Won.
He explored a new job at a security company for Samsung and worked there for seven years. In the fourth year of his employment, he got married and brought his wife to the boxing gym in Suwon in front of his home to exercise together.
| Boxer Won Woo-min hits a speed ball during his training for the Asian title match to be held in Seoul next February. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |
The new coach there recognized him as he remembered Won having knocked down two of his fighters. He persuaded Won to fight again and paid Won's ex-coach $1,000 to take over his training. Won signed a contract to become a professional fighter and he needed to pay a penalty to cancel his deal with his previous coach.
For his gratitude to his new coach, Won only planned to fight once, against Japanese contender Shingo Yabu. In his comeback match on Dec. 21, 2014, Won beat Yabu by a knock out in the third round. Seven months later, Won knocked out another professional boxer Kim Jin-soo to clinch his Korean champion position. He achieved all of this while still working for the security company.
Becoming a Korean boxing champion does not mean anything when it comes to the global stage and he is only seen as an Asian ranker on the rating list.
| Boxer Won Woo-min shows his game face ahead of his Asian champion title bout against Japanese fighter Noriaki Sato in Seoul, scheduled for Feb. 10 next year. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |
“Becoming a Korean champion is only a stepping stone to challenge for the Asian title. If you become the OPBF top contender, you are ranked in the top 15 in the world. Then it will take two more wins to fight for the world title,” Won said.
Korea has not produced a boxing world champion since 2007 and it is Won's ultimate goal to restore the honor to his country.
“It is not the strong one that survives the longest, but the longest survivor that is strong. If you ask me why there have been no Korean boxing world champions, it is because I am about to be one,” Won said.