Asian and Oceania Fighters
 

I like David's idea of organizing by geography to hit the under represented regions. Now that we have Mark's Out of Africa thread, this should have us covered. Perhaps we can keep plunking the Americas fighters in the long-established HW and non-HW threads.

I am not going to organize this other than to compile batches of 75 to 100 for posting at cornerwork from time-to-time.

To start, here is a brief WBC Bantamweight champion.

JUNG-IL BYUN BW (1990-1994) Overall Rating = 6

Hometown - Seoul, Korea

10(4)-2-0

Byun ran off 8 straight victories including a decision over Rey Paciones (38-6-3) leading up to a 1993 title bout with Victor Rabanales (36-10-2). Byun took a 12 round unanimous decision and the WBC Bantamweight belt from Rabanales and defended one month later against Josefino Suarez (16-8-1). His stint as WBC champ lasted less than one year, losing the belt to Yasuei Yakushiji in December of 1993. Byun was stopped in seven by Yakushiji when the two met again in 1994.

Chris, as per usual with you, a great idea!

Were you going to include former WBA Featherweight champ, Yong Kwan Park, in your new stats?

I'm just wondering because a few months ago, someone mentioned that he wasn't a bad champ but he never saw any stats on the fighter.

Thanks!

Former FW Champion Yong Kyun Park was a very solid / rough and tumble fighter - His offical record ended at 28-3-1 (16 Ko's).

He defeated the excellent champion Antonio Esparragoza to win the WBA belt in 1991 - Then went on to defend it 9 straight times before losing a close split Dec to Eloy Rojas (another very good fighter) - He had already beaten Rojas in one of his earlier 9 defenses via a clear UNI Dec -

A third match took place between these two where again Rojas was given another very close split dec victory (I have this fight on tape and see no way that Rojas won) - Park retired after this fight -

YONG-KYUN PARK FW (1986-1995) Overall Rating = 9

Hometown - Seoul, Korea

28(16)-3-1

Park held the Korean Jr Featherweight, Korean Featherweight and OPBF Featherweight Belts before taking the WBA FW title from Antonio Esparragoza in a 12 round decision. He held the WBA title from March, 1991 until December, 1993 when he suffered only his second career loss to Eloy Rojas. The decision was split as was the rematch 18 months later that also went to Rojas. Park was not stopped in 32 pro bouts.

(Rating adjusted slightly thanks to Meade's input)

YONG-KYUN PARK

I believe this is him, the site that I lifted it from was in Korean and used the name Yong-Gyun Park as the Anglo version. Given that there is no Yong-Gyun Park that I could find, I am assuming that this is him - never saw him fight, so I'll leave it up to you folks if this is him or not.

I have four of Y. Kyun Parks fights on tape (and yes, that is him in the pic).

I would suggest of the file you sent on him a few slight adjustments. His aggressiveness of a 7 surly needs to be bumped up to at a low of an 8 ....but probably more accurately a 9 value -

I would also maybe suggest a punching power of a 6 (not a 7) -

Last one I would give his Def a 2 rating (down from the 3 ) - In that he didn't have the best defense by any means....but he did give good head movement and he definitely had the ability to slip punches that sometimes look like they were landing -

DEUK-KOO KIM LW (1978-1982) Overall Rating = 4

Hometown - Seoul, Korea

17(8)-2-1

Kim's life was cut tragically short at the age of 23 when he died from blows recieved in his WBA Lightweight title fight with Ray Mancini in 1982. Kim came into that bout with the Korean and OPBF belts behind him. The only blemish on his record was a loss back in his four rounder days.
Kim was koncked out in the 14th round leading to the WBA's decision to drop championship bouts from 15 to 12 rounds. Both the referee and Deuk-Koo's mother committed suicide within months of Kim's death. A dark moment in boxing history all the way around.

Here are the Asian fighters I've rated so far. Although I have posted more than one of them under a different thread, it makes sense to repost them here. The first one is. . . .

<b>Larry Bataan</b>. Filipino feather. Born 1928. Fought from 1950 to 1962. Record: 28-8-8 (3).

First OPBF featherweight champion in 1952.

Hitoshi Misako
 

Japanese flyweight. Born 1934. Fought from 1950 to 1958. Record: 31-14-5 (6).

Outpointed Tanny Campo to become OBPF flyweight champion in 1955.

Chamroen Songkitrat
 

Thai bantamweight. Born 1928. Fought from 1951 to 1955. Record: 7-5-1 (2).

First OBPF lightweight champion in 1952. Lost world bantamweight title fights to Jimmy Carruthers, Robert Cohen, and Raul Macias. Probably much better than his Boxrec record indicates.

Samart Sorndaeng
 

Thai middleweight. Fought from 1956 to 1964. Record: 10-7-1 (4).

Probably better than his record indicates. Sorndaeng defeated Hachiro Tatsumi for the OPBF middleweight title, outpointed Del Flanagan in Bangkok in November 1959; then swapped the OPBF middleweight crown back and forth with Fumio Kaizu in 1961.

Hachiro Tatsumi
 

Japanese middleweight. Born 1929. Fought from 1947 to 1962. Record: 79-26-6 (19).

First OBPF middleweight champion in 1954. Won Japanese welterweight title in 1949 and held it till February 1951; regained it in 1952 and lost it again in 1953. Tatsumi held the Japanese middleweight title from 1951 to 1955 and again from 1956 till losing it to Takao Maemizo in his final bout in June 1962. Only four times in his career did Tatsumi fight outside Japan, losing all four times in Bangkok, Thailand.

Kunoi Vithichai
 

Thai flyweight. Fought from 1954 to 1960. Record: 3-8-0 (2).

Lost second OBPF flyweight title fight to Tanny Campo in an eleventh-round knockout in 1954. Knocked out Speedy Akira and TKO'd a young Pone Kingpetch. Probably better than his Boxrec record indicates.

Somdej Yontarakit
 

Thai welterweight. Born 1929. Fought from 1951 to 1957. Record: 18-5-0 (12).

First OBPF welterweight champ, defeating Hachiro Tatsumi in 1953.

Thanks for all the posts David.



SIAOSI GEORGE TANOA JMW (1980-1983) Overall Rating = 4

Hometown - Apia, Samoa

8(3)-4-0

Tanoa had a brief but interesting career. He defeated Ali Afakasi and Sakaria Ve. Lost to Ve, Wilfredo Scypion and Monty Betham. Tanoa took the South Pacific Jr Middleweight belt by scoring a KO over Materati Valu in Fiji and defended the title twice before retiring from the ring.

EISHIN "Toy" Tamanaha Fly (1941) Overall Rating = 1

Born - Philippines
Hometown - Honolulu, Hawaii

0-2-0

Tamanaha had just begun his pro boxing career in November of 1941 with two six round decision losses to Dado Marino when the attack at Pearl Harbor occurred on December 7, 1941. A building that he was in was struck by an anti-aircraft shell killing or wounding roughly 15 people including Tamanaha. He survived, but his boxing career came to end as his legs were mangled in the explosion.

BYUNG NAM PARK Jr Fly (1985-1989) Overall Rating = 1

Born - Kiribati

0-3-0

Park was knocked out three times in the late 80s. He is the best fighter that the island nation of Kiribati has had to offer. (and only boxer according to Boxrec)