Why Korean boxing legends braved the rainy season to gather at Cheongpyeong Family Hotel
On the afternoon of the 13th, a group of Korean boxing legends braved the torrential downpour to gather at the Cheonggwadaejok Hotel in Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do. Han Hyung-min, the 1993 East Asian Games gold medalist, Lee Ok-sung, Korea’s second World Championship gold medalist, and Kim Jung-joo, the second Korean boxer to win back-to-back Olympic medals, were in the ring together.
Korean boxing legends braved the elements to sweat it out with their juniors at the Cheong Wa Dae Hotel. The national team’s head coach and coaches checked their skills in preparation for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. The national team locked fists with members of the Kyungpook Cheongdo Boxing Club and the FW1 Multinational Team 꽁머니지급.
But there’s an unsung hero supporting the Korean team as they move toward the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. That’s FW1 General Manager Choi Wan-il, a former athlete who is helping Korean boxing behind the scenes. Choi has developed a strong relationship with the national coaching staff and has worked closely with them to improve Korean boxing. He organized this joint training session to help the athletes improve their performance, and generously sponsored the training venue and room and board. “Mr. Choi’s support is very helpful to the national team,” said Han Hyung-min, head coach of the national team, “and this joint training ahead of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games is meaningful as it allows us to gain experience in sparring with foreign fighters.”
Mr. Choi is a promoter with a number of talented professional boxers in Korea and abroad. He created FW1 as a boxing mecca and boxing camp that aims to rebuild Korean boxing and produce world champions. A special ring was built at the Cheongpyeong Family Hotel. We are working to revive Korean boxing by holding special matches and events here. The joint training between the national team, Gyeongbuk Cheongdo, and FW1 was also organized to help Korean boxing in a small way. Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines, who has a close relationship with Choi, also gave a thumbs-up to FW1’s vision and Choi’s efforts. “His love and passion for boxing is ‘real,'” said “Korean wrestling legend” Lee Tae-hyun, a professor of martial arts instruction at Yongin University, who made a special visit to the training center, “and it’s great to see him always striving for the development of Korean boxing and helping boxers.” He applauded Choi’s efforts.
The Korean boxing team is working hard to make a good showing at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou. After a joint training session at the Cheongpyeong Family Hotel, the team will move into the Jincheon Athletes’ Village to get their feet wet. Coach Lee Ok-sung said, “We are working hard with the athletes to prepare for the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games. We will do our best to achieve good results before the competition starts.” Coach Kim Jung-ju said, “The players are training hard. The manager and coaches are also working towards the goal together,” he said, adding, “We will do our best to deliver good news.”
At the joint training session, the head of the Future Planning Committee of the Korean Sports Federation (KOF), Credit Rak, came to encourage the athletes. After watching the team train and spar, he urged them to promote the 2022 Asian Games. “I applaud the efforts of the athletes and coaching staff in conducting meaningful joint training despite the bad weather,” said Mr. Shin. “I was pleasantly surprised by the excellent facilities at Chengping Family Hotel Special Ring. We look forward to seeing the national team’s performance improve as they spar with foreign athletes ahead of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games.”