Sports Deaths in Nevada - Pedro Alcazar, Duk Koo Kim, Leavander Johnson, Robert Wangila, Johnny Montantes, Martin Sanchez (Paperback)

Chapters: Pedro Alcazar, Duk Koo Kim, Leavander Johnson, Robert Wangila, Johnny Montantes, Martin Sanchez. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 24. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Duk-Koo Kim (January 8, 1959 November 17, 1982) was a South Korean boxer who died following a boxing match against Ray Mancini. Kim was born in Gangwon-do province, South Korea, 100 miles east of Seoul, the youngest of five children. His father died when he was two and his mother married three more times. Kim grew up poor. He worked odd jobs such as shoeshine boy and tour guide before getting into boxing in 1976. After compiling a 29-4 amateur record he turned professional in 1978. In February 1982 he won the Orient and Pacific Boxing Federation lightweight title. Kim carried a 17-1-1 professional record into the Mancini fight and had won 12 straight bouts before flying to Las Vegas in the WBA as the world's number 1 challenger to world lightweight champion Mancini. However, he had only fought outside of South Korea once before, and had never faced the likes of Mancini. Kim was lightly regarded by the American boxing establishment. Kim struggled to lose weight on the days prior to the bout so that he could weigh in under the lightweight's 135-pound limit. Prophetically, he wrote the message "live or die" on his Las Vegas hotel lamp shade only days before the bout (Kim wrote "live or die" but a mistaken translation led to "kill or be killed" being reported in the media). He even had a mini-coffin brought to his hotel room. Mancini and Kim met in an arena outside Caesar's Palace on November 13, 1982. Mancini and Kim went toe to toe for a good portion of the bout, to the point that Mancini briefly considered quitting. Kim tore open Mancini's left ear and puffed up his left eye, and Mancini's left hand swelled to twic...http: //booksllc.net/?id=17984