Jun-Sok Hwang 'Rock Jaw of the Welterweights'

Jun-Sok Hwang

The 'rock jaw' South Korean Welterweight.

The man could walk into 'artillery-fire', and come out un-harmed.

A 5' 7" 'bull-dozer', with 1/2" steel armor.

Only age 21 1/2, the South Korean pounded anything in his path
to get to the #1 WBA Welterweight by February 1983, with a record of 21-0-0 (12 KO's).

The South Korean Welterweight Champion, then the OPBF Welterweight
Champion, worked his way into a bout on February 13, 1983 with Donald Curry,
for the 'vacant' WBA Welterweight Championship.

At the time, Donald 'The Cobra' Curry was considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in boxing.

 

Sunday Night - February 13, 1983

ESPN Sunday Night Fight

Convention Center - Fort Worth, Texas

Donald 'The Cobra' Curry hit Jun-Sok Hwang with everything, including
the kitchen sink and oil-well drill-bits.

But Jun-Sok Hwang, though out-boxed by 'The Cobra', kept pressing and
moving forward. In his 'one opening' in the 7th-Round, he clocked Curry
with a right uppercut and dropped the Fort Worth 'Superstar' in a heap.

Curry got on his bicyle, and needed several rounds to recover, before getting
back in control, and went on to win a hard-fought 15-Round Decision.

 

One of my favorite Jun-Sok Hwang bouts,,,,

April 18, 1982 (Jeonju City, South Korea)

For the OPBF Welterweight Championship

Chung-Jae Hwang 22-0-0 (19 KO's)
vs
Jun-Sok Hwang 15-0-0 (6 KO's)

Chung-Jae Hwang was a 23 year-old, 5' 10" 'knock-out artist', who took
no prisoners. A tremendous offensive fighter, with a wicked right hook.
A classic Oriental 'one-punch' knockout machine, that the South Korean's
called 'Tungsten Steel'.

Chung-Jae was not only 'undefeated', but was unbeatable in an incredible
'15' OPBF Welterweight Championship bouts. Ranked as the #2 WBA and #3 WBC
Welterweight, Chung-Jae was one-win away from a World Championship
bout with World Welterweight Champion - Ray Leonard.

The Fight

Chung-Jae in his usual fashion, came out 'bombing away' with straight lefts
and right hooks. His 3" height and 4" reach advantage allowed him to hit Jun-Sok
with everything over the first '5-Rounds', but Jun-Sok would not break.

Chung-Jae was pushing the shorter 5' 7" Jun-Sok all over the ring.
The 21 year-old Jun-Sok took everything Chung-Jae could drop on him,
rocking him back time and again with right hand hooks.

By Round 6, Chung-Jae became frustrated as Jun-Sok stood firm, and for the
'first time' in the bout, he started to back up. Jun-Sok was able to get under
Chung-Jae's punches and land hard shots to the body, that bothered the OPBF
Champion.

In Round 7, Jun-Sok's heavy body punches were beginning to sap the strength out
of Chung-Jae. Late in the round, Jun-Sok landed a thunderous right hook to the body
that nearly broke Chung-Jae in half. To protect himself, Chung-Jae took a knee, and
received an 8-Count. The Champion had to hold on over the last 20-seconds to make
it through Round 7.

In Round 8, Jun-Sok then finished him off with an 'artillery barrage', that included dozens of
rapid-fire left hooks to the body, then the 'finisher' with a double right-hand to the chin,
as Chung-Jae was felled for the '10-Count'.

 

Yes, Donald 'The Cobra' Curry was 'two classes' above Jun-Sok Hwang in
natural talent.

But in Round 7, Curry pounded Jun-Sok all around the ring, hurt him with
hard punches and backed him up to the ropes where he was looking to finish him,,,,,,,

Then at the 1:43 mark, Jun-Sok landed a short overhand right to the chin, and 'down goes Curry'.
'The Cobra' got up, but he was clearly 'out-on-his-feet',,,,,,,,,

 

Jun-Sok Hwang,,,,,,,,,,

Besides facing Donald Curry, Jun-Sok also had to fight in front of 12,000 Fort Worth,
Convention Center fans.

A remarkable achievment, for a little 5' 7" South Korean, who did not have a real
big punch to keep 'The Cobra' honest, until Round 7.

 

Sunday - April 22, 1984

Fort Worth, Texas

One day after the Donald Curry versus Elio Diaz - WBA Welterweight
Championship bout on Saturday - April 21st.

Jun Sok Hwang 26-1-0 (17 KO's), the #3 WBA Welterweight took on the
#8 WBA Welterweight - Panamanian - Carlos 'Macizo' Trujillo 21-2-0 (18 KO's)
in a WBA Elimination bout.

Carlos Trujillo 'upset' the former WBA Welterweight Title Challenger, by winning
a 'hotly disputed' 10-Round Majority Decision.

Jun-Sok won the first '3-Rounds', including flooring Trujillo with a hard left hook to
the chin in Round 3.

But, the Panamanian adjusted, and abandoned his slugging style and went to
counter-punching, which frustrated the shorter South Korean in the middle
rounds. Trujillo, then swept the last '3-Rounds', to edge out Jun-Sok Hwang.

Scorecards;
Referee.............96-95 (Carlos Trujillo)
Judge...............95-95 (Even)
Judge...............95-94 (Carlos Trujillo)