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Choi Yo-sam
Hangul	최요삼
Revised Romanization	Choe Yo-sam
McCune–Reischauer	Ch'oe Yo-sam

Choi Yo-sam
Choi Yo-sam
Born	October 16, 1973; Jeongeup, Jeollabukdo, South Korea
Died	January 3, 2008 (aged 34); Seoul, South Korea
Nationality	South Korean
	Statistics
Weight(s)	Light flyweight
Stance	Orthodox
	Boxing record
Total fights	37
Wins	32
Wins by KO	19
Losses	5

Choi Yo-sam (Korean: 최요삼; October 16, 1973 – January 3, 2008) was a Korean world boxing champion. He was born in Jeongeup, Jeollabukdo, South Korea.

Pro career

Choi turned pro in 1993 and won the Lineal and WBC light flyweight titles in 1999 with a decision win over Saman Sorjaturong.^[1] He successfully defended the titles three times before losing it to Jorge Arce by a 6th round technical knockout in 2002. In 2003, he lost a decision to Beibis Mendoza for the interim WBA light flyweight title. In 2004, he moved up in weight to take on Lorenzo Parra for the WBA flyweight title and lost a decision.

Death

On December 25, 2007, he successfully defended the WBO Intercontinental flyweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Heri Amol. In the 12th round, Choi was dropped with five seconds remaining, but beat the count. By the time the mandatory eight count was completed, the bell rang to end the contest. The scores were Jae Keun Kim 117-110, Dong Ahn Park 118-108, and Muhammad Rois 116-111. He collapsed while still in the ring after the bout and was rushed to the Soonchunhyang University Hospital immediately after the fight in order to undergo emergency brain surgery. Choi was pronounced brain dead on January 2, 2008, and died on January 3, 2008, when he was removed from a ventilator. Leessang made a song dedicated to him in their 5th album called CHAMPION.^[2]

His organs were donated to six patients with approval from his family. This action led the South Korean Government to award Choi with a medal.^[3]

References

^ "Choi Yo-sam - Lineal Jr. Flyweight Champion". The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia.
^ "Choi Yo-sam officially declared dead". Sports Illustrated. 2008-01-03. Archived from the original on 2008-01-06. Retrieved 2008-01-13.
^ "South Korean boxer Choi Yo Sam declared dead". The New York Times. 3 January 2008. Retrieved 2015-07-19.

External links

Boxing record for Choi Yo-sam from BoxRec (registration required)
Looking at Yo Sam Choi
Choi Yo-sam - CBZ Profile

Achievements
Preceded by Saman Sorjaturong	Lineal Light Flyweight Champion October 17, 1999 – July 6, 2002	Succeeded by Jorge Arce
Preceded by Saman Sorjaturong	WBC Light Flyweight Champion October 17, 1999 – July 6, 2002	Succeeded by Jorge Arce