Korea has labelled me bad investment, not the boxer they should promote. I'm considered an old boxer here so they think I don't have the time nor energy to develop myself and raise my rankings. And because I'm a foreigner there's the sense that my loyalty isn't to this country and then there's the fact that I may leave. But I've fought in Japan as a Korean boxer, I fought in Thailand and announced to all that my home is Korea, and now that I have both a Korean husband and business situated here, it's obvious I'm not leaving any time soon. I'm not even listed on the Women's International Boxing Association (W.I.B.A.) rankings as being from Canada. Instead I've been labelled as being from Korea.
I'm a bad investment for Korea but someone thinks differently and, oddly enough, that person is one of the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (O.P.B.F.) representatives. You may remember him all as the Korean boxing club manager I lived with temporarily when I went to Thailand for my past fight. He called me tonight.
Korea may not think I'm the boxer to promote but he does and he's got a fight for me.
"Forget Korea, you're going to take on the world."
World Boxing Association Light Flyweight title match
January 16th, Laos
So I'm going to take on the world and I know in doing so I'm going to get more supporters but also more haters. I can't say I really have any "loud" haters, I mean I am sure people say what they want, you'll always have people who simply will hate, but I know taking on this fight will come with people raising their voices.
I don't care... bring it. Bring it baby!
I've been through so much, too much, to not be able to raise above their nonsense and dodge whatever they throw at me. My Busan champion buddy talked to me about this when we were in Thailand. He's always updating his KakaoTalk status with some kind of boxing-related stress message so I had asked him about that. "Being a champion comes with a price tag most can't image and most would ever want", is what he said. He went into some details and I agreed, success does come with a price. I am all too familiar with that with regards to my boxing club. I find that many are happy for my success and want to see me be successful as long as I'm not more successful than them. For some however, I wonder if they honestly wanted me to succeed. I think perhaps they thought I seriously wouldn't, that this club wouldn't actually open and last as long as it has.
We were having our Wine & Cake party when I received the phone call from the OPBF rep, so I excused myself and talked to him in one of the back rooms of the club. I was surprised to get a phone call from him but even more surprised to get offered such a grand fight. I remember one of our talks we had in Thailand, him saying that I was so all about my boxing. He had called me a "real boxer at heart" and complimented me on my dedicated to my training. It was me who had made them up their 3km run to a 10km run in the morning heat and it was me who turned a lesuirely swim into a diving and laps contest. I wanted to train, that's all I wanted to do in Thailand.
When I finished the phone conversation, I jumped up and down and went skipping to the front of the club where all our party goers were. I was so excited to tell them the news and they responded with congrats and hug smiles. This fight is mine. I've been training so hard and waiting so long for my time to finally shine. Getting this phone call and getting this opportunity to finally shine, well, it just felt so perfect having the club full of Hulkies when it all went down.
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