tvN <I Am Boxer>
In ‘I Am Boxer’, Cho Hyun-jae, Lee Chae-hyeon, and Kwon O-gon advanced to the semifinals along with Guk Seung-jun.
On the broadcast that aired on the 9th (Fri), episode 8 of tvN ‘I Am Boxer’ (directed by Lee Won-ung, written by Kang Suk-kyung) featured the quarterfinals of Cho Hyun-jae vs. Yuk Jun-seo, Lee Chae-hyeon vs. Lee Gi-jun, and Hong Seong-min vs. Kwon O-gon, sending viewers into a dopamine rush. After unpredictable contests, Cho Hyun-jae, Lee Chae-hyeon, and Kwon O-gon won and joined Guk Seung-jun in the semifinals.
First, in the showdown between ‘Pretty Boy’ Cho Hyun-jae and ‘Blaze’ Yuk Jun-seo, Yuk, who has one year of boxing experience, produced a shocking moment by knocking down elite boxer Cho. While Cho’s guard was down, Yuk smashed a right hand onto the chin of Cho Hyun-jae. MC Dex exclaimed, “Does that even make sense? The very fact that he toppled an elite fighter like this.”
Yuk also employed strategic roughhouse tactics to neutralize his opponent and showed unpredictable explosiveness. Having shown his mother him being knocked down for the first time, Cho recomposed himself, then leveraged rapid, speed-star footwork to fiercely attack the tiring Yuk, heightening the excitement. After winning the fierce bout, Cho fell into the arms of his mother, and, feeling sorry for having startled her, burst into tears, deepening the poignancy.
The bout between ‘Striker’ Lee Gi-jun and ‘Prince’ Lee Chae-hyeon seemed like a right-handed orthodox versus left-handed southpaw matchup, but in round two Lee Gi-jun freely switched stances and unsettled Lee Chae-hyeon. However, Lee Chae-hyeon managed the fight shrewdly, darting out to a range where Lee’s punches could not land after quick attacks and breaking Lee’s rhythm with a versatile lead hand.
Claiming victory, Lee Chae-hyeon expressed his heartfelt feelings to his parents: “I truly love boxing. I truly consider boxing my life, and the person who let me box is my father. And my mother has always followed me to my matches and supported me; I want to say thank you and that I want to be a dutiful son.”
The finale of the quarterfinals featured ‘Tyson’ Hong Seong-min and ‘Thunder’ Kwon O-gon. Returning to a ring before spectators for the first time in three years, Kwon showcased undiminished skills by exploiting Hong’s openings with his trademark instant speed. The tight mental battle that swept the first round had Master Ma Dong-seok and MCs Kim Jong-kook and Dex on their feet, and Ma Dong-seok marveled, “This is real boxing.”
In the ensuing rounds, Kwon kept moving fast, lowering Hong’s accuracy and frustrating his timing. Late on, however, Hong read Kwon’s patterns, bewildered him with punches that varied in power, and countered, even leaping in with shots. The final sixth round produced endless full swings from both men as they sought a finish, drawing gasps.
With the first judge siding with Hong Seong-min and the second with Kwon O-gon, each taking a point, the third judge’s decision determined the winner, and Kwon prevailed to book a direct ticket to the semifinals. Kwon O-gon vowed, “I will work hard in the semifinals so that I can reach the final.”
As a result, only four survivors remain out of the original 90: Guk Seung-jun, Cho Hyun-jae, Lee Chae-hyeon, and Kwon O-gon. The tvN ‘I Am Boxer’ semifinals will air at 8:30 p.m. on the 16th (Fri).
