South Korean legends to fight on disputed island

Two ageing South Korean boxing legends will stage a fight on a remote island disputed by Tokyo and Seoul, organisers said yesterday, as diplomatic tensions mount between the Asian neighbours. Former World Boxing Council (WBC) light flyweight champion Chang Jung-Koo, 53, will clash with former World Boxing Association (WBA) light flyweight title holder Yuh Myung-Woo — also 53 — on Dokdo, known as Takeshima in Japan. The date for the event has provisionally been set for March 1 — the day an anti-Japanese popular uprising took place in Korea in 1919. Despite their shared nationality, age and weight the two men have never met in the ring, and their first-ever bout is the brainchild of pop singer Kim Jang-Hoon, a Dokdo activist who has previously organised several events on the islands. Seoul and Tokyo are embroiled in rows over territory and history, with Japan recalling its ambassador in January in a dispute over wartime sex slavery. Both Chang and Yuh are inductees into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. “Although we won’t be able to show off the best moves of our heydays, we will try to give it our best effort,” Yuh was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency. Yuh won the WBA light flyweight title in 1985 and defended it a whopping 17 times before hanging up his gloves in 1991. Chang became the WBC light flyweight champion in 1983 and defended his title 15 times before announcing his first retirement in 1988. He came back to the ring a year later and competed in the flyweight division until 1991.Unbeaten Washington named Wilder’s fill-in foeIn Los Angeles, undefeated American Gerald Washington was named as the new challenger for unbeaten heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder in a February 25 title bout at Birmingham.Wilder, 37-0 with 36 knockouts, was to have defended his World boxing Council crown against Poland’s Andrzej Wawrzyk, 33-1 with 19 knockouts, but the European fighter tested positive for a banned substance. Washington is 18-0 with one drawn and has fought mainly in southern California, his longest journey leading to a knockout of Ray Austin on the undercard of a Wilder title bout last July in Birmingham.Wilder will be fighting before a home region crowd just as he did when he stopped fellow American Chris Arreola in the ninth round six months ago. Wilder, 31, suffered a torn right biceps muscle and broken right hand in the victory and needed several surgeries and rehabilitation before being ready to step into the ring again. “I was disappointed when Wawrzyk tested positive for a banned substance and wasn’t available to fight,” Wilder said.“I’m glad Gerald Washington stepped up to the challenge and allowed us to go forward with the show.” Washington, 34, is a US Navy veteran who played American football at the University of Southern California and on the practice squads of the NFL Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills. “I’m very happy to get this opportunity to fight for my first world championship,” Washington said. “I know I’ll be fighting Deontay Wilder in his backyard, but that adds more excitement to the fight for me.” Boxing’s other major titles will be up for grabs on April 29 at London’s Wembley Stadium when Britain’s Anthony Joshua faces 40-year-old Ukranian former champion Wladimir Klitschko.