01x08 - Episode 8

[bunniefuu]

[narrator] The winner of I Am Boxer

will receive a grand prize of 300 million

and a top-of-the-line flagship SUV.

[Lee] The quarterfinals of I Am Boxer.

Each bout consists

of six three-minute rounds.

[Seungheon] The first match prepared today

is between Kuk Seungjun and Kim Hyunjun.

[Jongkook] He's going a bit out-boxer.

Now that the ring is big,

he's showing more movement.

[Seungheon] Excellent uppercut!

-[Jonghoon] Okay, nice body shot!

-[Seungheon groans]

Whoa, that landed.

[Gyuwon] They're pushing to end it here!

[Lee] It's the last one,

so they're going all in.

[Seungheon] There isn't much time left!

-Kuk is working the body!

-[bell rings]

The bout has officially ended!

[Lee] The winner is Kuk Seungjun.

Let the second bout begin!

[Dex] Entering from the blue corner,

Pretty Boy, Cho Hyunjae!

[Jongkook] Entering from the red corner,

Blaze, Yuk Junseo!

Let's go!

Man, this one's hard to tell.

YUK JUNSEO X CHO HYUNJAE

Next up is the second quarterfinal bout.

Yuk Junseo versus Cho Hyunjae.

Considered one of the top elite boxers,

here's Cho Hyunjae getting warmed up!

Facing him is Yuk Junseo,

showing confidence and constant growth!

[spectator] Let's go, Yuk Junseo!

-Let's go!

-Let's go!

They're nearly identical physically.

This is gonna be wild.

Before the bout,

let's hear from both fighters.

Today, I'll show you

what elite boxing really looks like.

And Yuk Junseo,

I know you like your slugfests.

But today,

you're just going to be taking shots,

-so keep your guard up tight.

-[crowd clamors]

[spectator] Way to go!

The trunks I'm wearing right now are red.

By the end of this,

you won't know

if that's the original color or blood.

I'll turn this into a bloodbath.

That's intimidating.

Man, this one's going to be fun.

These two have fought before,

though it was three-way.

They know what's coming.

[grunting]

[Lee] The survivor of this match

is Cho Hyunjae.

[Hyunjae] After clashing

in the last fight,

I've got him all figured out.

[Lee] In the blue corner,

Pretty Boy, Cho Hyunjae.

In the red corner, Blaze, Yuk Junseo.

[Hyunjae] The moment I heard

my opponent's name,

I thought, "Yeah, I've got this."

When I fought Cho Hyunjae last time,

he was a really tough matchup for me.

But I've been through him once,

so I know what to prepare for now.

To learn how to control

the pace of a fight,

I brought in Kim Sangwook,

an MMA fighter

with a strong understanding of boxing.

KIM SANGWOOK

EX-UDT MMA FIGHTER

I've fought him before.

He's not an easy opponent at all.

I could barely

land any clean shots.

Cho Hyunjae's strengths are

his polished technique,

fast footwork, sharp ring IQ, and speed.

[participant] All right!

Your game plan has to be pressure.

You've got to come in big

and just stick to him.

Keep it short and constant.

From here,

he's probably gonna try to escape.

Then you stay on him.

Say he slides to the side.

That's it.

You have to keep it ugly.

He's a competitive boxer,

so if you try to fight clean,

you'll never win.

You have to stay on him and wear him down.

[Junseo] This time,

I'll step in first, run the fight…

and I'll make it ugly

to the point it feels excessive.

YUK JUNSEO

The plan is to drag him into a mud fight

and try to take the win.

I'll admit Yuk Junseo is strong.

How's Yuk Junseo? He good?

Just raw power.

So how do you deal with that?

When he throws,

back up quick, then ba-bam!

Punch like this. Pow!

Bam! Just like this.

I'll use my speed and conditioning

to keep moving,

draw him in with feints,

drain his stamina as much as possible,

and stay in control of the fight.

CHO HYUNJAE

[Junseo] Whether someone's a pro or not…

Background means nothing to me.

Boxer to boxer,

I'm focused only on my opponent.

[Hyunjae] I've been boxing for 11 years.

My boxing IQ is on a different level.

I'll show that those years

of boxing weren't for nothing.

EPISODE 8

[spectators] Let's go!

-He just needs to stay calm.

-What?

He needs to stay calm.

This is gonna break

my mom's heart. [laughs]

YUK JUNSEO'S BROTHER

Bell rings, you keep the lead hand active.

Throw some feints

and see how he comes in, okay?

Wait, the fringe is gonna cause friction.

Who knows what'll happen? You never know.

Cho Hyunjae's got great technique.

The question is

how effective Junseo's pressure will be.

-If he sneaks one in… Yeah.

-That could be trouble.

Hyunjae might get shaken by that.

-Exactly. That's how you lose your rhythm.

-He might.

The quarterfinals of I Am Boxer.

Let the fight begin!

Let's go, Yuk Junseo!

-Box!

-[bell chimes]

[Seungheon] The first round has begun.

YUK JUNSEO X CHO HYUNJAE

Cho Hyunjae starts with light punches.

Nice shot from Yuk Junseo!

-There it is.

-See that?

You can't avoid every punch.

[Junseo] I threw a jab pretty early on,

and he got hit.

That's when I realized,

it might not be impossible after all.

[spectators exclaim]

[Seungheon] He landed a heavy straight

with that lead hand.

[Lee] I bet Cho Hyunjae's

feeling the weight.

[Jongkook] He's probably never felt

shots like that before.

[Dex] Right, he throws with raw power.

-It's all instinct, you know.

-Stop.

[brother] Hyunjae, use your footwork.

No holding.

[Hyunjae] I was a bit caught off guard.

-[in English] Box!

-[tense music playing]

[Hyunjae] I'd fought him before,

so I thought I had a read on his style,

but he opened

with a completely different approach.

That caught me off guard.

[Junseo] I plan to be really aggressive

in the clinch.

That kind of grabbing

should really rattle him up.

[spectator 1] Nice,

he's pretty tense right now!

[spectator 2]

That's it! Trade shots like that!

[Seungheon] Coming in, Yuk Junseo.

-Nice!

-That's it!

[spectator 3] All right! Doing good!

All right! Doing good!

[Lee] Counters like that.

-They're big if you walk into them.

-Exactly.

Nice shot!

[ref] Break it up!

[Seungheon] Nice uppercut!

Right back with one to the face!

[Gyuwon] After Yuk Junseo

took that one shot,

he's struggling to find his range.

That's right!

And that's when you need composure.

[spectator] Yes, a big left!

Ah…

[judges groan]

[Lee] He took a big shot there.

-[coach] Guard up!

-That's right!

[Seungheon]

Yuk's holding his own right now!

-Let's go!

-Let's go!

-Guard up, man!

-Ten seconds!

Round's almost done! It's almost over!

Don't forget to breathe!

[spectator] Stay on him!

-[bell rings]

-[in English] Stop!

[Seungheon]

That's the end of the first round.

[spectator] You got this!

[Seungheon] Cho Hyunjae showed us

some fantastic footwork there.

We didn't get to see

too many of those, though.

But we definitely got a good look at

what kind of talent Yuk Junseo has.

That was the first round.

Cho Hyunjae looked a bit rattled early on,

but toward the end,

he seemed to have found his rhythm.

Those uppercuts came in, "bam, bam, bam."

-And they all landed clean.

-Right.

-[spectator 1] That's it!

-[spectator 2] Guard up, guard up!

[spectator] Yes, a big left!

Breaking Hyunjae down

might be tougher than expected.

At this point, you're just hoping

one big shot gets through.

You're doing awesome, man.

Awesome.

You're not flustered. He is.

But just keep one thing in mind.

Keep the left hand up.

You keep dropping it and getting hit here.

You've actually got

better straights than him.

Good job. You did good, but--

-I'm tensing up?

-Yeah, you can't tense up too much.

And always connect it to the left.

He's eating them all up right now.

Just do your thing.

Clean and sharp, pop-pop.

-Try it like that.

-Nice and easy?

Yeah, nice and easy.

Let's go, Hyunjae!

-Let's go!

-Let's go!

[Seungheon] Let's see how

the second round unfolds.

YUK JUNSEO X CHO HYUNJAE

-[in English] Box!

-[bell chimes]

[spectator, in Korean] Let's go!

Good start with the left.

Keep that left coming!

[Jongkook] Yes, he has to go for it.

-[spectator] Come on, pop-pop!

-That's it!

[Seungheon] Cho's finding his rhythm,

slowly stepping inside.

[spectator] Keep moving! Don't stop!

Right hook! Go, go!

That's super scary. His right hand.

[Lee] He's getting figured out now.

His straights are getting read.

[Hyunjae] I felt like I had a slight edge,

so from then on,

I knew it was my pace.

[spectator] Okay, nice!

[Seungheon] Cho drops the guard

and uses his upper body to slip away!

-Guard up!

-Guard up!

-Your footwork! Go now!

-[Hyunjae] I wanted to fight smart,

so I dropped my guard

and tried to make it my kind of fight.

[Dex] Now you've gotta fight on instinct.

[spectators] All right!

[Gyuwon] That cross-upper-cross

was wonderful!

[spectator] Slip it all the way!

[Dex] You can really see the difference

an elite boxer makes.

-Even among them, Hyunjae stands out.

-[Lee] Right, he's a cut above the rest.

[spectators] All right!

I feel like we might see a knockdown.

This is getting fun.

-[ref] Break!

-[spectator] Keep going!

Nice, Hyunjae!

Keep them coming!

[Seungheon] Yuk Junseo,

now carefully putting up his guard.

-[Lee] That right hand's all Junseo's got.

-[Jongkook] You're right.

[coach] Guard up!

[Dex] He just needs

to drive it in with power.

It all depends on that one shot.

Don't give up!

Let's go, Junseo!

[coach] Let's go! One more time!

-He's not gonna get caught.

-[Lee] Hmm.

-[exclaims]

-[exclaims]

Wait, he got caught? For real?

[Seungheon] Whoa!

It's a clean shot from Yuk Junseo!

[exclaims]

[spectators clamor]

That's it, he's down!

[exclaims]

Ha, ha, ha. See, I told you!

[Gyuwon] Yuk Junseo snapped off

an expl*sive straight!

Lightning fast,

with monstrous power! That's amazing!

Everyone knows I've got heavy hands.

You've all seen it.

That's how I managed to get one knockdown.

[coach] That's it! Well done!

CHO HYUNJAE DOWN

-[in English] Two, three…

-[in Korean] Deep breaths, deep breaths!

That's his money shot!

You mess around, and you get caught.

[Dex] He walked right into that one.

That's the biggest problem

when you don't keep your guard up!

That's the wild card with Yuk Junseo!

He's got excellent moves.

This is frustrating.

[Hyunjae]

I blinked, and next thing I knew,

I was sitting on the canvas.

First off, I was really rattled.

But I knew

I couldn't let my opponent see that.

It's still early in the fight.

Reset. Start again.

[in English] Seven, eight!

[in Korean] You okay? Come on.

[in English] Box!

[Gyuwon, in Korean]

This could be Yuk Junseo's moment.

-[coach] Guard up!

-[Lee] This could get bad.

Just keep going!

Yes, now back it up!

[Gyuwon] Now that Cho's taken damage,

Yuk Junseo's raw power

can change everything!

Yuk Junseo's out for revenge now!

Great! Yeah!

YUK JUNSEO X CHO HYUNJAE

[Dex] He's got momentum now.

His style's coming through.

[in English] Stop!

[Seungheon, in Korean]

That concludes the round! Oh!

That round was all

about Yuk's one big shot!

This round showed

exactly why boxing is a sport

where even a one-percent chance matters!

Yuk answered it with his fists!

[coach] You took this round.

Really well done.

Can you believe this?

I mean,

dropping an elite fighter like that…

[Lee] Hyunjae's probably never

faced someone this violent before.

Damn it.

[coach] Don't worry about it. You're fine.

This is good.

Just remember to mix in

those tap-taps, and slip-and-rips.

Use what you're good at, got it?

[Hyunjae] I was a bit bothered.

[coach] That's it!

[Hyunjae] The moment I went down,

I locked eyes with my mom.

But it felt like she wasn't looking at me,

just all the cuts on my face.

I'd never been knocked down

in front of her before.

That's when I decided

I wouldn't embarrass her again.

I was going to give everything I had.

[yells]

[father] Let's go, Hyunjae!

Slowly, loosen up, boy.

YUK JUNSEO X CHO HYUNJAE

-Box!

-And we move into the third round!

BOXING SCORE CARD

YUK: 19, CHO: 18

Nice shot!

He's totally found his rhythm.

This is bad.

[Seungheon] Both exchange sharp punches.

[coach] You've got him rattled!

[Seungheon] Yuk lands clean

and pours on the pressure!

When it comes to aggression,

he's absolutely top-tier.

Probably the first time

Hyunjae's dealt with someone like that.

[Dex] Yuk Junseo's

turned this into a brawl.

[Lee] Junseo's got that brawler instinct.

That's why this fight's so hard to read.

Hyunjae, slow it down!

[in English] Box!

[Lee, in Korean]

He needs to get back to his footwork.

[Seungheon] Nice left jab.

What? Why's he eating those jabs?

[coach] All right!

All right!

[Junseo] I kept fighting aggressively,

using what I'd learned.

The plan was to drag him into a mud fight

and neutralize his offense.

Keep it dirty, man!

People think clinching and hitting

is a foul,

-but until the ref steps in, it's fine.

-Right, doesn't matter until then.

[Gyuwon] That follow-up attack

that's coming in again and again,

that's the scariest part!

Like a predator on the hunt,

he overwhelms his prey completely!

-Yes, that's it! All right! Keep going!

-That's great!

This is insane!

-[Lee] I don't know anymore.

-[Jongkook] Right.

Really can't predict a thing.

-Stop!

-[Seungheon] That concludes this round!

-What round are we in?

-We've just finished the third round.

You're doing amazing.

Is he winning?

-It's okay.

-Am I not hitting clean?

No, but just don't force it.

Just keep this up.

[Lee] I thought Cho Hyunjae

would dominate this, but I was wrong.

-[Jongkook] Same here.

-Right.

-That's what's surprising.

-Yeah, real surprising.

I mean, that's boxing for you.

-You never know how it's gonna turn out.

-Right, right.

As fighters enter the fourth round,

we often see them shift their gears.

Let's see

how that plays out for these two.

Round 4 is underway.

[spectator] Let's go, Hyunjae!

Let's go, Junseo!

YUK JUNSEO X CHO HYUNJAE

-[Seungheon] The fourth round has started.

-Box!

Yuk charges in!

See? Even that jab's finding its mark.

[coach] Keep going!

[Seungheon] All right!

Yuk Junseo with the right hand!

[exclaiming]

That's it! Let's go!

[in English] Stop!

-[in Korean] Damn it!

-Hey, it's okay!

[Seungheon] Yuk is wearing Cho down

with sheer roughhouse tactics.

This highlights

the importance of roughhousing.

[Dex] Hyunjae, don't let it get to you!

Don't get rattled! Play along!

-Go to the body.

-Just have fun with it! Dance!

Box!

[Hyunjae] Since he kept clinching,

I figured I'd use my footwork

more effectively

and make this my stage.

[father] That's it!

[Seungheon]

Cho Hyunjae lands a combination!

Cho Hyunjae, the speedster,

it's about time

he brought out his star quality.

That's it!

Oh, he's angry now.

Play along!

[Lee] Right now, Cho Hyunjae

needs to draw him in with light jabs

and then counter.

Just like that!

Touch with the jab.

Then counter, yes.

-Look at that.

-He's controlling the distance now.

-[spectator 1] That's it!

-[spectator 2] Keep going! Follow through!

[father] You have to chase him!

Junseo! If you're tired, clinch up!

[Gyuwon] This is Round 4 now,

and this may be the breaking point

for Yuk Junseo.

His stamina's taken a big hit.

[spectators] Doing good, Hyunjae!

Keep it up, Hyunjae!

[exclaims]

Big one!

[Junseo]

I suddenly felt my stamina give out.

I could feel my breathing getting ragged.

[spectator] That's it!

[Hyunjae] When Yuk Junseo still had gas,

I couldn't see it.

But once his stamina dipped,

openings began to appear.

[coach] That's it! Last push!

Whoa, he's feeling it!

[Seungheon] A big left!

Cho lands amazing multiples!

[coach] Stay sharp, stay sharp!

[Gyuwon] Cho Hyunjae is controlling

the rhythm on the ring right now!

[Seungheon] All right, nice body shot.

Cho goes back to the body again.

[Jongkook] Yuk Junseo looks gassed.

Junseo, keep your eyes open!

[spectator] Yes, that's it!

That's it! There you go!

[Lee] This looks dangerous.

[in English] Stop!

[Gyuwon, in Korean]

This one-minute rest is huge

for both fighters.

If they don't catch their breath here,

the fight could be decided

in the next round.

Cho Hyunjae's back in the game now.

He took a hard beating,

and that snapped him back into it.

You're doing well.

[spectator] Let's go, Yuk Junseo!

-Let's go!

-You got this!

-Come on, let's go!

-Let's go!

You got this, Junseo!

Round 4 is done. Two more to go.

[Junseo] Every time I took a hit,

I could feel my stamina draining.

When the body combos came in,

it got hard to breathe.

But I went up there determined to win.

So I told myself I just had to endure.

Push through.

Leave it all in there!

Two rounds left, right?

BOXING SCORE CARD

YUK: 38, CHO: 37

-Box!

-[Seungheon] Round 5 kicks off!

You're doing awesome!

YUK JUNSEO X CHO HYUNJAE

[Seungheon]

Cho Hyunjae throws sharp punches.

Yuk Junseo comes in, aiming for the head!

Ooh.

Look at him go.

He's still got some strength left.

[spectator] That's it! Keep that up!

[Gyuwon] The fight's getting heated now.

This is a fascinating clash of styles.

I can't believe what I'm seeing.

You're doing great! It's okay!

Man, what a fun fight!

Who knew it'd be this entertaining?

I was able to read Yuk Junseo's rhythm,

and once I got used to how he comes in,

I started

adjusting my strategy accordingly.

Hey, stay focused!

Yuk fires, but Cho slips it easily.

Yuk Junseo closes in on him!

Cho works the ropes,

shifting side to side.

But even in tight quarters, he slips.

Play with him! Yes!

Once Hyunjae gets rolling,

nobody can stop him.

I think he's about to do something now.

Took him long enough.

Step forward!

Go to the body first!

Look at that unpredictable explosiveness!

Cho Hyunjae won't like that at all.

They usually come in like this,

-but he throws like this.

-Yes.

-It's confusing the poor boy.

-Exactly.

Go again, work the body first!

My punches were starting to land

on Hyunjae's face.

That gave me a sliver of hope.

So I tried to put real impact

into every shot.

Hyunjae, right hand!

That hunter instinct

is still alive in Yuk Junseo!

-He's fighting on a one-percent chance.

-That's right.

-And that one percent hit. It's insane.

-It did.

But Cho Hyunjae fires right back!

Don't give up!

That body shot landed!

-That went in hard. He felt that.

-That landed.

That one sank in hard.

Hyunjae knows that too.

Another body shot connected.

Yeah, he's really feeling it.

Right, he's doubled over.

Another body shot! He's doubling over!

The round's almost over,

and there have been dangerous body shots!

You know you caught him, punk!

You caught him!

Grab and hold! Hang in there!

It's Cho Hyunjae's technique

versus Yuk Junseo's raw grit!

Now this is boxing.

Come over here.

Bring his chair over.

-That's really impressive.

-Right?

His grit's something else.

I don't even know anymore.

I'm cheering for both.

If it gets rough,

clinch up and ride it out.

That's it. You're doing great.

It's the last round.

With it being the final round,

giving up is not an option.

I'll give it everything I've got in there.

Now there's only the final round left.

I've come this far.

There's no turning back now.

I'll fight to the end and take the title.

Keep it up.

You're doing very well.

We're heading into the final round.

Let's go, Hyunjae!

-You got this, Junseo!

-Let's go, bro!

Round 6 has now begun.

YUK JUNSEO X CHO HYUNJAE

Keep your left hand up!

Yuk's taken the center,

hunting for the counter.

Junseo, step back! Step back, then fire!

Awesome!

Man, he took a lot of shots there.

I clearly felt some of my jabs

landing clean,

but Yuk Junseo was enduring on sheer will.

That's what got me going on and on.

That's it!

Stop!

Man, that's gotta be real tough.

If you lean forward and get pressed down,

you drain fast.

Deep breaths! Focus!

Box!

Yuk Junseo's stamina appears nearly gone,

but he's still holding on.

He's literally gasping for breath,

but he's still got fire in his eyes.

Let's go, Junseo!

Junseo needs to keep his guard up.

Cho Hyunjae's footwork is picking up now.

A body combo!

-That went in!

-That looks painful!

His body shots

were definitely threatening.

I tried to endure on willpower,

but one wrong move

could've led to a knockdown.

The damage is adding up, so he clinches.

It's gotta be absolutely exhausting.

Yuk's still in it!

Still throwing lethal punches!

Meanwhile, Cho Hyunjae is doing everything

to finish this with his own hands.

I don't know how he's even standing.

He's amazing.

I won't say the thought of giving up

never crossed my mind.

But once you give in,

it's what comes after that's terrifying.

I didn't want to get knocked out,

or have my corner throw in the towel.

I wanted to see the fight

through to the end.

Yuk Junseo is barely hanging on!

But still, he refuses to give up!

You got this!

Let's go, Hyunjae!

Last push! This is it!

Thirty seconds! Let's go!

Time's running out!

Yuk took that shot just now!

Yuk Junseo's body buckles again!

He's struggling there!

Hang in there!

Stay sharp!

Fire those combos!

You have to go now!

Junseo, one last push!

And that brings the fight to an end!

Yuk Junseo versus Cho Hyunjae!

Those final 10 seconds

were pure intensity!

Boxing is a fight against yourself.

Both fighters showed incredible grit

all the way to the end!

-You did awesome, bro!

-Amazing!

Wow, that deserves real respect.

That was unreal.

-How do you even survive that?

-That was good.

That was insane.

Well fought.

For the record,

Yuk Junseo is my UDT senior.

A lot of people ask

who would win if we fought.

After seeing this today,

I think I'd lose.

Honestly, I mean it.

I don't think that's even debatable.

You're amazing, man!

-That was fun, huh?

-So much fun.

We will now announce the result.

I wonder who'll win?

What now?

I can't look.

[tense music plays]

[Jongkook] Judge one scores it for…

Among all the fighters I've faced so far,

Yuk Junseo had the hardest punches

and was the toughest to deal with.

Until the hand goes up, nothing's decided.

[Junseo] It doesn't matter whether

I'm a pro or how long I've trained.

What matters is

how you perform in that ring.

I stepped in fully determined to win.

[Jongkook] Cho Hyunjae in the blue corner.

JUDGE 1

BLUE CORNER CHO HYUNJAE WINS

[Dex] Judge two scores it for…

[tense music playing]

Cho Hyunjae in the blue corner!

Cho Hyunjae in the blue corner!

[Lee] The winner is Cho Hyunjae

in the blue corner.

BLUE CORNER CHO HYUNJAE

ADVANCES TO THE SEMIFINALS

[soft music plays]

[crowd clapping]

First off…

I took a solid shot,

so my head's still spinning.

But I'd like share the joy of this win

with everyone who supported me,

and with the people I love. Thank you.

[crowd cheering]

[Dex] All right, moving on to Yuk Junseo.

You showed incredible grit,

but you have now been eliminated.

Please share your final thoughts.

I stepped into this ring

fully intending to win.

Ultimately, I think I lost to the years

Cho Hyunjae has devoted to this.

That was beyond what I could match.

I truly wish him…

[gentle music plays]

…the best going forward.

I think my mother can finally

breathe a sigh of relief now.

She's always been worried

about me getting into boxing.

From my time in the military

up to this moment today,

whenever I felt suffocated

or completely exhausted,

I always thought of my mother.

This reminded me of that again. Thank you.

[crowd cheering]

All I'm left with are really fun,

meaningful memories.

I now know that deciding to box

was absolutely the right decision.

[spectator] You're awesome!

[Junseo] The experiences I've gained here

on I Am Boxer

will provide invaluable guidance

for my life going forward.

Why? What's wrong?

That was tough, huh?

How was the match?

Why? Because you could've done better?

Is that it?

-It's okay. You did wonderfully.

-[crying]

Was it tough?

[parent chuckles]

[Hyunjae] When I fell into my mom's arms,

she held me, saying I'd done well.

She must've been scared the whole match.

I felt bad about that.

-Don't tell Dad about this.

-[chuckles]

Okay, I won't tell him.

I'm embarrassed I couldn't do better

in front of you, Mom.

Next time you're here,

I'll show you I can be better.

Thank you for everything.

How was it, everyone?

Did you enjoy the fight?

-Yes!

-Yes!

[fan 1] Love you, Don!

Sorry?

You're the best, Don!

[crowd cheers]

[fan 2] You're so cool!

[whimsical music plays]

That's his trademark.

I bet that means,

"I'll crack your skull open."

[Lee] The quarterfinals of I Am Boxer.

Let the third bout begin.

[tense music plays]

[Dex] Entering from the blue corner,

Striker, Lee Gijun!

LEE GIJUN'S FRIENDS

[crowd cheering]

[in English] My man! My man! [chuckles]

"My man! My man!"

"My man." [chuckles]

[exciting music plays]

[crowd cheers]

[Gijun] As soon as I went up there,

I could hear the roar of the crowd,

which felt great.

I knew then, "This is finally my chance."

"It's time to prove myself on stage."

I'm super excited.

I'd wanted to box

ever since middle school.

Boxing was the only thing

I truly wanted to do.

But my biological mother

was against it at the time.

I really wanted to try,

but they just wouldn't let me.

So I asked my parents again,

thinking it would be better

to learn boxing

than to waste time doing nothing.

That's how I got into boxing.

It's been four years now.

I currently train at Woosuk University.

I'll show you the kind of boxing match

you don't usually see in Korea.

[Jongkook] The fighter facing Lee Gijun

will now enter.

Entering from the red corner…

[hip-hop music plays]

Prince, Lee Chaehyun!

[crowd cheering]

-Let's go, Chaehyun!

-Come on, let's go!

[cheering continues]

[spectator] Let's go, go!

[Chaehyun] Losing is not an option.

I will win, no matter what.

As an athlete training with the KAFAC,

I'm here to win.

KOREA ARMED FORCES ATHLETIC CORPS

My name is Lee Chaehyun,

and I'm with the KAFAC.

-Because of the intense training…

-[both grunting]

…I go through in the military,

-I want to showcase my mental toughness…

-[grunting]

…and physical endurance in this match.

-Man, today's workout was brutal.

-Seriously, it was intense.

Let's perk up with this.

-This tastes good.

-It's sugar-free.

[Chaehyun] For real?

-Quarterfinals, here we come.

-You got it.

[Chaehyun] After making it this far,

I hate the thought of losing.

Without boxing,

I wouldn't be where I am.

Boxing is… everything to me.

It's my life.

It really is my whole life.

With a do-or-die mind-set,

I'll win, even if it kills me.

LEE CHAEHYUN X LEE GIJUN

These two are a great match physically.

-Right?

-Real great.

They're evenly matched.

[announcer] In the blue corner,

wearing the blue trunks.

Standing 174 cm tall,

weighing in at 72 kg.

He is a fighter who hails from Ghana!

Representing

the Woosuk University boxing team,

he's one

with a frightening sense of rhythm!

Please give it up for Striker!

Lee Gijun!

LEE GIJUN

Let's go, Gijun!

In the red corner,

wearing the purple trunks.

Standing 179 cm tall,

weighing in at 72 kg.

The 2024 Korean Boxing Association

President's Cup,

welterweight gold medalist!

As a member of the KAFAC,

he's the total package!

The crown prince of the ring!

Please give it up for Prince!

Lee Chaehyun!

LEE CHAEHYUN

-Let's go, Chaehyun!

-You got this!

[Jongkook] Before the matchup,

let's hear from both fighters.

Gijun, you all geared up for tonight?

But I don't think any of that

is going to work on me.

[cheering]

-That's the spirit!

-Well said, Son!

Your ring name is "Prince," huh?

Today, I'll send you home as a "Princess."

[cheering]

[chuckles]

[Dex]

All right, fighters, prepare for the bout.

Next up, the third quarterfinal bout,

Lee Chaehyun versus Lee Gijun.

Lee Chaehyun is originally right-handed,

but he switched to southpaw.

The constant variation

between the lead and rear hand

will make him

especially intriguing to watch.

[Gyuwon] In terms of punching power,

Lee Chaehyun has a slight edge.

Lee Gijun holds the advantage

-in technique and rhythm.

-[Seungheon] That's right.

He could be the one

to set a new standard for ring rhythm.

He's physically gifted

and worth watching in so many ways.

[Gyuwon]

That's why, in this matchup especially,

winning the distance battle early

will be key.

[Jongkook] Let the fight begin!

[Lee] All right, southpaw versus orthodox.

[in English] Box!

[bell rings]

LEE CHAEHYUN X LEE GIJUN

[Seungheon, in Korean]

And the first round begins.

Right away,

Lee Chaehyun extends the right hand.

-[Lee] Both guys are good.

-[Jongkook] Right.

Okay, nice!

[Gyuwon]

Lee Chaehyun stepping inside like that,

it tells you he's looking

to slip and counter.

[Chaehyun] I tried to stay calm

and focus on controlling the distance.

You got this, Chaehyun!

[Seungheon] They're trading slowly

with the lead hands.

[Dex exclaims]

This early distance battle's important.

[Gyuwon] Lee Chaehyun is trying

to establish his rhythm,

while Lee Gijun is

watching for openings within that rhythm.

[Jongkook]

How do you even close that distance?

[Seungheon]

Lee Chaehyun strikes with his lead hand.

[spectator 1] His eyes are locked in.

[spectator 2] Come on, you got this!

[Seungheon]

Lee Chaehyun fires with his rear hand!

[Gyuwon] That lead hand shot is what

got him that clean rear hand shot!

When fighting a southpaw,

you have to take an extra step forward.

They're farther out.

-Ten seconds!

-[Jongkook] First round's almost done.

[Lee] Gijun is clearly feeling things out.

He's doing a proper feel-out.

[Seungheon] He targets the body once,

then comes back upstairs again.

-[bell rings]

-And that concludes the first round.

[Gyuwon] The timing battle

between these two was fierce!

Most of all,

it's a fierce battle for range and timing.

[Dex] Gijun's not even sitting down.

Guess his tank's still full.

He throws that jab around a lot.

When he does, you've gotta strike.

[Gijun] Due to Lee Chaehyun's speed,

it wasn't easy

to get the proper distance down.

[Chaehyun] I've got the speed.

As long as I keep my range and angles,

I should be fine.

BOXING SCORE CARD

CHAEHYUN: 10, GIJUN: 9

-[whistle blows]

-Let's go, Lee Chaehyun!

[crowd cheering]

[spectator] Let's go!

[Seungheon]

With a southpaw versus orthodox matchup,

that previous round for distance

was tough on both sides.

[bell rings]

LEE CHAEHYUN X LEE GIJUN

[Seungheon] The second round begins.

How will Lee Gijun break through

Lee Chaehyun's solid boxing?

[spectator] Let's go, Lee Chaehyun!

-[grunts]

-[Jongkook exclaims]

[Lee] He's got a proper read.

[all exclaiming]

[Seungheon] Big right hand coming in.

Ooh!

[Lee] Boy, he caught a heavy one.

[Gyuwon] He dipped low

and fired that straight right away!

Yes, that's why

Gijun's counter landed clean.

[Chaehyun] Gijun was constantly trying

to close the distance.

So I decided to turn up the pressure.

[Seungheon] Once again,

he steps inside for a big shot.

-[in English] Break!

-Lee Gijun spotted a small opening

in Lee Chaehyun's solid defense.

[spectator] Prepare to guard up!

[Seungheon]

Another stance switch from Lee Gijun.

He's switching stances freely,

just moving however he wants.

[Gyuwon]

He momentarily switched to southpaw,

using the stance change

to throw Lee Chaehyun off.

[referee] Break it up!

-[both grunting]

-[Lee] Oh, boy!

[Gijun] Left-handers often struggle

when facing opponents

using the same stance.

That's why I kept changing stances

while firing away.

[Seungheon]

Lee Gijun's moving aggressively now.

That landed clean upstairs.

Lee Chaehyun attempts a combo!

-He steps to the side…

-[bell rings]

…and that ends the round.

But still,

quarterfinals are quarterfinals.

-It hits different.

-Seeing Chaehyun get hit,

and shaken at times.

-Right.

-You don't usually see that.

-[Dex] Lee Chaehyun never struggles.

-[Jongkook] Exactly.

You don't see this often.

-[Lee] They're really showing their skill.

-[Jongkook] Yeah.

Don't hold back. Just keep going.

Strike, jab, throw some feints…

Got it.

[Chaehyun]

I plan to attack more decisively

and throw more punches.

Gijun, you got this, okay?

Take it slow. You've got four more rounds.

[Seungheon] Neither fighter is showing

any signs of fatigue.

Waiting for the next round to start.

BOXING SCORE CARD

CHAEHYUN: 19, GIJUN: 19

-[bell rings]

-And the third round begins!

[spectator] Stay calm!

[Lee]

That's how they needed to move all along.

[Jongkook] Yeah, that's much better.

Man, he's really fast.

[Gijun]

I tried to edge in, little by little,

then throw my lead hand.

[Dex]

It's like I'm watching a sword fight.

[Jonghoon] That's it, one-two! Nice!

[Lee] He's just too fast.

[Gyuwon]

Lee Chaehyun never misses his moment.

[Jonghoon] Nice timing, Chaehyun!

All right!

[referee] Hey, break it up! No holding.

[spectator] All right, all right!

He sure is a difficult one to hit.

[Chaehyun] My style is landing shots

without getting touched.

I'll demonstrate that today.

-You're out of range!

-No!

Hit him right back!

[exclaiming]

-Nice going!

-He steps in and fires a straight.

That's gotta land with real impact.

Man, Lee Chaehyun's fast.

[Lee]

He punches, then steps just out of range.

[Seungheon]

Lee Chaehyun steps out of his reach.

[Jongkook]

Wow, right on the edge of range.

[both groan]

[Lee] Chaehyun's punches

hurt more than you'd expect.

[bell dings]

-Stop!

-And that's the end of this round.

Lee Chaehyun's showing real experience.

He's breaking Lee Gijun's rhythm

using various lead hand movements.

Lee Chaehyun's just too fast.

No joke.

That's why Lee Gijun can't settle

into his usual rhythm at all.

[Gijun] I felt boxed in.

From the third round,

I planned to fight in my own rhythm.

But his speed was making it impossible.

So far, his stamina looks okay.

But it's his first time going six rounds.

[Chaehyun] It was my first three-minute,

six-round fight.

That alone had me nervous.

BOXING SCORE CARD

CHAEHYUN: 29, GIJUN: 28

-Let's start the second round!

-[Lee] Let's go, you two!

Let's go!

-Let's go, Chaehyun!

-[shouts]

-You got this!

-[bell dings]

LEE CHAEHYUN X LEE GIJUN

-[Dex] Yes, there you go.

-[Jongkook] Nice shot!

[Gyuwon] Lee Gijun's turning it up now.

Use the lead hand, man!

[Lee] That's it, step in.

-[Jongkook] Yes, move your head.

-[Lee] That's right.

-All right!

-All right!

[Seungheon] Lee Gijun lands a big one!

[in English] Uppercut is there!

[Lee, in Korean]

That was a great punch from Gijun.

-Short shots, yes.

-[Seungheon] Lee Gijun keeps pressing!

[Lee] Keep it short.

-That's how you go in.

-[Jongkook] That's right.

[Gyuwon]

Lee Chaehyun is starting to back up.

It'll do him no favors

if he gets trapped in the corner.

[Seungheon]

Lee Chaehyun backs up to the corner.

It looks like

he's getting caught in this flow!

He needs to regain control!

-[bell dings]

-[in English] Stop!

[Gyuwon, in Korean] This round was

a real opportunity for Lee Gijun.

He needs to catch Lee Chaehyun

on the way in.

Remember, he's just as tired.

[Seungheon] Both fighters are preparing

for the next round.

[whistle blows]

Let's go, Lee Gijun!

[spectator] You got this!

[bell dings]

[referee] Okay, let's go!

[Seungheon] This is the fifth round.

[spectator] Let's go, Gijun!

[Seungheon] Round 5,

this is where stamina gets tested.

-Here he comes.

-[spectator] That's it!

[Seungheon] And Lee Chaehyun counters.

He's finding his rhythm again.

[Gyuwon] That's his signature move.

The slip and rip!

You got this, Chaehyun!

[Gyuwon] Now that is the art of timing.

[audience exclaims]

-[Jongkook] Nice shot!

-Nice, indeed.

[Seungheon] He's back in rhythm.

[Gyuwon] Whoa, a double combo!

That combo was dangerous!

Look at him falter back!

Go for it now!

Go for it! Go for it!

[Jongkook] Wait, what's he waiting for?

What is he doing?

Go for it. Oh, man.

[Jongkook] Why didn't he go in?

[Chaehyun] It looked like

Lee Gijun's stamina had dipped.

[Seungheon] Body combo!

[Chaehyun] I figured I'd strike first

and break his rhythm.

[Seungheon] Back to the center.

He tries firing combos again.

[audience exclaims]

[referee, in English] Slip!

Slip, slip, slip.

[Gyuwon, in Korean]

He can't lose focus here.

[Gijun] I got too amped up

and a little tense today,

and my movements got too big.

-Gijun, deep breaths!

-You're okay, you're okay!

Come on, let's go!

[Gyuwon] Perhaps he's sensing

that Lee Gijun is going for the counter,

he's being extra careful now.

[Lee] Come on, throw combos.

LEE CHAEHYUN X LEE GIJUN

-[bell dings]

-[in English] Stop!

[Jongkook, in Korean]

Lee Chaehyun has the center.

That only makes things harder

for Lee Gijun.

[Dex]

It's my first time seeing him this tired.

[Seungheon] This tells me this next round

is going to be crucial.

If the final round goes like this,

one attacking, the other staying calm,

the fighter who keeps it simple

will take the win.

[Dex] Is it already the last round?

-That went by way too fast.

-Seriously.

Those rounds just flew by.

That went by in a blur.

It's Round 6 already?

BOXING SCORE CARD

CHAEHYUN: 48, GIJUN: 47

-[spectator] Let's go!

-Go, Gijun!

-Let's go, Chaehyun!

-Let's go, Chaehyun!

-[bell dings]

-All right, seconds out.

[Seungheon]

I wonder how much they've recovered.

Lee Chaehyun and Lee Gijun,

about to head into the final round.

This is going to be fire!

Let's turn up the heat in here.

[Gyuwon] Which fighter's punches

will spark fireworks?

-Let's find out now!

-You got this!

[Seungheon] Round 6 has started.

Okay, box!

Yes, push hard!

-Yes, there you go!

-[Seungheon] Lee Chaehyun falls back.

Lee Gijun is hunting for a big shot.

That left hand fell a bit short.

This is it, Gijun! Last round!

All right, this is it! Use your lead hand!

[Seungheon] They trade punches.

You have to go now!

Gijun, don't just stand there!

Remember, last round.

[Seungheon] Lee Chaehyun backs off,

clearly aware of the counter.

Lee Chaehyun has the center.

[Gyuwon]

The more he hunts for that one big shot,

the more his stamina drains!

When you judge offensive control,

it really comes down to

who owns the center!

Right now, that's Lee Chaehyun!

[Seungheon] Clearly, we're seeing

some stamina issues for Lee Gijun here.

Lee Chaehyun steps back to the center.

Come on, extend your arm!

[Seungheon] Oh, that was a big left jab!

[exclaiming]

[spectator] Go, Lee Gijun!

Gijun, you have to strike first!

It's now or never.

Crash into him!

Jab, jab! Stick the jab!

[Seungheon] Incoming Lee Gijun!

-Keep going!

-You got this!

-[Jongkook] See that uppercut?

-[Lee exclaims]

[in English] Break!

[Seungheon, in Korean] Both fighters

are running on fumes at this point.

[in English] Keep going, keep going!

-[in Korean] Go, Chaehyun!

-You got this, Chaehyun!

[spectator] Ten seconds!

Ten seconds! Fire now!

[referee, in English] Slip, slip!

Slip, slip!

[Jongkook, in Korean] His stamina's gone.

He's totally spent.

[referee] Okay, go!

[Dex exclaiming]

[Gyuwon exclaims]

That punch was lightning fast!

Stop! [in English]

[Seungheon] And the fight is over!

Lee Chaehyun versus Lee Gijun!

[shouts]

[Gyuwon] Well, I'll be…

What a beautiful display of timing!

That was an incredible fight!

-That connected, right?

-It did.

-He drove it home.

-That's why in boxing,

you can't let your guard down

till the bell rings.

He really nailed that one.

[Seungheon]

We now await the judges' decision.

Judge one scores it for…

Lee Chaehyun in the red corner.

JUDGE 1

RED CORNER LEE CHAEHYUN WINS

Moving on, judge two scores it for…

Lee Chaehyun in the red corner!

CHAEHYUN ADVANCES TO THE SEMIFINALS

Congratulations!

[Lee] All right then,

the winner of this bout is

Lee Chaehyun in the red corner.

First of all, I'd like to thank Lee Gijun

for putting up a great fight.

I truly…

love boxing.

Honestly, boxing is my life.

My father was the one

who introduced me to boxing.

And my mother has come to every fight

and supported me the whole way.

I want to say thank you,

and that I want to make you proud.

Mom and Dad, I love you!

-We love you too!

-We love you too!

[Gijun] First off,

I want to thank my teammates

at Woosuk University.

I'll keep working harder

and become a fighter that people notice.

Thank you.

Great job!

When I first started boxing,

a lot of people said I wouldn't make it.

Even so, I've come this far.

I wouldn't be here

without the Woosuk University boxing team

believing in me and training with me.

So I'm grateful for that.

I'll strive to become

a Korean boxer worth watching.

[Lee] Let's keep this energy going

and introduce the advisors

who helped make I Am Boxer possible.

Former WBA junior flyweight champion,

and an International Boxing Hall of Fame

inductee, Yuh Myungwoo!

YUH MYUNGWOO

FORMER JUNIOR FLYWEIGHT CHAMP

[Lee] And with the expertise

of Korea's top boxing professionals,

I Am Boxer comes to life.

Once again, let's give them a big hand!

[Dex] I'm sure you all know,

but the most anticipated fight

always comes last.

That final bout is just moments away.

KWON OHGON X HONG SUNGMIN

AGE: 30, 24

HEIGHT: 181 CM, 173 CM

WEIGHT: 79 KG, 84 KG

REACH: 181 CM, 175 CM

[exclaims]

[spectator]

Man, they really stacked this matchup.

[Dex] Let's call the fighters in.

Entering from the blue corner,

Tyson, Hong Sungmin!

[Sungmin] Throughout my whole career

as an amateur boxer,

I've never stood on a stage so big

with so many spectators.

That's what got me more stoked.

[audience applauding, cheering]

[spectators exclaiming]

[Jongkook]

Hong Sungmin is a real character.

[spectator 1] He's born for the spotlight.

[Dex chuckles] He's relaxed.

[spectator 2] Let's go, Hong Sungmin!

TYSON

HONG SUNGMIN

[Dex exclaims]

[spectator 1] It's the car.

[Dex laughing]

He's saying he wants the car!

HONG SUNGMIN'S PARENTS

[Sungmin] I first went to a boxing gym

just to lose weight,

and somehow ended up here.

I used to think talent was

what got you to the top.

But now I believe it's the one

who works harder and wants it more

who comes out on top.

So I've trained harder than anyone else.

And now, I trust the body I've built

over the years.

I'm confident I can take on anyone.

[Jongkook] Entering from the red corner,

Thunder, Kwon Ohgon!

KWON OHGON'S WIFE AND GRANDMOTHER

It's been three years

since I last fought in front of a crowd.

Hearing the cheers again

really got me excited.

KWON OHGON

[Gyuwon] He must have missed

this kind of crowd energy.

Let's go, Kwon Ohgon!

[whooping]

[Dex] Thunder!

You're the best, man!

[Dex] He's a total superstar!

The superstar of boxing!

[cheering, whooping]

Man, he's getting a big reception.

[spectator] Let's go, Kwon Ohgon!

-Let's go, Kwon Ohgon!

-Let's go, Kwon Ohgon!

BOXING G.O.A.T CHAMP KWON OHGON

THE MAN WHO NEVER LOSES

You got this, Ohgon!

Let's go, Ohgon!

[Seungheon] And here he is,

back in the ring!

Kwon Ohgon!

His wife, whom he met after retiring,

is here to watch him fight

for the very first time.

Slept well?

KWON HORANG

OHGON'S SON

Horang, my boy. I missed you.

I met my wife after I retired,

so she's never seen me box.

When I think about you going up against

such tough opponents,

I worry you'll get hit,

and that it'll hurt.

That's what worries me the most.

Then, I guess I'll have to win.

Extend all the way.

I want to show my wife and child

the kind of fighter I once was.

Show me! Show me what you've got, mister!

-[spectator] Let's go, Kwon Ohgon!

-Let's do this!

Let's go, Hong Sungmin!

[Lee] Hong Sungmin's

already working the crowd.

[Dex] That's the kind of fighter he is.

Kwon Ohgon,

I'm sure you know that this match

will be your last one.

Whoo!

So I'd like to apologize in advance.

There's a reason my ring name is "Tyson,"

and why they call me the nuclear puncher.

I'll make sure

everyone here sees it tonight.

It's been three years

since I've fought in front of a crowd,

but I'm more excited than nervous.

I'm the last remaining pro boxer

in this survival show.

I'm not worried about weight classes.

I'll just show you exactly

why I was a two-division champion.

You'll see.

-Let's go, Kwon Ohgon!

-Let's go!

BOXING G.O.A.T CHAMP KWON OHGON

[Gyuwon] This fight has

a very clear theme.

A clash of speed versus power.

Kwon Ohgon is known for his speed

in both the amateur and pro scenes.

He scores knockouts

with his lightning-fast movement

and showcases the art of timing

through his boxing.

On the other hand,

Hong Sungmin is a power boxer,

right in step

with the global trend in boxing.

His punching power is extremely dangerous.

Fighters, show us what you're known for.

KWON OHGON'S WIFE

[Ohgon] I've done ten-rounders before,

and Hong Sungmin

has never fought in a six-rounder.

[Sungmin] None of that matters to me.

I'm going in to smash everything.

[spectator] Let's go, Hong Sungmin!

[spectator 2] Let's go, Kwon Ohgon!

Box!

[bell dings]

KWON OHGON X HONG SUNGMIN

[Seungheon]

It's the final quarterfinal bout.

Kwon Ohgon versus Hong Sungmin begins now.

-[Gyuwon] You're about to see real class.

-[Seungheon] That's right.

Hong Sungmin slowly comes in.

Nice body shot!

[groans]

Did I hear bones breaking?

[Lee] Didn't connect, landed on his guard.

[Seungheon] He's hunting for the big one.

[Sungmin] I'm in the higher weight class

and I have more power,

so my plan was to score points

by landing big shots, one at a time.

[spectators groan]

[Gyuwon] You can tell they're

both experienced,

taking their time and reading each other.

[Seungheon] Hong Sungmin slowly

adds pressure.

-Oh!

-[Lee] Oh!

That right there is dangerous.

-He's got power. One clean shot ends it.

-Right.

[spectators gasp]

Nice going!

Let's go, honey!

[spectators laugh, cheer]

-Let's go!

-Let's go!

[Ohgon] My strength is my expl*sive speed.

The plan was to find openings

and attack them hard and fast.

[spectators exclaim]

He's fast.

[Seungheon] So there was

a gap in that guard!

And Kwon Ohgon dug right into it!

Looks like he's found an opening again.

That's it!

Man, those hands are fast.

You can't even see them.

Short shots up top.

That's it.

[Gyuwon] Kwon is clearly controlling

the fight with his superior speed.

Oh… Neat blocking moves.

[exclaiming]

Did you see those moves? What was that?

Did he teleport or what?

-[bell dings]

-Stop!

[Seungheon] That concludes this round.

[Gyuwon] The first round was filled

with intense mental warfare.

HONG SUNGMIN'S MOTHER

My heart's pounding…

It's a battle of true masters.

This is real boxing.

-Yeah.

-No doubt.

This is boxing at its best.

-Bring over his chair.

-Nah, don't need one.

[Seungheon]

Wow, neither fighter is sitting down.

Hong Sungmin just said he didn't need one.

And Kwon Ohgon,

back in the ring after three years,

is savoring every step on the canvas.

Your tempo's good.

Just manage your pace.

And take your time.

[Ohgon] I think I did okay just now.

I'll just keep this up next round.

I think I can win this.

You're doing well,

but you're swinging a bit wide.

-Yeah, I know that.

-Yeah? Okay.

[Sungmin] I need to loosen up more.

My body's still a bit stiff.

BOXING SCORE CARD

KWON: 10, HONG: 9

[spectator] Let's go, Kwon Ohgon!

With these two, it's a real boxing match.

-[Seungheon] The fourth quarterfinal bout.

-[bell dings]

-Box!

-Second round starts now!

Hong Sungmin inches forward.

-[spectators groan]

-He steps in and lets it go.

[Jongkook] It's not landing.

Neither one's giving openings.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Gyuwon] Both are locked

in a fierce battle,

trying to read each other's timing.

[Seungheon] That's right.

[Dex] So much happening

in that tight space.

[Lee] Gosh, it's a battle of timing.

And he strikes with the right!

Kwon Ohgon's one-two combo!

[judges, spectators exclaim]

Kwon Ohgon's fast.

[Ohgon] If I read those punches well

and counter clean,

I might get to break his rhythm.

[Gyuwon] Hong's trying

to establish his rhythm,

but Kwon keeps striking first.

And he swings his right!

And he swings his right!

Kwon Ohgon never misses an opening!

[Seungheon] Hong Sungmin ducks,

guard tight!

Nice shot!

Kwon's so fast it's hard to see!

[Don exclaims] He's fast.

Ohgon's landing clean tonight.

He's in great form tonight.

[Sungmin] Honestly,

I was surprised by his speed.

I thought I might lose my flow.

[Dex] He's got composure, too.

[Gyuwon] Kwon Ohgon is lowering

his level to change his stance

and throw off Hong Sungmin's accuracy.

Kwon Ohgon shoots… and lands!

…and lands!

[Lee] Nice cross-counter.

[Seungheon] Another exchange of big shots.

And Hong lands!

And Hong lands!

-[bell dings]

-And that concludes this round!

[Lee] Wow, this is a hell of a fight.

Feet planted,

trading right in rhythm at that range.

I was curious to see what kind

of game plan Kwon Ohgon would bring

against Hong Sungmin's infighter style.

I thought Kwon Ohgon might show us

some out-boxing today.

-That's what I figured.

-Exactly.

Turns out, the fight is unfolding

in a completely different direction.

[Sungmin] I thought,

"He's not backing out at all."

"Then I'll land a few big shots

and slow him down."

Seeing power fighters plant their feet

and fight at close range,

-the tension is unreal.

-[bell dings]

-The third round has started.

-Box!

You got this! Let's go!

KWON OHGON X HONG SUNGMIN

BOXING SCORE CARD

KWON: 20, HONG: 18

Big swing there.

Too big, son!

Hong's hunting for the right timing.

He's stepping in. But again!

He's stepping in. But again!

[Lee] Ohgon's read his timing here.

[spectators gasp]

Let's go!

[Lee] Hong Sungmin…

His timing's off against Ohgon right now.

[Gyuwon] Kwon Ohgon is half a beat faster.

When Hong tries to set his rhythm

and find an opening,

Kwon beats him to it and strikes first.

[Lee] No, that didn't connect.

[Seungheon] Kwon Ohgon gives him

the head shake!

And he escapes!

Momentum's starting to swing Kwon's way!

So light on his feet.

Kwon Ohgon keeps pressuring on the inside,

making it very hard

for Hong Sungmin to find his timing.

Big swing from Hong.

Kwon takes a step in.

And works the body!

[Lee] Ohgon's very sharp tonight.

He's gonna be hard to take.

Sungmin needs to raise the bar now.

-Let's go!

-Let's go!

[Seungheon] Cross to the face!

Hong Sungmin lands clean!

Kwon counters!

Hong Sungmin is trying

to rebuild his rhythm.

Kwon drops his level and fires low!

Low left!

And that brings us to the end of Round 3!

Bravo!

He's showing how you nullify

a power fighter with technique.

You're doing well. You won this round.

He's not in his best form tonight.

[Lee] Ohgon took the first three rounds,

so this is not gonna be easy for Sungmin.

-Let's go!

-Let's go!

I feel like his stamina's dipped a bit.

Trying to match Ohgon's speed,

I couldn't play my own game.

So I decided to work the short shots

and get my rhythm back.

[Lee] It's an impressive display

of veteran savvy from Kwon Ohgon.

Meanwhile, Hong Sungmin

appears deep in tactical thought.

-Now, into the fourth round.

-[bell dings]

Box!

Round 4 has now begun.

KWON OHGON X HONG SUNGMIN

[Seungheon] Hong is still

finding his rhythm.

Kwon Ohgon looks confident enough.

[exclaims]

[spectator] Stay sharp!

Hong Sungmin strikes.

Nice left hand from Hong Sungmin!

[Jihyun] That's it!

That's it! Throw combos!

[Seungheon] Hong presses forward,

Kwon tightens his guard.

Hong Sungmin looks to the body.

He takes a counter to the body,

then slips a big shot!

[intense music playing]

That was clean.

Hong Sungmin is starting to pick it up.

I can feel it.

There it is.

He's switched on.

We're getting some of this action.

-You mean dancing.

-Right, "dancing."

[Seungheon] Kwon changes levels,

but Hong stays with him.

[Lee] He keeps working the body,

trying to slow him down.

He comes over the top again!

Ohgon is no easy opponent, though.

[Seungheon] Kwon slips the left

and angles out.

Hong keeps up the chase.

Short shots from Hong!

And here's the left!

That shot just spun Kwon off to the side!

He keeps pressing. Ten seconds!

Final push from Hong Sungmin.

Here he comes.

[bell dings]

And that concludes this round!

Here we go.

Sungmin's starting to move like this.

He's gonna run these last two.

[Lee] He needs to show more.

You're not doing too badly.

I think you can take this round.

Just fire short shots.

He ate every single one.

Your tempo's good.

You don't need to move much.

Save it for the last round.

[spectator] Just have fun

with it, Sungmin!

-Let's go, Sungmin!

-Let's go!

Now's the time to really serve.

KWON OHGON X HONG SUNGMIN

Box!

Round 5 begins.

BOXING SCORE CARD

KWON: 39, HONG: 37

[spectator 2] Remember, short and sweet.

Use the left.

All right! Just hang in there!

[Lee] Hong Sungmin sure is throwing

a lot of light jabs today.

He's just not letting his hands go

like he usually does.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Sungmin] I wanted to get

a read on him first.

When I lightly touched his guard,

he never fired back.

All right!

But when I stepped it up and hit harder,

punches came right away.

That was my moment to fire with impact.

[Seungheon] Hong Sungmin's starting

the fifth round a little differently.

[spectators gasping]

[Gyuwon] Even while firing combos,

he controls the pace!

And that's why he's landing clean!

-Come on!

-Don't let him hit you!

Kwon's looking a bit surprised there.

-Even so, Kwon Ohgon fires back hard!

-Nice one!

Left double!

Triple!

Even a fourth,

but Sungmin slips this time!

[Jihyun] One-two! One-two, that's it!

Now's the time to own the inside!

That's it!

He got caught!

Sungmin's in the zone.

This is intense!

[Seungheon] He's using

his upper body and footwork,

slowly steering Kwon into the corner!

As Hong Sungmin's rhythm picks up,

it's clearly making Kwon uncomfortable.

That's it!

-[bell dings]

-Stop!

And that's it for Round 5!

What a high-level boxing match

these two are putting on.

Doing awesome! You got this!

Just one more round to go!

-Let's go!

-Let's go!

-Hong's not putting any combos together.

-No.

He's landing some single shots,

-but he's just…

-Not pouring it on?

But it's the final round.

If he doesn't score a knockout,

Sungmin's chances are running thin.

He's got to step on it now.

-Well done.

-Thanks.

-Stay sharp.

-Got it.

Leave everything out there.

[Ohgon] This time,

I have to put him on the canvas.

I'll counter everything he throws my way.

[Sungmin] I'm gonna empty the tank

in the final round.

Let's get the final sixth round

of the day started.

[Ohgon] I just want to fight

with all my might.

[Sungmin] I'm just gonna have fun,

lighting it up.

-[bell dings]

-Box!

[Seungheon] Hong Sungmin versus Kwon Ohgon

now enters the final round.

[spectator] Let's go, Sungmin!

KWON OHGON X HONG SUNGMIN

[Gyuwon, laughing] Kwon Ohgon is

pushing to dominate here,

determined not to let the momentum slip.

[Lee] He's staying aggressive

so the momentum doesn't shift.

[Seungheon] He tries a big double there.

Ohgon's energy is unbelievable tonight.

He's practically flying around.

Nice double shot!

Both search for openings.

[Lee] Sungmin's gotta go now.

The clock's ticking.

[Sungmin] It's the last round,

so I might as well go crazy.

-Empty the tank! Leave it all in there!

-Keep going!

[Lee] Go for it! Time's running out!

[Seungheon] Hong Sungmin fires back.

That was a dangerous counter cross!

Clean shot!

Hong follows up!

Kwon Ohgon fires back with big shots!

They're pushing to end it here!

Kwon Ohgon swings big and eats one!

Stay on him!

-Come on!

-Let's go!

Full swings from both fighters!

They're letting the big shots fly!

-That was an all-out exchange!

-[bell dings]

[spectators cheering]

[Ohgon] It felt like we both had the

same thought. "Leave it all out there."

If you're scared to get knocked out,

you can't throw punches like that.

[Gyuwon] That showed us

exactly why boxing is

a form of art.

Man, he went the full six rounds.

-[Dex] Sungmin turned it up at the end.

-[Jongkook] He really did.

I liked how he threw those short punches

hunting for the big shots,

but he waited on it too long.

Hong Sungmin didn't throw

as much as usual.

-It just wasn't enough.

-No.

-But Kwon fought incredibly hard.

-Right.

He wasn't fazed by the size difference

and showed great timing.

We will now announce the result.

Who's it gonna be?

Honestly, whoever wins,

-it's well deserved.

-Totally.

Boy, my heart's pounding.

-[sighs]

-[laughs]

Was that scary?

[Jongkook] Judge one scores it for…

We both fought hard,

right down to the wire.

I felt I landed the more impactful shots,

so I thought I might have the edge.

Hong Sungmin in the blue corner.

JUDGE 1

BLUE CORNER HONG SUNGMIN WINS

Judge two scores it for…

BOXING G.O.A.T CHAMP KWON OHGON

Kwon Ohgon in the red corner!

JUDGE 2

RED CORNER KWON OHGON WINS

Oh, my gosh!

The score is now one to one.

-This is not an easy call.

-It sure isn't.

Let's hear the third

and final judge's decision.

All right, the winner is…

Still, I fought without regrets.

I honestly think I have it.

[tense music playing]

Kwon Ohgon in the red corner.

The winner is Kwon Ohgon

in the red corner.

Really? Is this for real?

-Yeah.

-He won?

First, I want to thank Hong Sungmin

for putting up such a hard fight.

I'll keep pushing in the semifinals

and make it to the finals. Thank you.

-Let's go!

-It's the semifinals!

I may have taken a loss in the ring today,

but I'll keep working toward

the gold medals I want to win

throughout my career.

And Ohgon, thank you for the great fight.

-You did awesome!

-Very well fought!

-You did so well!

-You were great up there!

You did amazing up there.

-Took a lot of shots?

-Well done.

-I'm fine.

-Yeah?

I was just living my life training hard,

and it paid off

with an opportunity like I Am Boxer.

I'll let myself feel disappointed

and a bit sad today.

But I'll continue to move closer

to my dream,

so I hope you'll stay with me

on this journey.

She's just too nervous to speak right now.

My wife's been working so hard

raising our kid, honestly.

I'm incredibly grateful to her.

She always wanted to see me box,

so I'm glad I finally showed her.

I think I put on

a solid performance today,

so I'm pretty pleased about that.

I'll make sure to deliver

in the matches ahead,

so please look forward to it.

I never imagined I'd make it this far.

One more win puts me in the finals.

The title's not that far away now.

I won't go down in the ring,

no matter what.

-Let us begin the semifinals!

-Last round!

Pour it all out! All of it!

Go for it now!

-He's staggering!

-Real damage on Cho Hyunjae!

Real damage for sure!

Your parents are watching.

Keep going for your mom.

It's not over until it's over!

Anything can change in a heartbeat!

The winner of this match is…

Let's begin

the finals of I Am Boxer.

Let's do this!

A special performance by ATEEZ!

The fact that this matchup

even came together is unbelievable.

Is this for real?

That punch looks lethal.

A new champion will be crowned here today!

Box!

Who will walk away

with the championship belt?