South Korea's So-Hwan Hong won world titles at bantamweight and junior featherweight during the mid-to-late 1970s.

Hong, who was the middle of eight children, was born in the capital of Seoul, South Korea, on May 26, 1950.

"I was from a family that was not rich nor poor," Hong told The Ring through Loren Goodman. "My father had a little coal mine."

His father took him to the boxing gym but later passed away when he was 14, though remained a big influence.

"Every time I saw a boxing poster, I thought of him," he said. "When I was 15, I saw the Floyd Patterson vs. Ingemar Johansson rematch. He [Patterson] was the first to regain the heavyweight championship, that amazed me."

After high school, he had two amateur fights - losing both - and decided his style was more suited to the professional ranks, making his debut under the watchful eye of former pro Junho Kim in May 1969.

"You could say it was a hometown decision," he said of the fight, scored a draw after four rounds. "My purse was 4,000 [equivalent to about $115 today]."

Hong overcame an early loss to beat Jungho Moon for the national title in September 1971, made three defenses before picking up the more significant Asian-and-Pacific title the following year.

Hong firmed up his credentials before heading to South Africa to face Ring and WBA 118-pound titleholder Arnold Taylor in July 1974.

Interestingly, he was given a few pointers by Taylor's old trainer, who came to his hotel.

"He told me, 'If you move side-to-side, and move your head, you can beat Arnold Taylor,"' he recalled. "I was so hungry. I told myself, if I lose this fight, it's my last. In this mindset, I couldn't lose. Arnold had a strong jab and strong right, but I just followed the advice and it worked."

When old foe Moon was injured and went into a coma, Hong's newfound status allowed him to help his stricken former opponent out.

"After I won the world title, Park Chunghee (Korea president from 1962-1979) gave me two million," he said. "I gave half, to Moon."

After one defense at home, the lure of a big purse was too much to turn down and he met unbeaten knockout artist Alfonso Zamora at The Form, Inglewood, in March 1975.

"They offered $80,000. Why not? At the time, that was huge. [1975 equivalent of about $480,000 US in 2025].

"I had a hard time in Los Angeles. Zamora had 18 fights, 18 KOs, but at that time was not that good. I was able to control him, so why did I get knocked out in the fourth round? Bad environment: coaching problems, manager, the army. My longtime coach Junho Kim got kicked out by the Korea Boxing Commission, lots of problems."

Hong quickly returned and was promised a rematch by promoter Don Fraser, provided he could beat Orlando Amores.

"I was challenging myself," he recalled. "Amores was fast but by the eighth, ninth round, I caught him, and he didn’t have good stamina."

He stayed busy, notably beating former flyweight titlist Venice Borkhorsor and his team brought Zamora over to South Korea in October 1976.

"Whenever Alfonso Zamora fought against me, he was lucky," said Hong, who was stopped in the 12th round of their 15-round contest.

"Because I changed my boxing shoes up in the ring. The shoes were small, the soles slippery. Whenever I used my footwork, I jammed my big toe - that was my handicap for that fight."

The South Korean moved up in weight, facing Hector Carrasquilla for the inaugural WBA 122-pound title during a wild shootout in November 1977.

"He had a snappy jab, his punch was like a pistol, fast, so hard and the floor was slippery,” he said.

"I got knocked down four times [in Round 2] but the referee gave me another life. The rules had been changed right before the fight, no more three-knockdown rule.

"At that time, the Korean people—almost all the fans—turned off the TV after the four knockdowns. Then they turned the TV back on, and I won. They replayed that fight 27 times in one day back home. It’s still a replay record for sports here."

He lost his title when suffering another 12th-round stoppage, this time by Ricardo Cardona in May 1978.

He fought just once more against former WBC 122-pound titlist Dong Kyun Yum, being held to a 10-round draw.

"I have no regrets - I did a good job as a boxer," he said proudly. "The Korean people treat us like kings. Everyone says hello to me and greets me."

After retiring from boxing, Hong, now 75, lived in Las Vegas, with his wife who used to sing at the Flamingo hotel. They also lived in Alaska and Los Angeles before settling in Uiwang, South Korea. The couple have two children and two grandchildren.

He graciously took time to speak to The Ring about the best he fought in 10 key categories.

Alfonso Zamora: "He would jab and turn at the same time. Not many people can do that. It made things difficult for me."

Venice Borkhorsor: "A southpaw, kind of like Manny Pacquiao. Really, really fast. I couldn’t even catch him. I could only knock him down once, and that’s how I won."

Zamora: "He was a silver medalist in the Munich Olympics. Amateur footwork—in and out, in and out—and at the same time, hit you with the jab. He was good."

Orlando Amores: "We knocked each other down in the first round. I found myself on the canvas and thought, 'Oh, I'm knocked out.' Then I looked up and he was also down. We had knocked each other down simultaneously. You should have seen him work the speedball. He had amazing speed."

Shigeyoshi Oki: "He was intelligent. I like him."

Zamora: "He used to train chopping trees in the mountains. So, his waist was thicker than any other bantamweights. Core strength. My shoulders were broader, but his waist was 1.5 times thicker than mine."

Berkrerk Chartvanchai: "Every round I hit him, but he never went down.”

Zamora: "Carrasquilla's punches were painful, but Saloma and especially Zamora's were heavier. Zamora knew how to put his weight into his punch."

Orlando Amores: He hit the speedball so fast—like a toy. He could control everything. Amores had accuracy and was better than me.

Zamora: "A great puncher, and his timing was so good."