October 18, 2004
OSAKA, JAPAN-International referee David gSmilingh Chung, Korea, abruptly passed away just some hours after serving as the neutral referee in the OPBF middleweight elimination bout between Australian champ Sakio Bika and Japanese titlist Yoshihiro Araki which resulted in Bikafs TKO triumph on Monday in Osaka, Japan.
David Chung had participated in great many WBC or OPBF title bouts in Asia, and established his good reputation as excellent referee and likable person as well. The always smiling Chung helped great many foreign officials in world title bout held in Korea, and also contributed much to the OPBF activities. His last refereeing in a world title bout was seen in Thailand, where Veeraphol Nakhornluang-Promotion successfully kept his belt 13 times by scoring a unanimous decision over Mexican Julio Cesar Avila last May.
After he declared a well-received stoppage of the OPBF 160-pound affair, he entered a Korean restaurant with his friends and suddenly felt so bad that he lay down there. He abruptly became so pale that an ambulance was called to take him to Osaka Police Hospital. Then his heart reportedly stopped beating in the ambulance. The doctors did their best to survive David, but in vain. He passed away at about 11 pm on the night. We, boxing people in Asia, sincerely and deeply express our condolence on his unexpected death just two days prior to his 58th birthday. May sleep in peace.
(10-18-04)