N. Korean female boxer loses title after skipping match

SEOUL, Feb. 26 (Yonhap) -- A female North Korean boxer has been stripped of her
international championship after missing a defense match for unspecified reasons,
a South Korean official from the sporting body said Thursday.
Ryu Myung-ok, 26, became super flyweight champion of the World Boxing Council
Female division in October 2007. She has not appeared in a title match since
defending her championship against Mexico's Ana Maria Torres in April last year.
The WBC Female is an affiliate of the World Boxing Council (WBC).
"Ryu missed her second title defense match scheduled for Feb. 13 in Bangkok,
Thailand. This must be one of the reasons that she lost her championship belt,"
said Lee Won-bok, a South Korean boxing official and executive member of the WBC.
Torres was elevated to the top rank of the WBC Female super flyweight class,
while Ryu's name was removed from its website, Lee noted.
According to WBC rules, the council deprives a top-ranked boxer of the title if
he or she fails to defend the title without providing concrete reasons, Lee said.
"But if Ryu defends her title as soon as possible, she may recapture the
championship belt because Torres is now considered a temporary champ," Lee added.
The North Korean athlete received the "People's Athlete" award from the North
Korean government after winning the title at the International Female Boxers
Association (IFBA) in 2005. The prize is the highest honor bestowed on athletes
in the reclusive country.
Ryu retired from the IFBA championship in order to contend for the WBC Female
championship a few months later.
With her resignation, there are no remaining North Korean world title-holders in
the world of female boxing.
Kim Kwang-ok, who held the highest position in the WBC Female's Bantamweight
class, retired in 2007, while Choi Eun-soon, once Light Flyweight champion, lost
the title in 2006 for reasons similar to Ryu's.
brk@yna.co.kr
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