39 years ago

Date: 2nd January 1985

Venue: Munhwa Gymnasium, Seoul, South Korea

Title: IBF World Super-middleweight Title

Promoter: Dong A promotion

Referee: Abraham Pacheco

Chong Pal Park
( 35 - 3 - 1 )
Weight: 167½ lbs

Roy Gumbs
( 26 - 10 - 3 )
Weight: 165¼ lbs

Chong Pal Park retained his IBF World Super-Middleweight Title in commanding fashion, halting England's Roy Gumbs in just two rounds on January 2, 1985, at the Munhwa Gymnasium in Seoul, South Korea. The bout, promoted by Dong A Promotion, saw Park, weighing in at 167½ lbs, dominate the lighter 165½ lb Gumbs. Referee Abraham Pacheco waved off the fight at 1:42 of the second round after Gumbs was unable to continue.

Park, with a record of 35-3-1 entering the contest, demonstrated the talent that earned him the title six months earlier against Murray Sutherland in a contest that saw both boxers hit the canvas. Park found the reserves to halt Sutherland in the 11th round. Park's victory made him the second-ever IBF super-middleweight champion in a division still establishing its foothold in professional boxing. Gumbs, whose record stood at 26-10-3, was outmatched and unable to find an answer to Park's aggressive approach.

This marked Park's first defence, and he would go on to establish himself as a dominant figure in the 168-pound weight class. His reign included eight successful defences, including a 15th-round stoppage of Vinnie Curto in Los Angeles, cementing his place atop the new weight class. 

For Gumbs, the defeat was the beginning of an end to his career. He retired, only to return six years later in America, losing by majority decision to up and coming Ernesto Magdaleno in San Bernardino, California.