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From Whitney High to UC Irvine to Pro Boxing

October 25, 2013

Korean American Daniel Kim to Make Pro Debut Tonight

Daniel Kim will make his professional debut against Cory Muldrew. (Photo – Brett Ostrowski, sharpexposures@gmail.com)

By Lee Kyutae

Cerritos resident and UC Irvine graduate Daniel Kim will make his long-awaited professional boxing debut on Friday night at Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula.

The 23-year old Korean American Junior Welterweight is scheduled to fight four rounds against Cory Muldrew (0-3) from Phoenix, Arizona. Both weighed in at 142 pounds on Thursday.

Orange County-based boxing promoter Roy Englebrecht appears to have high hopes for the 2012 Southern California Blue & Gold champion. Kim joins a trio of undefeated fighters promoted by Englebrecht – Alexander Flores (13-0), Dwain Victorian (2-0), and Curtis Millender (3-0 in MMA).

Kim began boxing in 2010, but is very athletic and intelligent, according to his trainer Alan Kemp. After all, he was a basketball team captain at Whitney High school.

His parents are against him fighting after graduating with a B.A. in psychology and social behavior, but he says, “Growing up, I was left with a strong impression that pursuing a future as an athlete was impossible or a waste of time. Professionally boxing as a Korean American allows me to challenge these cultural and social sentiments while proudly representing Korean and other Asian Americans in a domain where we are vastly underrepresented and often taken lightly.”

Amador (from left), Messer, and Quintana pose for the camera.

The co-main event of the night will be an International Female Boxers Association (IFBA) Junior Flyweight (108 pounds) vacant title match between Amaris Quintana (La Mesa/6-1-2, 1KO) and Sindy Amador (Riverside/10-1, 1KO). Korean American former IFBA champion and 3-time kickboxing world champion Kim Messer will be in attendance to supervise the title match.