Former world light flyweight champion and reigning WBO Intercontinental flyweight champion Yo-sam Choi who lies in a coma after an action-packed successful title defense last Tuesday spoke of the fears and loneliness associated with the sport and dreamed of a haven "free of blood" in his diary.
In a revealing feature story written by Sam Kim of Korea's Yonhap News Service, details from the daily training log of Choi were revealed by fellow boxers. Choi spoke about how many of his friends had left him and how lonely he felt after the Asian financial crisis some ten years ago that dragged boxing into the doldrums which hardly saw any fights and prevented fighters from earning.
In what journalist Kim described as a crude log scribbled with a black pen, Choi inquired, "I miss so much the people who have left me. Will boxing leave me, too?"
A report from Seoul said that after lying in a coma since Tuesday, the former world champion's chances of survival were diminishing. Choi was knocked down with five seconds remaining in his WBO title defense against Indonesia's Heri Amol and after recovering to hear the unanimous decision in his favor, collapsed unconscious and was rushed to hospital where he underwent emergency brain surgery.
The head of a national professional boxers' association in South Korea and a friend of Choi – Jang Byeong-oh was quoted as saying "Choi was a compassionate young man who had a great love for the game of boxing. He must have suffered tremendously when he saw people leaving him and the game."
In his diary Choi suggested that "the painful partings with his friends led to mental illness that required medical attention" wrote journalist Sam Kim. Choi wrote "there are so many wounds in my heart, I need treatment."
In an entry prior to last Tuesday's bout Choi wrote, "not much time is left. Will I be a loser again? I cant concentrate. I just want to end it all." And in a final entry before facing Amol, the Korean champion said he would throw in his reserves to retain the championship so he may one day realize his dream of "a simple life."
"One step back, then I die. This is a match on the brink."
His entry indicated "I will do it without fail. My father will help me along the way. Let's go the lonely path where my dream lies" calling on his dead father.
He provided an insight into his simple dream last August - "I just want to live a simple life in a pretty house on a green landscape with someone I love. Now I dont like the smell of blood anymore ... I'm just afraid of tomorrow."