Former men’s doubles star Lee Jae Jin is back in the Korean mainstream press this week for the first time since he retired following his bronze medal performance in Beijing in 2008. The 28-year-old has re-invented himself as a boxer and won his first ever pro match in a first-round technical knockout.
According to Korean daily the Hankook Ilbo, Lee was competing as a middleweight in the preliminary rounds of a national pro-boxing ‘New King Challenge’.
“I haven’t quit badminton. It’s still my main sport,” Lee told the Hankook Ilbo after his match. “Boxing is good exercise and it’s fun. It would be nice to go as high as I can in this tournament but I am just going to concentrate on my next match here.”
Since his retirement from international badminton competition, Lee has been a stalwart with the Milyang City Hall pro team, along with Athens silver medallist Shon Seung Mo.
Click here to see a clip of his short first boxing match
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