Reviving the 1933 Gyeongin University Martial Arts Competition in Modern Times

September 12, 2024

The 1933 Gyeongin University Martial Arts Competition, a historic event that took place at the oldest theater in Incheon, is being recreated in a modern way at Incheon Port. This competition, which was held with great success, featured unique boxing and judo matches that can be considered the beginning of mixed martial arts in modern terms.

The event, which was a fusion of Western culture and traditional martial arts, recorded an important moment in history when these two cultures came together about 100 years ago. As a project to recreate this historical event, Ring Championship 05 will be held on Sunday, October 20th at Incheon Sangsang Platform.

This competition is not just a simple martial arts competition, but a revival of the Gyeongin University Martial Arts Competition from 1933. It will present a modern reinterpretation of the innovative match in which boxing and judo competed on the same stage. The event is sponsored by Incheon Metropolitan City and Incheon Tourism Organization and will be held at Sangsang Platform, a multi-cultural facility.

Sangsang Platform, a remodeled old grain warehouse built at Incheon Port, will host its first sports event with Ring Championship 05. The competition aims to shed new light on the 141-year history of Incheon Port and reinterpret the cultural heritage of the past, developing it into a local tourism resource.

The Gyeongin University Martial Arts Competition is significant in that it predates the 1976 mixed martial arts match between boxing champion Muhammad Ali and Japanese wrestling legend Antonio Inoki by 40 years. The boxing vs. judo match held in Incheon in 1933 sheds new light on the origins of modern mixed martial arts 100 years ago and reinterprets its value.

Ring Championship 05 will feature the semifinals of the bantamweight tournament, with South Korea’s Kim Eun-sung and Shin Yu-min, Japan’s Takeshi Kunito, and Kazakhstan’s Bolet Zamanbekov competing for the ultimate champion. The semifinal matchups and other matches will be announced at a later date.

This event, which will be held against the backdrop of Incheon’s historical heritage, is expected to establish itself as a new tourism content through the fusion of local tourism and sports culture. It is receiving great attention as a cultural festival that connects the past and the present.

Additionally, the Ring Championship will co-host a national match with Fairtex Fight at Lumpini Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on September 14.