Documented path
Kim was born into poverty in Gangwon Province, South Korea, and learned to fight on the streets. He started amateur boxing at age 17 in 1976 at Seoul's Tong-a Gymnasium, compiling a 29-4 amateur record. He turned professional in 1978, won the Korean lightweight title in December 1980, and won the OPBF title in February 1982 to become the WBA's top-ranked contender. He died from injuries sustained in a world title fight against Ray Mancini in November 1982.
Born into poverty in Banam-ri, Goseong County, Gangwon Province, South Korea; learned to fight on the streets as a child.
Died on November 18, 1982 at age 27 from brain injuries sustained in a world title fight against Ray Mancini; final record 17-2-1 (8 KOs).
Where the conditions came from
Each is placed on a −1 to 3 scale from documented evidence, and the three are never added together. A combined total would rank Kim Duk-koo against other people. Held apart, they explain why this path ran differently from another one—which is the only comparison this project supports.
The marble itself
+1Tailwind
What capability, drive, or early skill is documented in the person rather than their surroundings?
Started amateur boxing at 17, compiling a 29-4 record. Turned professional at 23 and won the OPBF lightweight title at 26. Above-average boxing ability and determination, but a late start with no prodigy indicators.
Where it was dropped
-1Active headwind
What money, family standing, network, or permission was already in place before the work began?
Born into extreme poverty in Gangwon Province, South Korea. Youngest of five children. Father died when he was 2, mother married three more times. Worked as a shoe shiner and was homeless at times, living under a bridge in Seoul.
The shape of the track
0Neither way
What place, timing, institution, or peer group made the next step available?
Seoul's boxing scene provided basic gym access and amateur competition. No elite training infrastructure, notable mentors, or developmental pipeline documented. His trajectory was driven by adversity and self-determination rather than ecosystem advantages.
A −1 is a documented headwind, not a missing value; a 0 means the sources record nothing notable either way. Annotation confidence: Medium. These are analyst readings of what the sources record, not measurements of merit, talent, or effort. The twenty-two scored dimensions remain available inside the deeper research detail.
What moved through the conditions
This records repeated behaviour or recovery described by sources; it is not a grit or merit score.
A successful-only archive cannot recover all encounters, avoided setbacks, or alternative outcomes.
Strongest documented signals: Direct domain exposure, Adversity / constraint catalyst, Elite institution pipeline.
Describes the starting position, not what the person later made of it.
Strongest observed levers: Domain proximity, Started serious reps before 20, Prior reps.
Measures what was present, not whether it was inherited, earned, self-built, external, or mixed.
The timeline below shows the sequence of work and transitions around the selected early milestone. It is evidence of a path, not proof that every step was necessary.
Notable, but primarily known within a niche. The tier summarizes documented career recognition through the data cutoff—not Kim Duk-koo's worth or future potential.
Question four · where did the leverage come from?
Each non-zero lever gets a best-supported origin, evidence signals, and confidence. Unresolved is the honest default when the biography cannot distinguish self-built, advantage-enabled, earned, external, or mixed.
One or more documented starting advantages plausibly enabled this lever.
One or more documented starting advantages plausibly enabled this lever.
One or more documented starting advantages plausibly enabled this lever.
One or more documented starting advantages plausibly enabled this lever.
One or more documented starting advantages plausibly enabled this lever.
One or more documented starting advantages plausibly enabled this lever.
This is a bounded inference from the current annotations—not a claim about private effort, merit, or the percentage of Kim Duk-koo's outcome attributable to any origin.
Structural luck, Encounter luck, Event luck, Outcome variance can change every arrow in the path. This successful-only dataset cannot observe the near-identical paths that did not break through, so luck stays visible and unscored.
Multiplying capacity documented later in the path. Measures what was present, not whether it was inherited, earned, self-built, external, or mixed.
Access or conditions documented near the beginning of the path. Zero means "no clear evidence in reviewed sources," not "advantage was absent."
Born into poverty in Banam-ri, Goseong County, Gangwon, South Korea; learned to fight on the streets before entering formal boxing training.
Not documented in reviewed sources; no evidence of family boxing or athletic background.
Kim rose from extreme poverty in rural South Korea, learning to fight on the streets before entering amateur boxing at 17. He compiled a 29-4 amateur record, turned pro at 23, and won the OPBF lightweight title at 26 to become the WBA's top contender. His trajectory was driven by adversity and physical toughness rather than any documented family advantage or institutional pipeline. His death in a world title fight against Ray Mancini prompted major boxing safety reforms.
advantage confidence: Medium · source count: 3 · audit: partial_source_verification · status: subagent_researched_beta