Actor Ma Dong-seok is making his first-ever leap into selection leisure with tvN’s new boxing survival program “I Am Boxer,” elevating expectations about whether or not his trademark depth will translate to the small display.
“I Am Boxer” is a survival present designed by Ma, a boxing health club head with 30 years of expertise, who goals to revive Okay-boxing via a contest format.
Produced by Lee Received-woong of “The Iron Squad” and author Kang Suk-kyung of “Bodily: 100,” this system options Kim Jong-kook and Dex as hosts whereas prime fighters and celebrities compete for the title of strongest boxer.
The participant lineup is as putting because the solid. Former Oriental champion Kim Min-wook, 14-time Nationwide Sports activities Competition winner Kim Dong-hoe, gold medalist Guk Seung-joon, army athlete Lee Chae-hyun, actor Jang Hyuk, Korea’s first UFC mild heavyweight fighter Jung Da-un and UDT veteran–turned–artist Yuk Jun-seo are set to compete.
As Ma put it, “That is the type of match individuals usually pay to look at,” signaling a star-studded and bodily dominant roster.
Recognized to audiences as an actor and producer, Ma seems in this system as a grasp mentor. He started boxing in center college and now coaches each newbie boxers and actors.
In a teaser launched forward of the premiere, he stated, “You can not know a boxer’s expertise till they step into the ring. The ring is equal for everybody, and the one who stays standing longer wins,” providing recommendation rooted in expertise.
Poster for “I Am Boxer” / Courtesy of tvN
A brand new problem after blended reception in current tasks
Ma earned the uncommon achievement of surpassing 30 million cumulative admissions with the “The Roundup” sequence, solidifying his popularity for unmatched motion and display presence. His signature “one-punch motion” even grew to become a acknowledged subgenre.
However repeated comparable roles led to divided evaluations. His movie “Holy Evening: Demon Hunters” and his comeback drama “Twelve” posted underwhelming outcomes, with critics pointing to predictability and fatigue with the acquainted system. Some famous that the once-guaranteed “one-punch motion” not felt recent.
For Ma, “I Am Boxer” presents a chance. As each on-screen mentor and behind-the-scenes creator, he’s anticipated to showcase new dimensions of his expertise. He oversaw all the things from the present’s total format to ring measurement, glove weight, props and recreation guidelines, and even participated straight in recruiting individuals.
Lee stated the collaboration got here collectively naturally. “Since 2022, we had been exploring methods to provide a boxing survival present. By probability, we met Grasp Ma Dong-seok and realized we shared the identical imaginative and prescient,” he stated. “From that time, manufacturing moved rapidly.”
He added, “The manufacturing group is assured in making broadcast applications and survival codecs, however in relation to boxing, we discovered closely from Grasp Ma’s lengthy expertise and perception.”
“I Am Boxer” will premiere on Dec. 21 on tvN.
This text from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Instances, is translated by generative AI and edited by The Korea Instances.
