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Staff Reporter
The South Korean Army is about to acquire its own ``Goliath.''
According to his representatives, colossal combat sports star Choi Hong-man will begin his 26-month service in the military, which is compulsory for able South Korean men, next Monday at an army base in Gangwon Province.
Choi, one of the world's biggest fighters at 2.18-meters and 160 kilograms, will undergo four weeks of basic military training at boot camp but will then be assigned to non-combat duty after receiving a ``grade-4" in the military physicals.
FEG Korea, which owns Choi's contractual rights, says his two-year absence from competition will not jeopardize his contract with mixed-martial arts franchise K-1.
Choi, nicknamed ``Techno Goliath,'' had signed a three-year deal with K-1 that expires at the end of 2009, which requires him to appear in at least five fights per year during the period.
``Choi's contract with K-1 will automatically extend for the amount of time he misses action in K-1 events," said Jeong Yeon-soo, who heads FEG Korea.
thkim@koreatimes.co.kr
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