Lee Si Young Quit Boxing And Will Focus On Acting

Lee Si Young has quit boxing. The actress stuck with the sport even though she previously suffered injuries serious enough to temporarily keep her out of the ring. She finally had to admit defeat when it became obvious that previous shoulder injuries had weakened her shoulder and would probably cause future problems.

On September 23, the actress announced that she stopped training in June. At the time she was training to represent Korea in the 2016 Rio Je Janeiro Olympics.

The star of "My Beautiful Bride" and "Valid Love" has been boxing since 2010. She began training as a boxer for a drama that never got produced. But she liked boxing so much that she wanted to continue.

Her agency, J Wide Company, was not too happy with her decision to box. They worried she be injured and tried to talk her out of it. She was determined.

"I kept it up as a hobby and was told that I had potential, so I trained really hard," she said in a 2014 interview with the Korean media outlet, Chosun Ilbo. "Boxing changed who I am. I became more honest and extroverted, with more self-confidence."

Despite her late start the determined actress achieved some significant victories. She won the 7th Annual Women's Amateur Boxing Competition in 2010 and the women's 50-kg category in the 10th KBI National Lifestyle Athletics Boxing Championship in that same year.

In 2011 she won the women's 48-kg category in the 47th Seoul Amateur Boxing Match.

In 2013, Lee won the women's 48-kg title at the 24th National Amateur Boxing Championships.

A knee injury kept Lee from taking part in the 2014 Incheon Asian Games as part of the Incheon City Boxing Team. Although Lee Si Young did not participate in the Incheon Games, she cheered on her teammates and donated almost $10,000 to the Incheon Athletic Association.

During this year's training for the Olympics, it became obvious that her dislocated shoulder would continue to cause problems. During the six years that she trained as a boxer Lee also had surgery for a slipped disc.

A report in the media outlet Korea Times, said that the actress plans to concentrate on her acting.

Before playing a detective in "My Beautiful Bride," Lee appeared in "Valid Love" with Uhm Tae Woong and Lee Soo Hyuk.

 She also had roles in the dramas "Boys Over Flowers," "Playful Kiss," "Wild Romance" and "Golden Cross."