| Country | Switzerland | Age | 45 |
| Club | Karate | Height | 180 cm / 5'11" |
| Style | Seido Kaikan | Weight | 96 kg / 212 lbs |
| Website | http://www.andyhug.com/ | Categories | WGP |
Titles
Karate World Cup Champion 1992 Karate World Cup Finalist 1993 U.K.F. World Super Heavyweight Champion. W.M.T.C World Super Heavyweight Champion. W.K.A. World & European Muay Thai Super Heavyweight Champion. K-1 World Grand Prix 1996 Champion. K-1 World Grand Prix 1997 Finalist. K-1 World Grand Prix 1998 Finalist.
| Results | Total | Win | KOs | Loss | Draw |
| K1 Fights | 47 | 37 | 21 | 9 | 1 |
| Other Fights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Statistics | 47 | 79% | 45% | 19% | 1 |
Description
There are precious few heroes in this world. Tragically, on August 24, 2000, we lost a very special one in Andy Hug, who died suddenly in a Tokyo hospital from a rare and severe form of leukemia. He was 35. The scene three days later, at the Zenpukuji Temple, tells the story.
Legions of fans from across Japan and around the world came to mourn Andy's passing on the hot and muggy Sunday afternoon. They stood in queue along the quiet neighborhood streets, some smiling softly, suffused with the joy of having known Andy; others sobbing uncontrollably, overcome with the grief of having lost him.
> the first Swiss national to advance to the world's top ranking in Kyokushinkai Karate.
> the first non-Asian to achieve entry to a world championship final.
> the first non-Asian to become professional world champion in full-contact karate
> the first karate fighter able to hold his own against the best kick and Thai boxers.
> the first martial arts fighter with a karate background to win the K-1 Grand Prix.
Titles won
> K-1 World Grand Prix Champion - 1996
> K-1 World Grand Prix Finalist - 1997, 1998
> K-1 World Grand Prix Last 8 - 1994, 1999
> UKF World Super Heavyweight Champion 1994
> WMTC World Super Heavyweight Champion
> WKA World Muay Thai Super Heavyweight Champion 1996
> WKA European Muay Thai Super Heavyweight Champion 1997/1998/1999/2000
For millennia, physical exercises in the form of martial arts have preoccupied the people of many cultures. In general, it can be established that this development embodied two paths since time immemorial: the inner, spiritual one and the outer physical one. The harmonious linking of these two ways leads to the development of the holistic human being. This personal journey through life is that which previously formed the martial arts in contrast to military campaigning and today represents the difference from pure combative sports.
Japanese karate as we know it today actually originates from Okinawa, the biggest island of the Ryukyu archipelago. The original forms of Chinese Shaolin martial arts mingled with the inventive fighting techniques of the island's inhabitants. In the 17th century, a strict ban was imposed by the Japanese governors, expressly forbidding any possession of weapons. This led directly to the further development of the various arts of unarmed combat. These were practised at that time in the underground world of secret societies.
The founder of modern karate, Gichin Funakoshi, designated this art as the 'path of the empty hand' (in Japanese Karatedo). The philosophical idea that forms the basis for this expression is the search for unity: The body and the mind are to be trained to such an extent that actions arise from an unintentional inner 'emptiness'. This 'emptiness' finds its expression, by extension, in this word: 'kara' means 'empty' and this not merely in the meaning of 'unarmed'.
Karate first turned up in the West in the mid-fifties. Japanese masters amazed both Americans and Europeans with their demonstrations of a hitherto unknown art. With their bare hands, they smashed bricks, boards and stacks of roof tiles and poked holes in melons with their outstretched fingers. The story goes that Master Matsutatsu Oyama even managed to knock the horns off a bull using his hand. These 'exotic tricks' were carried out with extreme precision and accompanied by rituals involving great concentration. A few years later, young people in many different lands had mastered the feats of the Japanese masters. Karate conquered the world and today is an internationally recognized form of competition, characterized by the spirit and culture of East Asia.
Matsutatsu Oyama, the founder of the Kyokushinkai-style, was one of the most conspicuous masters in Japan, due to his radical views and his impressive personality. He was born on the 27th of July 1923 under the name of Yong I Choi in the south of Korea. As a nine-year-old, he learnt Chinese Kempo (fist-fighting) in Southern China. At twelve, he was already competent in judo and boxing. For a long time he trained as a pupil of Gichin Funakoshi at the University of Takushoku. For Funakoshi, the educational value of karate was uppermost in his mind. In his classes, the perfection of technical precision took up a higher significance than training in freestyle fighting. However, Oyama wanted to fight and therefore changed for two further years to Gogen Yamaguchi, known as 'the cat'. This master of Goju Ryu Karate ('School of hard and soft force') possessed a unique and charismatic strength and on account of his extraordinary mental abilities was a role model for many people following the path of the martial arts. He recognized Oyama's strength and supported him in its development.
Inspired by the writings of Miyamoto Musashis, a famous Japanese warrior from the sixteenth century, Oyama made his way at the age of 23 to Mount Miobu. In complete isolation he trained tirelessly for twelve hours a day. At night he performed his ablutions by candlelight or played on his bamboo flute. After 14 months, Oyama came back down from the mountain and won the national championships in Japan. Everyone seeing him fight was very impressed by his assertive nature. Oyama embarked on numerous journeys and made a name for himself across the world as a practically unbeatable fighter. He competed against anyone who challenged him. His 270 opponents all landed on the canvas. Hardly any fights lasted more than three minutes.
The power of karate reveals itself in action rather than in contemplation and discussion regarding the philosophy on which it is based. The main focus is formed by training and the discoveries and experiences that accompany its study. Oyama's personality and the stories that are told about him impressed and inspired Andy when he was just a teenager. Externally he appeared as gentle and kind, but inside his mind was firmly made up that one day he would achieve his set aims without making any compromises. Andy's conduct, both as a martial arts performer and in the way he mastered difficulties in training and in life, was exemplary. He became aware early on that he could learn something new again and again and would thus always remain a pupil.
Biography - Karate
In the first half of the eighties, Andy took part in every tournament in Switzerland and abroad and thus collected such numerous and valuable fight experiences. Thanks to these, he began to understand, that an inner equilibrium was necessary to realize his grand vision and the plans linked to it.
In his milieu, many were astounded at his ability to think and act in an analytical and joined-up manner. Intuitively, he combined his technical ability, theoretical knowledge and information on his opponents and was also able to use or influence the mood of his spectators to his advantage. He was in a position to assess situations immediately and correctly, and to act accordingly.
Andy recorded his first international success in 1981 at the Dutch Kyokushinkai Karate Championships. This way, he drew international attention to himself. However, he attained great admiration two years later, when he took first place at the Europe Cup in Hungary. When observing his fights, spectators recognized even at this time qualities that would typify his style of fighting throughout his whole future career: He hit hard and effectively and employed his feet very accurately. His attacks were often not predictable. He was able to employ his 'high kicks' using both legs at the same time, much to the astonishment of spectators. 'Mawashi Geri' (round kick), 'Ushiro Geri' (backwards kick coming out of a turn') or his spectacular 'Kakato Geri' (Andy Kick) made his style of fighting exciting and attractive. Then at the Europe Cup in Hungary, Andy took part in the world championships for the first time in 1983. Around eighty fighters from all over the world were at the start of the open weight class. Andy was able to battle his way forward until he reached the first sixteen. With that he felt acknowledged: The top world rankings were within his grasp.
Despite his intensive commitment as a competitor, Andy finished his butchery apprenticeship in 1984 and took a job in Wohlen's main wholesale butchery. The many tournaments, for which he had in part to take extra time off, plus the occasional injuries that hindered his work performance, cast a shadow over his working relationship. By 'mutual agreement' it was confirmed two years later that he would be released from his contract and Andy financed his career from then on himself and with some support from his friends.
Well prepared and resolute, he made his way together with the national team to the world championships for the second time in 1987. He came out of every round as the winner. In the semi-final, he ran into the feared Akira Masuda from Japan. To the great astonishment of the spectators and particularly of Mas Oyama, the legendary head of Kyokushinkai, Andy defeated his opponent Masuda in a fight that was so uncompromising that the latter admits even now to having never fought a harder fight.
For the first time in the history of Kyokushinkai, a non-Japanese fighter, Andy, was taking part in the final: His opponent was called Akioshi Matsui, a further determined fighter from Japan. Representatives from all over the world witnessed Andy's great ability to use the unbelievable pressure such a situation creates to his benefit, and to rise above himself. Since both athletes had fought very well to the end, experts argue even today over the real result. In any case, the referees declared Matsui as the winner on points.
Biography - K-1
The Seidokai Association, brought into being by Ishii, the martial arts promoter, promoted two forms of training: That of the classic full-contact karate and that of Thai and kickboxing, which form the training basis for Seidokan contests. Ishii was disturbed by the fact that there were countless masters in the various types and associations of martial arts, without any comparison ever having been drawn between them. Therefore and, as a result of his efforts, the full-contact league K-1 was founded in 1993. The letter K stands for karate, kung fu, kempo and kickboxing, and the number 1 for the strongest fighter, the number one. As early as the first events, the tickets were sold out after an hour and the TV ratings shot up.
Biography - Champion
The Swiss K-1 evenings were born from Andy and Ilona's mutual visions. When the events in Japan began to boom at the start of the nineties, Andy began to dream of enabling his friends and all other people in his homeland to enjoy this experience. His wife Ilona was convinced that the event had to be held in a big setting in order to be successful. They jointly decided to carry out the first K-1 happening in Zurich's "Hallenstadium", even though many friends advised them against planning the first event on such a large scale. In 1994, they invited several colleagues and business partners to a pub in Wohlen and jointly created the vision for a Fight Night in Zurich, which was to form a bridge for the martial art from Japan to Europe.
Since the first Fight Night in 1995 became a resounding and immediate success, they decided to make use of this new wave, and the whole vision that lay behind K-1 became the model for future events. Their small crew worked with great commitment in developing the K-1 concept for Switzerland and Europe. Spectators and the media reacted with a great deal of enthusiasm to the Zurich Fight Nights. In the martial arts scene, there was a readiness to go forward, plus new and previously undreamt of development possibilities were beginning to emerge.
A shadow was cast over Andy's career in 1995 by his two defeats against a South African fighter previously unknown to him up till then. Some critics maintained that he had encountered a 'respectable opponent', whom he was unable to vanquish. In the autumn of 1996, though he once more had no end of successful fights behind him - in Switzerland, the K-1 tournaments were likewise on track since 1995 to becoming well known above and beyond martial arts circles – Andy was nevertheless struggling with an inner conflict, namely that between his ideal as a fighter and reality. Up till then he had never managed to win the K-1 Grand Prix. This is the most significant tournament for a K-1 fighter. He had prepared himself for it with iron discipline. In his second fight he encountered the Dutch thoroughbred fighter Ernesto Hoost. After extra time, Andy won on points. The two opponents for the final had been established: Andy Hug and Mike Bernardo. Andy summoned up all his strength and went into the ring to contest his last fight of the evening. To the delight of his Japanese fans, he succeeded in putting Bernardo out of action. Andy Hug was the new Grand Prix champion. In that year the popularity of K-1 increased even more. The Fuji TV ratings rose by up to 20% and in the media people began to talk about a social phenomenon that clearly stood out from other types of sports.
Following the opening of the advance booking office in 1997, it took exactly an hour until the greater part of the 70,000 available tickets had been sold. This time, the promoter Ishii had dared to move to the Tokyo Dome, a gigantic modern building. The two most significant elimination tournaments had already been held in the Nagoya and Osaka Domes. Further world associations for karate and kickboxing began working in co-operation with K-1. The K-1 Grand Prix achieved major importance worldwide. The Grand Prix counted as a master in all classes. Despite a broken toe, Andy defeated Peter Aerts in the second bout and barely lost the last one to Ernesto Hoost on points. The fans had not reckoned on him, since he had lost two fights at the beginning of the year. However, with this honourable second place he had revealed that his positive attitude and his staying power remained unbroken.
In the final bout of the 1998 Grand Prix, Andy was pitched against Peter Aerts. In his previous match, Andy came up against the Australian giant, Sam Greco. This bout was fought so ruthlessly by both of them, that Andy lost too much strength to achieve a win. In the end he lacked the required energy to assert himself over Aerts and once more he had to be satisfied with second place.
1999 was the most successful year for K-1 since its inception. Record numbers of spectators were recorded for all tournaments. In the first half of that year, Andy provided his fans with sensational fights. However at the World Grand Prix, fate wrecked his plans. In the second bout, he was up against Ernesto Hoost. As early as in the first round, the groin injury that he had sustained a month earlier became acute. This handicap was so severe that he could not employ his legs as he was used to doing. He had to admit defeat on points and accept it whether he liked it or not.
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