Andy Hug
Swiss karateka who kicked his way to K-1 gold
- Born
- September 7, 1964, Zurich, Switzerland
- Died
- August 24, 2000 (aged 35)
- Nationality
Switzerland- Height
- 180 cm (5′11″)
- Reach
- 183 cm (6′0″)
- Stance
- Southpaw
- Style
- Karate-based kicker
- Weight
- Heavyweight
- Active
- 1977–2000
The record
Professional kickboxing, Wikipedia infobox (47 bouts); karate tournament bouts are not included. No second source with a full record was found.
The story
ndy Hug brought full-contact karate kicks into K-1 and made them work against the best heavyweights of the 1990s. The Swiss fighter built his base in Kyokushin, winning European heavyweight titles in 1985 and 1989, and won the Seidokaikan Karate World Cup in 1992 before switching to kickboxing. At 180 cm he was small for a heavyweight, so he relied on variety: the axe kick, spinning kicks and the Hug Tornado, a spinning heel kick aimed low at the thigh. That technique won him the 1996 K-1 Grand Prix final against Mike Bernardo, and he reached the final again in 1997 and 1998. He died of leukemia in Tokyo in August 2000, aged 35. In 2006 he still ranked 79th on a list of 'The Top 100 Historical Persons in Japan'.
Tap a technique with an arrow to learn how it works.
- K-1 Grand Prix champion (1996)
- K-1 World Grand Prix runner-up (1997, 1998)
- WKA world super heavyweight Muay Thai champion (1996)
- UKF world super heavyweight champion (1994)
- Seidokaikan Karate World Cup champion (1992)
- Kyokushin European heavyweight champion (1985, 1989)
- Black Belt Magazine Honorary Award (2001)
- Ranked 79th in 'The Top 100 Historical Persons in Japan' (2006)
Defining fights
- 1994WINvs Branko Cikatić (unanimous decision)
- 1996WINvs Ernesto Hoost (split decision after two extra rounds, K-1 Grand Prix semifinal)
- 1996WINvs Mike Bernardo (KO 2, spinning low heel kick, K-1 Grand Prix final)
- 1997LOSSvs Ernesto Hoost (decision, K-1 World GP final)
- 1998LOSSvs Peter Aerts (KO 1, high kick, K-1 World GP final)
Borrow Hug's variety: use the axe kick from long range against opponents who stand tall, and the spinning low heel kick to the thigh when they plant their lead leg.
2009–2023
