Maurice Smith

In Memoriam, Andy Hug, K-1 Fighter Extraordinaire From Switzerland

Did you read my post of October 7 with the title “Switzerland Is The Place For Cheese, Chocolate, Skiing, Watches And ….Wrestling?” You can read it here again.

Well, then you already know that there really is a lot more to this picturesque European country than most people know.

But then again, because you visit TheMartialArtsReporter.com on a daily base you are not like most people anyway!

Considering the size of the country and its relatively small population, it’s amazing how many great athletes Switzerland has produced.

Skiing and tennis immediately pop into my mind.

I wouldn’t necessarily think of karate and kickboxing. Would you?

One Swiss karateka, who absolutely deserves to be mentioned and remembered, is Andy Hug.

He left us way too early. In 2000, that is.

Andy Hug started with karate at the age of eleven.

By the time he was only 15, Andy was already a Swiss Oyama Cup winner.

And only two years later, he was on the national Kyokushinkai karate team!

During the early 80s Andy Hug was winning tournaments throughout Europe.

In 1987, he was even the first non-Japanese ever to reach the finals of Kyokushinkai world championship and only lost due to a controversial point decision.

Andy Hug continued to fight in Japan, where the fans certainly appreciated his diverse fighting style.

Thereafter he switched to Seidokai and the launch to his professional K-1 fighting career was set.

During the mid 90s, Andy Hug fought against some of the greatest K-1 fighters such Ernesto Hoost, Sam Greco, Peter Aerts, Mike Bernardo, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipović, Maurice Smith, Bart Vale, just to name a few.

He was known for his devastating axe kick and his low heel spin kick which left numerous more than just stunned.

His kickboxing record was an astonishing 37 wins, 9 losses and 1 draw.

Andy Hug left such an impression that he was only K-1 fighter ever to be rewarded an honorary samurai title by its founder, Kazuyoshi Ishii.

Sadly, Andy Hug died of leukemia shortly before reaching the age of 36.

After his cremation, Andy Hug’s ashes were deposited in the cemetery of the Hoshuin temple in former Japanese capital city of Kyoto.

Andy Hug, K-1 Fighter Extraordinaire From Switzerland, May He Rest In Peace.