Not all fighters become sports legends. Those who manage to leave a mark in the hearts of fans for many years, even after their death, deserve true respect.
One of these legendary athletes is the Blue-eyed Samurai (as fans call him), who died more than 15 years ago. Until now, many teenagers want to be like this greatest fighter. This article will look at the life and cause of death of Andy Hug.
His popularity is surpassing so far - coaches set him as an example for his determination and will to win.
Given the fact that his life has already managed to be covered with legends told by his fans, we will consider only reliable facts, which Andy Hug achieved. The reason for the death of the legendary fighter is also overgrown with riddles, but below you will find out what really happened.
So, let's start from the childhood of a karateka. Many believe that it was the conditions of life that made Andy the way he grew up.
Andy Hug. Biography
The cause of death of this fighter eventually began to be covered by some legends. But first things first.
The great fighter of the best times K-1 was born in the fall of September 7, 1964. Andy Hug was the youngest child in a family that consisted of three children and a mother. The father of the family died under mysterious circumstances, and never saw the little champion.
The great fighter from Switzerland spent the first three years of his life in an orphanage. This was not due to the fact that he was not loved. Mother simply could not feed her three children, so with tears in her eyes she had to make this difficult choice.
In the end, Andy Hug was taken to his grandparents. Together with them, he spent his childhood in a village called Wauchlen.
Every boy needs a father who can teach him how to deal with obstacles and move forward with clenched fists. Many sports observers believe that due to the lack of such attention, young Hug decided to cultivate the necessary qualities in himself through sports.
The first hobby of the Swiss karate was football. It would be surprising if his sporting path would not have encountered this sport, given its popularity in a country where in every yard the boys are divided into teams and play, scoring goals for each other.
They say that no matter what prominent people do, they are everywhere able to leave their mark. Whether this is so or not - decide for yourself, but at the age of 6, Andy was already in the country's national football team.
Life went ahead, Hug grew up and began to understand that every man should be able to protect himself and his loved ones. This feeling especially aggravated in fights with peers, which, like any teenager in the world, occurred from time to time.
You need to be able to fend for yourself
It so happened that a guy familiar from the yard suggested going with him to practice karate. Martial art dragged on the boy, and already at the age of 13, having several awards behind his back, he preferred to continue practicing karate, leaving football in the past.
This choice was not due to the fact that Andy could not find the time for all the training. This was due to the fact that the grandparents who raised him were far from wealthy people and could not pay for the two hobbies of their grandson.
Practicing karate, he seemed to rediscover himself. Thanks to his self-motivated determination, Andy was able to completely concentrate on the things that interested him. And all his attention was fixated on training, which over the years he liked more and more.
Achievements Ahead of the Year
Staggering numbers: at the age of 15 he became the champion of the country, a year later he entered the national team in Kyokushin karate. What do you think he did a year later? Do not believe it - he became one of the founders of the new karate school in the central district of Switzerland, the city of Bremgarten.
An interesting fact is that he constantly needed the permission of adults, who had to give consent to his performances in competitions, since only karatekas, who reached the age of 20 years, could participate.
Fortunately Andy, his grandmother always supported him in all his hobbies. But his grandfather was always against karate being the occupation that Andy Hoog would give priority to in his life. Many associate the death of a fighter precisely with hard training, in which he laid out not even 100%, but all 200.
There was no time to study
All that interested Hug in those years was constant training. He did not think about studying at all, and therefore could not boast of good academic performance. He tried to devote all his free time to playing sports.
When Andy was in graduation, his grandfather died, being the only breadwinner in the family. Then, having taken upon himself the burden of the man in the house, he got a job as an assistant to the butcher. Of course, he was poorly able to find time for work, training and study - teaching science receded into the background.
Rumor has it that during the process of rapid growth, Hug even managed to visit a member of a street gang, but there is no real evidence for this. The only thing that can be said for sure - in the future, Andy Hug saw himself only as a coach and no one else.
Active sports life
The legendary karateka had a very great will to win, as well as a desire to participate in absolutely all events. If any championship was held in Switzerland, then he certainly had to take part in it.
The first recognition came to him after winning the Dutch championship in 1981. After 2 years, he managed to get to the 3rd World Kyokushin Karate Championship, which was traditionally held in Japan. After these competitions, they talked about him, a 19-year-old fighter, as a rising karate star.
Everyone remembered his corporate identity, which included hard direct punches, as well as accurate kicks to the head.
Putting all other activities, except karate, into the background, he was able to better prepare for the 4th World Championship, in which he managed to reach the finals by defeating the titled fighters. The final fight with the current main president of the Kyokushin karate school, Akieshi Matsui, is still called a classic.
Until now, it is taught and disassembled military equipment, as well as motivating young fighters to show great will to victory and dedication. Andy Hoog, whose cause of death will be discussed below, lost this fight. Although the soldiers fought on the same level. You just need to take into account the fact that the fight was held in Japan. Accordingly, the public more supported “their” fighter.
Dreams Come True
Given the achievements of Andy Hug in sports, he became the national team coach without any problems as early as 1988. Despite the fact that a childhood dream came true, he did not stop studying and constantly set new goals.
The blue-eyed Samurai (as its fans call it) became known to a wide audience thanks to its performances in K-1 after 1991. In his first battle, he managed to knock down his opponent three times - Ryuji Murakami.
The nineties of the last century are the best in terms of a sports career - he managed to conduct vivid and exciting fights with great fighters in the K-1 arena.
He managed to start a family and began to raise a son
In addition to his sports career, the 90s became significant for him in his personal life, as he managed to get married, got a son. But the marriage was not as successful as the career of a professional fighter, and closer to 2000, he divorced his wife.
And who knows what he would still be able to achieve, if not for the terrible cause of death. Andy Hug did not even suspect, conducting many hours of training, that he would die prematurely.
Yes, each of us walks under the same sky, and no matter how great you are in life, a disease can sneak up unexpectedly. Andy Hug was no exception. Life and death are always nearby, especially among people who are so physically exhausting themselves as he did.
Consider how it was.
What is the cause of Andy Hug’s death?
From time to time he came to visit his ex-wife and son, when suddenly in the summer of 2000 he felt ill. He turned to doctors complaining of unpredictable throws in the heat, as well as repeated nosebleeds.
At that time, doctors did not find any deviations, motivating such symptoms as a consequence of a fighter’s sports career. The cause of Andy Hug's death is leukemia, but at that stage, the doctors were unable to identify the disease. And he, as if nothing had happened, continued preparations for a new battle.
Preparation ended after he lost consciousness during one of the training sessions. After a second examination, doctors discovered rapidly developing leukemia. Such a diagnosis was a complete shock for Andy and his fans. The course of treatment, which was assigned to the fighter, did not help overcome the disease. This was the cause of the death of Andy Hug. The great fighter died on August 24, 2000.