In 1991, four years after his defeat to Matsui in the World Open finale, for the 3rd time in his career Andy was taking part in a Kyokushin World Open tournament, well knowing that this will be his absolute last chance to fulfill his dream, of becoming champion of the world. Andy was more prepared than ever, having trained and sparred with the Dutch champion Michel Wedel, up until the tournaments starts.

Andy showed skills, strength and technique in a league of his own during the opening fights, even though his draw for the tournament was extremely difficult. Andy's three first fights looked like and impossible assignment, and since Mas Oyama was interested in having Andy eliminated early; he gave him the toughest start and opponents possible, simply because Andy was the biggest contender for the title. But Andy did make it the first day through extremely hard work and effort. It was especially his famous axe kick, which was effective effect on his opponents, who seemed confused and defenseless against it. Andy had to fight hard to get in to the 4th round, where he was to fight the young newcomer from Brazil, Francisco Filho. This fight proved to be crucial for Andy, and it turned out to be the last one he ever fought, as a member of the Kyokushin organization.

Filho had won his first three opening fights at the 5th World Open by KO, before facing Andy. Filho proved from the start of the tournament, that he had lots of potential, strengths and a brilliant technique. Filho was defiantly the biggest talent and upcoming star of the 5th World Open, and for the same reason, he also won the "Fighting Spirit Award" of the tournament. It is worth mentioning in credit to Chico - he won by KO against the Japanese fighter Shinichi Sotodate, by a perfect Ax kick to the head.

The fight between Filho and Andy, started with explosive energy from the first second, and with dynamic kicks from both fighters, who where trying to win control and respect of the fight. The fight was more or less even at the end of the first round, with Andy as the fighter of the two, who was showing more routine and aggression. In the absolute last second of the fight, the judge screams "Yame" which in Kyokushin terms means stop fighting, just as "break" in boxing.

Andy hears and obeys the judge, and is about to put his arms down - showing that he will stop fighting. Sadly for Andy, Filho doesn't hear the judge, and is at the same time delivering a powerful roundhouse kick to Andy's face, who falls down floppy and totally unconscious.

It was a really ugly knock out. First and foremost because the kick and the impact were extreme powerful, but also because it hit Andy point blank, when he wasn't expecting the kick coming. Andy was carried away from the ring on a stretcher, and Ilona Hug has told me – that Andy after his fight against Filho, was sitting paralyzed in the looker-room together with his team and his Wife Ilona, refusing to accept and understand the defeat. Andy truly believed, that the Kyokushin organization would give him a 2nd chance to get back in the tournament, because of the way he lost, being KO after the judge had stopped the fight. It was Sosai Mas Oyama who made the final decision, that Andy was out of the tournament – by simply from his row pointing his fingers down to the 5 judges in the ring, meaning that he was out. Again, Andy never made and official complaint, he knew and respected his destiny. For Andy the tournament was all over, and so was he his time as a Kyokushin karate-ka .

How Filho could overhear the judge screaming "Yame" is a big question? But another unanswered question as big or even bigger is; who of the remaining fighters taking part in the 5th World Open, would have been able to stop Andy by the rules, if he had won the fights on points against Filho, as he was about to? Andy was in control and in front against Filho, and because Andy also had broken more boards than Filho in the Tameshiwari contest, he was only one second away from victory, one single second away from keeping his dream of being champion of the world alive. But it was Kenji Midori who won the Kyokushin 5th World Open, and I can't help thinking, that Andy and Midori had already met once before at the 5th World Open – where Andy won by a 3-0 judges decision. All my deepest respect to Kenji Midori, but he would not have been a threat to Andy Hug. But we will never know?

The two "losses" to Matsui and Francisco Filho, followed Andy his entire life, lying in the back of his mind forever as a dark cloud. Not because he lost a fight, but because of the way he lost it – and because his dream of becoming World Champion had faded away.

Andy did only lose a couple of fights in his career as a Karate fighter. One of them was at the Kyokushin European Championship in 1987, where Andy lost to Michael Thompson from England on weight decision in the semifinals, after extension rounds. Even though Andy hated to lose, it was a defeat and fight that he truly accepted, because he lost by the rules – even though Andy was stepping forward, hunting and hurting the great Michael Thompson around the clock. It still wasn't enough for Andy to win the fight.

Losing by corrupt judging and leadership in the Kyokushin organization – and losing his chance and dream to become world champion, was something that Andy never learned to handle or forget. I only recall Andy smiling once after a defeat, and that was against Fleming Jensen from Denmark, in the semifinal at the International Open in Alkmaar in Holland in 1983, where a very young Andy lost on points, after an impressive effort and lots of hard work in an exciting even fight.

Another black spot in Andy's career, was his finale fight at the 1993 World Cup in Seidokaikan karate against Satake. Andy was remaining Seido World champion from 1992, and was literally playing with Satake, controlling the fight 100% and scoring high and low at will– even sending Satake down by an axe kick.

But it was Kancho Ishii, who is the founder of Seidokaikan karate and K-1, that was the main judge in this fight, and he kept judging the fight even, round after round, even though Satake was doing nothing else than running backwards defending himself, and taking every chance he could get to clinch and hold Andy. After four rounds of fighting, by mixed karate knock down rules and K-1 rules with gloves, the four judges and Ishii still thought that the fight was to end by a draw, even though Satake got beaten from start to finish, as if he was mowing back sand.

The winner was to be found on "Tameshiwari," which is the breaking content. Andy lost the breaking contest by one single piece of brick – and Satake became new Seido World Champion. I can't recall seeing a fight in my entire life, where the winner has been so clearly beaten? Again in his career, Andy lost a very important fight and international title, because of corruption and bad judgment. Andy did fight Satake again later in his K-1 career, and it was at the 1996 K-1 Star Wars and at the 1997 K-1 Grand Prix. Andy won both fights clearly and easy.

In my eyes, one of Andy's best K-1 fights in his long career as a kick boxer, was in 1994, at the K-1 Challenge against Branco Cikatic. Andy was new in K-1, when less than one year after his debut, he was to battle the big K-1 Grand Prix champion Branco Cikatic, in a fight to be settled in five rounds. No one gave Andy a chance against the Croatian giant, and even Andy himself knew that he was the underdog.

Before Andy Hug was to face Branco Cikatic, Andy had only had two fights as a professional kick boxer, and that was against Ryuji Murakami, where Andy won by KO in the first round, and against Eric Albert where Andy won early in the 2nd round by KO. No one expected the fight to last five rounds, especially not Branco Cikatic or his coach Thom Harinck from team Chakuriki. But they where proven wrong, and never before in his interred career, did Branco have to dig so deep just to survive. The fight was five rounds of true war; it was give and take in a tearing speed, felt with drama, action and standing counts to both fighters.

Andy had two weapons that shocked Branco, and that was his amazing lion hearted spirit, and his dynamic kicks. Andy's kicks were all over Branco; especially his Axe kick, like a magnet to Branco Cikatics chin, hitting the target round after round, one more beautiful and faster than the other. But Branco was not the only one who got hit or hurt - Andy also had to cross his own limits to get past the five rounds, especially because he had broken his nose in the 2nd round, and had trouble breathing throughout this fight, and for a long period after. Andy won the fight on a 3-0 judges decision, and it was appropriately the hardest and most beautiful fight, he ever did have in his K-1 career.

In 1995 at the K-1 Grand Prix and at the K-1 Revenge II, Andy had two scary KO defeats to South African fighter Mike Bernardo. One year later at the 1996 K-1 Grand Prix, Mike Bernardo and Andy Hug were standing in the final, facing each other for the 3rd time in their careers, in a fight for the belt and the K-1 championship. Mike Bernardo is an excellent boxer and has very strong hands, but his kicking abilities and legs are very weak. A lesson that Andy had learned the hard way, so the recipe to victory for Andy was "simple"; it was all about mowing sideways and not backwards, throwing hard low-kicks and to keep away from Mike’s punches.

About one minute into the 2nd round, Mike Bernardo is sent down by a low-kick from Andy, and is about to be counted out by the judge. Mike manages to get up from the floor and is allowed to continue, even though his legs are stiff as wood. Mike Bernardo mows slowly now, and he is trying to stay away from Andy, in an attempt to protect his legs from further pain. But half way into the 2nd round, Andy makes the most brilliant roundhouse kick with technique never before seen in a K-1 Grand Prix final, hitting Mike's left thigh right above the knee, and Mike falls down, unable to get up. Andy became K-1 champion, in the most beautiful way possible.

Another beautiful fight in Andy's K-1 career, was against Peter Aerts at the K-1 1997 Grand Prix. Earlier that same year at the K-1 Kings, Andy lost on a 1st round KO to The Lumberjack, in a fight where Andy was a slight notch above terrible in his performance. Andy had just defeated Satake, in his first fight at the 1997 K-1 Grand Prix after only 15 seconds of fighting, and was now to fight Peter Aerts, who was the strongest and most feared fighter in K-1 in the late 90's.

Andy had enormous respect for Peter Aerts, and was well prepared for the rematch, knowing that he had to work hard and concentrate, to win the fight and to settle the score. Andy's game plan was to bombard Aerts legs with low-kicks, and to stay away from Aerts long straight jab, combined with his dangerous roundhouse kick and knee strikes, to win the fight. It was combinations and technique that Peter in the past – and after the 1997 Grand Prix used to knock out Andy. Andy's game plan turned out to be very successful, because at the end of the 3rd round, Peter Aerts thigh and legs were so hurt and damaged by the many low-kicks, that he could barley stand on his feet. Andy won the fight by a big 3-0 decision, and was ready to defend his title against Ernesto Hoost in the Grand final.

When it came to spirit, hard training and dedication, no one in K-1 could match or compare to Andy Hug. A former member of Team Andy in the period 1998-1999, and a respected friend of mine, Fredrik Hjelm from Sweden, has told me many interesting stories from his time as a sparing partner to Andy. Fredrik Hjelm qualified himself to be a member of K-1 Team Andy Hug - by fighting the man himself at the Seidokaikan gym in Tokyo in 1997. Fredrik was one out of three fighters, which Andy used to prepare for the 1998 K-1 Grand Prix. The two other fighters were Michael McDonald and Xhavit Bajrami. Andy had a big team, Arne Soldwell and Mariono Deflorin had also been used for sparring, getting Andy fit for the 1998 Grand Prix, but in the last preparation for the Grand Prix tournament, it was Fredrik, Xhavit and the black sniper McDonald who were going with Andy to the last training camp.

It was very demanding being a member of Team Andy, because Andy's way of training was the "Kyokushin-way," the hard way. Injuries and lots of ice packs were part of the daily training, and everybody was committed 110%, giving all they had. "It's never about falling, but getting back up every time we fall," Andy told his team. Fredrik was one who learned that even if you fall, it takes more than a samurai spirit to get up again. Team Andy was in a training camp in Okinawa, preparing for the K-1 1998 Grand Prix, when Andy was training to the limit, fighting sparing rounds against Fredrik, Mcdonald and Xhavit on shift. In a sparring round, Andy hit Fredrik so hard by a low-kick, that he cut his thigh muscle, and he could barely walk for about 6 weeks. Fredrik had to leave team Andy because of many different curvier injuries. Another was told by Andy to leave because of lack of spirit or bad manners.

Andy also got many injuries himself, but he never talked about them, or showed that he had pain. People's pain thresholds are very different, and some will say that it is an advantage and also a sign of strength and will power, being able to repress pain - and continue fighting even though you have curvier injuries? My personal point of view is, that everything has its price, and sometimes the price is too high compared to what you are gaining. What is a victory compared to getting permanent injuries?

It is no secret that Andy had an enormous will, spirit and pain threshold. In his fight against Ernesto Hoost at the K-1 1997 K-1 Grand Prix final, Andy had several broken bones in his left foot from the beginning of the fight. Still Andy managed to fight Hoost hard and even for three hard rounds. Many would have quit in pain, but quitting was never an option for Andy. I often think, what if Andy had listened to his body and the symptoms, when he started becoming seriously sick. Would he have been around us today, because the doctors then would have discovered his tumor and leukemia in time?

All the people that have had the chance to meet Andy in person, my self included, are all talking about Andy Hug's big open heart, warm smile and his charisma. Andy Hug was to many, a mentor in the ring, but also a friend and role model in life and as a person. Andy had many friends; even some of his biggest opponents in Kyokushin and in K-1, were his nearest friends. Three time K-1 champion Peter Aerts was privately a very close friend of Andy – and they did meet privately on special occasions, as Andy also was invited to Peter Aerts wedding.

In Kyokushin karate one of Andy's dearest friends, was the Dutch champion Michel Wedel. When Wedel got his degree and became a professor of Marketing Research, at the Department of Marketing and Marketing Research at the faculty of Economics, in the University of Groningen in Holland – Andy was there to celebrate with his friend, and to honor him.

Family, friend or fan, Andy is still sorely missed by many people. All over the world, people are honoring Andy and paying him respect, at every given chance, for what he accomplished, for who he was and for what he gave us. It is difficult for me to find and ending for this article, how do I end a story - about a human being that is no longer around, but always will be in my heart and in my life? As Ilona Hug says in her interview in MAN-magazine to Jerome Winters; "If you close your eyes, you can feel, he is around us." Ilona and Andy have the same positive way of thinking, because in Andy's last message and official letter to the press and to his fans, less than two days before he died; he said that he will fight his illness, and one day he will appear with us again. Sadly Andy is no longer among us, but he will always be around.

Rest in peace and god bless you Andy Hug!
 
My warmest thoughts and respect goes to Ilona and Seya Hug.
Osu!
Oliver Sperling

If interested, please read my first Andy Hug article on this address: http://www.kyokushinmail.com/andyhug2.html

Part 1 >>