Genaro Hernandez Passes Away

[marbleheadmaui]

Dan Rafael is announcing Genaro Hernandez has passed away.

RIP champ and thanks for the memories.

Here is Chicanito's greatest night.

[FinitoElDinamita]

RIP, Champ.. We'll miss ya..

[generalbulldog]

RIP great champ.

[JazMerkin]

I was expecting this pretty soon after I posted that thread the other day. I didn't think it would be 4 days. A real shame, he was such a great guy & a real nice fighter. I have to say it's always bugged me that he's not even had his name on the ballot for Canastota. I'm not saying everyone should vote for him (although I would), but he deserved a nomination imo.

I don't know if anyone has seen those Mayweather After Dark things on FightHype (basically At Home With Floyd would have been a better name). His house is full of stuff of him & Genaro. He's got the belt he won from him in pride & place. There's a seemingly never-ending array of photos of the two of them. He has a real genuine warmth about Genaro that doesn't come across when talking about any other person apart from his mother. Both he & Bob Arum, two of boxing most isolated & self-interested figures, have between them paid for medical treatment & helping support his family since he first got the disease. I think that as much as anything else tells you how great a guy he was.

RIP Champ

[marbleheadmaui]

I was expecting this pretty soon after I posted that thread the other day. I didn't think it would be 4 days. A real shame, he was such a great guy & a real nice fighter. I have to say it's always bugged me that he's not even had his name on the ballot for Canastota. I'm not saying everyone should vote for him (although I would), but he deserved a nomination imo.

I don't know if anyone has seen those Mayweather After Dark things on FightHype (basically At Home With Floyd would have been a better name). His house is full of stuff of him & Genaro. He's got the belt he won from him in pride & place. There's a seemingly never-ending array of photos of the two of them. He has a real genuine warmth about Genaro that doesn't come across when talking about any other person apart from his mother. Both he & Bob Arum, two of boxing most isolated & self-interested figures, have between them paid for medical treatment & helping support his family since he first got the disease. I think that as much as anything else tells you how great a guy he was.

RIP Champ

Every young fighter should have to watch how Hernandez responded to that late shot to the throat by Azumah Nelson. Genaro takes a vicious hook after the bell and goes down. He is given five minutes and if he declines to continue he wins the lineal 130 crown by DQ. What does Genaro do? He gets up and wins the damn title in the ring.

Exemplary.

[Violent Demise]

I saw him defend his title for the first at Great Western Forum as a kid. Against Omar Catari. It went the distance. I was like 10 or 11 years old. I was with my dad and uncle (both now deceased). We were able to meet him afterwards. He wasn't the first fighter I met. But he was the first fighter I shook hands with. He was hella cool. Real down to earth. Didn't seem to mind the million questions coming from my drunk dad and uncle. Seemed to answer them all. I remember they were waiting for him. But he still took the time to acknowledge us. He said being champion was great. But that champion was still only just a word. He's no different than any other person. News of his death saddens me. But I'm glad his suffering is finally over. Hope the next news i hear of him is him being inducted into the Hall of Fame

[JazMerkin]

I saw him defend his title for the first at Great Western Forum as a kid. Against Omar Catari. It went the distance. I was like 10 or 11 years old. I was with my dad and uncle (both now deceased). We were able to meet him afterwards. He wasn't the first fighter I met. But he was the first fighter I shook hands with. He was hella cool. Real down to earth. Didn't seem to mind the million questions coming from my drunk dad and uncle. Seemed to answer them all. I remember they were waiting for him. But he still took the time to acknowledge us. He said being champion was great. But that champion was still only just a word. He's no different than any other person. News of his death saddens me. But I'm glad his suffering is finally over. Hope the next news i hear of him is him being inducted into the Hall of Fame

Great story man & the part in bold sums up exactly how I feel. If Barry McGuigan, Jeff Fenech & Ingemar Johansson are there, then Chicanito more than deserves to be.

[marbleheadmaui]

I saw him defend his title for the first at Great Western Forum as a kid. Against Omar Catari. It went the distance. I was like 10 or 11 years old. I was with my dad and uncle (both now deceased). We were able to meet him afterwards. He wasn't the first fighter I met. But he was the first fighter I shook hands with. He was hella cool. Real down to earth. Didn't seem to mind the million questions coming from my drunk dad and uncle. Seemed to answer them all. I remember they were waiting for him. But he still took the time to acknowledge us. He said being champion was great. But that champion was still only just a word. He's no different than any other person. News of his death saddens me. But I'm glad his suffering is finally over. Hope the next news i hear of him is him being inducted into the Hall of Fame

Thanks for the story.

[JazMerkin]

I was expecting this pretty soon after I posted that thread the other day. I didn't think it would be 4 days. A real shame, he was such a great guy & a real nice fighter. I have to say it's always bugged me that he's not even had his name on the ballot for Canastota. I'm not saying everyone should vote for him (although I would), but he deserved a nomination imo.

I don't know if anyone has seen those Mayweather After Dark things on FightHype (basically At Home With Floyd would have been a better name). His house is full of stuff of him & Genaro. He's got the belt he won from him in pride & place. There's a seemingly never-ending array of photos of the two of them. He has a real genuine warmth about Genaro that doesn't come across when talking about any other person apart from his mother. Both he & Bob Arum, two of boxing most isolated & self-interested figures, have between them paid for medical treatment & helping support his family since he first got the disease. I think that as much as anything else tells you how great a guy he was.

RIP Champ

Every young fighter should have to watch how Hernandez responded to that late shot to the throat by Azumah Nelson. Genaro takes a vicious hook after the bell and goes down. He is given five minutes and if he declines to continue he wins the lineal 130 crown by DQ. What does Genaro do? He gets up and wins the damn title in the ring.

Exemplary.

Totally agree. Or how about when a week before the De La Hoya fight, Shane Mosley broke his nose in sparring. How many people would have pulled out of the fight at that stage or asked to reschedule? Instead, he refused to short-change fans or his opponent & went in. I still had Genaro winning 2 rounds, but Oscar targeted the nose & broke it in an additional 22 pieces forcing the stoppage.

[Dropanuke]

Genaro Hernandez Passes: A Class Act In And Out Of The Ring
Published: Jun 09 2011 by: Scott Levinson
Genaro Hernandez Passes
Boxing is saddened by the passing of a great champion and an even bigger class act. Genaro "Chicanito" Hernandez passed away yesterday after a long battle with a rare form of cancer.
Anyone who ever met Hernandez will corroborate my assessment of this man: Humble, friendly, and oozing with class. As a young boxing fan in So Cal, I met a lot of fighters and none made me feel as good as Hernandez did. He asked me questions, gave me a pat on the head, and told me to keep working hard. As he left the room, he scanned the room looking for me, giving me a wink before he made his exit. It's an image I'll never forget.
Longtime fight fans in So Cal might remember Genaro's brother Rudy, who won the first-ever of a popular tournament format that became a staple at the Forum. Word is Rudy put Forum-owner Jerry Buss in tears as he emotionally revelaed to Buss that he would take the money he won to help his uncle get an eye surgery. Rudy would end up being Genaro's trainer.
Hernandez turned pro in 1984. His talent was unmistakeable--a nearly 6-foot junior lightweight whose ruggedness belied his flimsy frame.* His rise to the top did not happen overnight, as Hernandez waited 7 long years for his shot, beating Daniel Londas for the vacant WBA belt in 1991.
For the first couple years of Hernandez' reign, he split time between the Forum and Japan--defeating two of their top contenders. Chicanito made 8 defenses, including wins over toughies like Raul Perez, Harold Warren, and Jorge Paez.
In 1995, he moved up in weight to notch a nice payday, losing by TKO to the more robust Oscar De La Hoya. But after 2 get-well ins, he was ready to make amends, taking on Junior Lightweight Champ-extraordinaire Azumah Nelson. The Ghanaian great was a little long in the tooth, but was in the midst of a late-career revival, having just scored consecutive knockouts over younger champions Gabriel Ruelas and Jesse James Leija.
It would be a bout that would characterize the grit and character of Hernandez. In the 7th round, Nelson hit Hernandez on the throat after the bell. Hernandez laid on the floor for at least five minutes. It looked to all those in attendance and watching on TV that Hernandez would take the DQ. He didn't have to fight.
But that wasn't what Chicanito was all about. He dusted himself off, shook off the pain, and proceeded to outbox the master to notch a split decision win. That embodied his spirit as a fighter. Hernandez would close out his second 130-pound reign with 3 more good defenses over rising talent, before running into the boxing genius of Floyd Mayweather, who stopped Hernandez after 8 rounds. It would be the only 130-pound bout Hernandez would ever lose.
Hernandez made enough money to take his family out of East LA, eventually settling in a nice home in Mission Viejo. His legacy is one of excellence and class. You won't find anyone who has a bad word to say about the guy. Sometimes when a man passes away, his tribute can be hyperbolic, where only the good stuff is remembered. With Chicanito, there is no overstating what a good guy he was. My condolences go out to his family, who should find some peace in the fact he will never be forgotten by those who were fortunate enough to know him. Rest in peace Genaro.
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[:::PSL:::]

Rest In Peace Mr. Genaro Hernandez.