Andrew (Andy) "Hawaiian Punch" Ganigan (September 3, 1952 – May 2, 2012) was an American former

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight ...

boxer of Filipino descent. He was renowned for his punching ability, being named #97 in '' The Ring'''s list of 100 greatest punchers of all time. Ganigan fought from 1972 to 1983, ending his career with an overall record of 34 wins (30 by KO) and 5 losses. He was a southpaw.

Biography

Ganigan was born September 3, 1952, in

Waipahu, Hawaii Waipahu () is a former sugarcane plantation town and now census-designated place (CDP) located in the Ewa District on the island of Oahu in the City & County of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. As of the 2020 census, the CDP population was 43, ...

. Ganigan captured the NABF lightweight title by scoring a TKO in 8 rounds over Vicente Mijares on March 28, 1978. He lost that title to

Johnny Lira Johnny Lira (July 31, 1951 – December 8, 2012) was a professional lightweight and welterweight boxing contender who was born and died in Chicago, Illinois. Lira won the Chicago Novice Golden Gloves championship at middleweight. As a profes ...

on a 6-round KO on August 1, 1978, but recaptured the crown from Mijares on March 27, 1979, by winning a unanimous 12-round decision. Ganigan also won the World Athletic Association (WAA) lightweight crown by scoring a KO in 2 rounds over Sean O'Grady on October 31, 1981. Ganigan then challenged legendary boxer

Alexis Argüello Alexis Argüello (April 19, 1952 – July 1, 2009) was a Nicaraguan professional boxer who competed from 1968 to 1995, and later became a politician. He was a three-weight world champion, having held the WBA featherweight title from 1974 to 19 ...

on May 22, 1982, for the WBC lightweight crown. Ganigan knocked Arguello down in the first round, but was KOed in round 5. Ganigan's last fight was an unsuccessful attempt to take the USBA lightweight crown from

Jimmy Paul Jimmy Paul (born August 27, 1959 in Detroit, MI) is an American former professional boxer in the lightweight division. He was the International Boxing Federation's world Lightweight champion from 1985-when he beat Harry Arroyo by a 15 round unanimo ...

on June 6, 1983. Paul stopped Ganigan on a 6-round TKO. He was inducted in to the

Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame The Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame is a sports hall of fame and museum in the U.S. state of Hawaii. According to the hall's official website, it servers as the "state museum for sports history in the islands," and "is best described as an educational ...

in 2000. An attack in 2010 left him severely injured, and he never fully recovered. Ganigan died of liver cancer in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

on May 2, 2012.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ganigan, Andy 1952 births Boxers from Hawaii Lightweight boxers 2012 deaths American male boxers