Genaro “Chicanito” Hernandez

I haven’t written in a while and a lot has happened. Hence, the reason I haven’t written actually.

It’s a little sad that my first topic will be on the death of a good friend: Genaro “Chicanito” Hernandez. As sad as it is, I wanted to honour him with a short article for all the people who didn’t know who he was. I actually wrote this article back in July. For some reason, I haven’t/couldn’t get myself to publish it. Not really sure why…maybe because it would feel like a true good bye?

It’s now been a few months since Genaro “Chicanito” Hernandez passed away. He was a true people’s champion and not once did I hear a bad word uttered about the man.

I first met Chicanito at the original LA Boxing Club in downtown LA, where he used to train. From knowing his brother Victor and being trained by his other brother Rudy (who was also Chicanito’s coach), I soon met Genaro, who always would come in with a smile on his face. However, it wasn’t until we played a soccer game against Telemundo – Los Boxeadores vs Telemundo – that I really got to know him. It was an exhibition game, where fighters such as Panchito “Travieso 2” Arce, Jorge “El Maromero” Paez, Alejandro “Cobrita” Gonzalez, Marinho “Astro Boy” Gonzalez (R.I.P.) played. Even Antonio Margarito was there to support us. It didn’t help much – we were terrible (El Maromero Paez might have been a great champ but a terrible soccer player)! The only “real” soccer players on the team was me and Genaro. Genaro was a goal keeper for a team and asked me to come play with them and so I did.

I got to know a great man, who loved a good joke; a good prank; to have a good time; and to be around people he enjoyed.

If you didn’t know him and his brothers, you’d think they hated eachother, always talking smack back and forth but they always had eachother’s backs and you knew it.

I remember Genaro bringing one of his fighters into the gym, who was pretty green. You could tell he was really nervous and Genaro’s brother Rudy kept screaming (during sparring) “take his head off Marcus! You knock him down, I’ll buy you lunch; you knock him out, I’ll buy you lunch for a week, you kill him, lunch for a year!” Rudy wasn’t serious and just talking smack but it made me smile, because he had done the same to me the first time I sparred with Genaro.

At around the time I was transitioning into MMA, Chicanito became the Spanish commentator for the UFC. I said “but you don’t know anything about the ground game??” He said: “I don’t like that stuff. They wanted me to learn from Eddie Bravo but I only went once – I don’t want to crawl around and sweat with a bunch of guys”. I said: “So how do you do it when they go to the ground?!” He said with his big smile: “I sit next to Joe Rogan – I just translate whatever he says into Spanish.”

Even when he was diagnosed with cancer, he was always positive and with a smile on his face. It was tough to see the disease and treatment take it’s toll on him. However, one thing never changed; that big, warm, smile.

A father, a son, a brother, a husband, a 2 time World Champion, who both fought and had Oscar De La Hoya & Floyd Mayweather’s respect. A great man and most of all, a great friend.

 

2 Responses to “Genaro “Chicanito” Hernandez”

1. Angel says:

   December 15, 2011 at 9:48 am

   Our condolences and respects for such a great loss. May his legacy live on and continue to touch lives as he touched yours.

   Reply
   • mkowal says:

     December 20, 2011 at 9:51 pm

     Thank you Angel

     Reply