Genaro Hernandez; boxer was twice a world champion [View All]

[Forkboy]

NEW YORK — Genaro Hernandez — a prizefighter nicknamed Chicanito, roughly translated as Little Mexican, who was twice the world super featherweight champion — died Tuesday at his home in Mission Viejo, Calif. He was 45.

The cause was rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare cancer that attacks muscle fibers, said his friend Bill Caplan.

Mr. Hernandez emerged from South Los Angeles in the mid-1980s as a lanky, artful boxer with a strong following among Hispanic fans of the sport. Losing only two of 41 professional bouts, he was WBA super featherweight champion from November 1991 to November 1994 and WBC super featherweight champion from March 1997 to October 1998. (The maximum weight for a super featherweight boxer is 130 pounds. Some boxing associations refer to this weight class as junior lightweight.)

Mr. Hernandez had his first pro fight in 1984 and defeated respected opponents like Lupe Miranda and Felipe Orozco on the way to his first title fight, with Daniel Londas on Nov. 22, 1991, in Epernay, France. He scored a technical knockout in the ninth round.

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/obituaries/articles/2011/06/13/genaro_hernandez_boxer_was_twice_a_world_champion/