This 1978 lightweight boxing fight between Gato Gonzalez verses Andy Ganigan…. featured one super great lightweight in Gonzalez against one really good lightweight in Ganigan during the Golden Age of Boxing from 1964 to 1999.
Rodolfo González was a Mexican boxer and former WBC Lightweight Champion also known as El Gato…. who started his career very young at the age of 14 by winning his first 37 bouts. In 1972 he took on Chango Carmona for the WBC Lightweight Title….and won via a Corner retirement in the 13th round. González defended the title two times before losing the belt to Guts Ishimatsu in 1974 via KO in the 8th round….then later in the year he face Ishimatsu again in a rematch….but lost via TKO. González was a devastating puncher and was named to Ring Magazine’s list of 100 greatest punchers….and had a career record of 81-7-1 with 71 KO’s.
Andy “Hawaiian Punch”Ganigan was an American former lightweight boxer of Filipino descent born in Waipahu, Hawai….who was notable for his punching ability….having been named # 97 in The Ring‘s list of 100 greatest punchers of all time….as Ganigan fought from 1972 to 1983…while ending his career with an overall record of 34 wins (30 by KO) and 5 losses….having captured the NABF lightweight title by scoring a TKO in 8 rounds over Vicente Mijares….which he lost to Johnny Lira in 1978….but recaptured the crown in 1979….and he won the World Athletic Associan (WAA) lightweight title by scoring a KO in 2 rounds over Sean O’Grady in 1981. Ganigan then challenged legendary boxer Alexis Argüello on May 22, 1982 for the WBC lightweight crown….Hawaiian Punch knocked Arguello down in the first round…but was KO’d in 5th….as Ganigan’s last fight was an unsuccessful attempt to take the USBA lightweight crown from Jimmy Paul on June 6, 1983….when he was stopped on a 6th round TKO.
This fight was a really good fight….as Ganigan held his own against Gato in a fight worthy of watching by any boxing fan..
