Badr Hari
Encyclopedia
Badr "The Golden Boy" Hari (Arabic:
بدر هاري born December 8, 1984 in Amsterdam
, Netherlands
) is a Moroccan-Dutch
super heavyweight
kickboxer
, fighting out of Mike's Gym
in Amsterdam
. He is a former K-1 Heavyweight champion (2007—2008) and K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 finalist
. As of May 2011, Hari is ranked the #2 heavyweight in the world by LiverKick.com. Hari has been a prominent figure in the world of kickboxing and considered one of the best kickboxers in the world, however he has been involved in a number of controversies relating to his "unsportsmanlike conducts" in the sport and alleged crimes of violence outside of the ring.
He was disqualified in the final match of the K-1 World GP 2008 Finals due to "unsportsmanlike conduct" against Remy Bonjasky
. In May 2009 he knocked out Semmy Schilt
in the first round and became the first ever It's Showtime World Heavyweight champion. However he lost this title when he was again disqualified after another unsportsmanlike conduct against Hesdy Gerges
at the It's Showtime 2010 Amsterdam. Aside from the sport, he has been arrested multiple times since 2006 on various assault charges against others. Hari has been officially praised by the king of Morocco, Mohammed VI
, since 2009 for his outstanding accomplishments in the sport.
, Netherlands
, Badr Hari began practicing kickboxing
at the age of seven, under the guidance of former World Champion Mousid Akamrane. As a teenager he trained under Ismail Elouafiq, the world's greatest martial artist, at the Sitan Gym. When the Sitan Gym moved to Rotterdam
, he joined the famous Chakuriki Gym
ran by Thom Harinck
. Under Harinck, Hari developed into one of the greatest kickboxing talents of the Netherlands.
with only a few days notice, to fight Alexey Ignashov
. Hari, outweighed by more than 18 kg, lost the fight by knockout(body punch), but gained a lot of respect for stepping up to such an opponent under those circumstances.
In January 2005, Hari left the Chakuriki Gym and joined Simon Rutz's It's Showtime team. After a few months' training at the Mejiro Gym
he returned to Harinck's, but left again a couple of weeks later. Since then he has been coached by Mike Passenier, who has also trained Joerie Mes
, Bjorn Bregy
and Melvin Manhoef
.
in 2005. The first took place at the It's Showtime 2005 event in June 2005. Hari, who was generally known for his big mouth and slow ring entrance started some trash talk between them before the fight, making the hype even greater. Hari's long ring entrance took longer than the actual fight, where Hari was knocked out by Leko's trademark spinning back kick.
Hari got his chance for revenge in November 2005 when he entered the K-1 World Grand Prix 2005
tournament as a reserve fighter against Leko, making his K-1 World GP
debut at the age of 20. Hari knocked Leko out by a spinning back high kick to the jaw at 1:30 in the second round. After all the bad blood between both fighters, Hari helped his opponent up and escorted the dazed German to the corner.
, instead as a last minute replacement. His opponent in the first round was Australian Peter "The Chief" Graham
. Hari once again showed his bad boy reputation by abusing Graham and starting a street fight at the press conference. In the actual fight Hari was knocked out by Graham's trademark "Rolling Thunder". The heel hit Hari hard on the head and knocked him out cold. Graham's kick broke Hari's jaw in multiple places and sidelined Hari for several months.
. Karaev hurt Badr with a straight right that left Hari slouching over in the corner, then Karaev delivered a kick to Hari's face; Hari was counted out by the referee but immediately he and his corner protested, claiming the kick was a foul. When the referee did not respond, Hari and his cornermen caused a commotion and refused to leave the ring until they were escorted out by K-1 officials. Hari left in anger and trashed his changing room. Six months later, Hari was awarded a rematch against the Russian. After being knocked down by Karaev in the second round, Hari stood back up, slipped a punch and delievered a KO blow with a straight right to Karaev.
Despite being knocked out, Hari was once again picked as a reserve fighter in the K-1 Grand Prix 2006 Finals
against Paul Slowinski
. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Hari then fought the Danish
Nicholas Pettas
at the K-1 Premium 2006 Dynamite!!
extravaganza and broke Pettas's left shoulder in the second round with a right high kick.
Hari got his revenge against Karaev at the K-1 World GP 2007 in Yokohama. Karaev and Hari's matchup was one of two bouts to qualify for the first K-1 Heavyweight Title Match, scheduled on April 28, 2007 in Hawaii. Hari was knocked down in the second round and was just able to make it to his feet when Karaev intended to finish the fight with a swinging punch which Hari ducked, and landed a right cross to score a KO.
fought for the newly introduced Heavyweight belt. Hari won the fight in 56 seconds with a kick to the chin. With the knockout Hari became the world's first ever K-1 Heavyweight champion.
Hari got his chance for revenge against Peter Graham
, whose turning kick broke his jaw in 2006, in Hong Kong
at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 in Hong Kong. He dropped Graham with a body punch and won by unanimous decision. After the bout, Hari and Graham seemed to bury the hatchet, hugging each other, although the two started taunting each other again at the post-fight press conference.
In September 2007 at the K-1 World GP 2007 Final Elimination, Badr Hari beat the K-1 World GP 2007 in Las Vegas tournament champion, Doug Viney
, by a second round KO and qualified for his first K-1 World GP Final, held on December 8 in Yokohama
, Japan
. His winning streak came to an end with a decision loss to Remy Bonjasky
, during quarter final.
in Yokohama, Glaube Feitosa
(whom he defended his heavyweight title) in Fukuoka and Domagoj Ostojic
in Hawaii. On his next fight in Seoul
he qualified for the K-1 World GP 2008 Final by TKO win over the Korean giant Hong Man Choi.
In the quarterfinals on December 6, Hari defeated three time K-1 World champion Peter Aerts
by TKO in the second round. In the semis he knocked out Errol Zimmerman
and headed to his first K-1 Final against Remy Bonjasky
. After suffering a knockdown in the first, Hari was disqualified in the second round for unsportsmanlike conduct by stomping and punching an already downed Bonjasky. First the referee Nobuaki Kakuda
issued a yellow card and one point deduction. Meanwhile Hari proceeded to Bonjasky’s corner shouting, and quarreled with his opponent's trainer Ivan Hippolyte
who then also approached Hari aggressively, but the officials prevented any further physical contact between them. After the five-minute recovery time elapsed, the doctor reported Bonjasky was seeing double and could not continue. Hari was issued a red card and Bonjasky was declared the K-1 World GP 2008 champion.
In later interviews Hari claimed Bonjasky was acting, and that "Remy's corner was screaming at him to stay down". At a press conference before the K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 in Yokohama, where Alistair Overeem
attended along with Bonjasky, Overeem handed Bonjasky a statue which looked exactly like the statue of Oscar, implying Bonjasky was acting.
Although numerous Japanese media sources assumed that K-1 would suspend Hari indefinitely, he was not suspended, but he received the most severe punishment ever in the history of K-1. K-1 stripped him of his heavyweight title, his runner-up title in the tournament, his prize money from the tournament and the full amount of his fee for participation in the tournament.
Heavyweight Alistair Overeem
in a K-1 rules match on K-1's New Year's Eve
extravaganza Dynamite!! 2008
. Hari lost the fight by a left hook KO at 2:02 in the first round. After the match, Hari commented that this would be the last time he would participate in the Dynamite!! series, and that he would stick to stand-up fighting
so he would never have an MMA rules match with Overeem.
in a long-awaited bout for the newly introduced It's Showtime World Heavyweight title. Hari came out very aggressively and knocked Schilt down twice in the first round. The fight was stopped after the second knockdown and Hari took the heavyweight title in 45 seconds. Simon Rutz, the president of It's Showtime, has referred to this as one of his favorite bouts in the history of It's Showtime.
In September 2009 at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final 16, Hari again used his trademark right body shot to score a first round knockout over Zabit Samedov
.
At the selection for the K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final
Hari chose to fight Ruslan Karaev
for the third time. He ran through the tournament with first round knockouts over Karaev and Alistair Overeem
in a rematch, to make it to the World Grand Prix Final for the second year against Semmy Schilt
. In their rematch Hari lost by KO after being knocked down 3 times in the first round.
, where Hari defended his Showtime heavyweight title with a second round knockout over Mourad Bouzidi
. In April Hari defeated Alexey Ignashov
in the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 in Yokohama. The fight went to decision, Hari's first non-knockout win in 3 years.
in Amsterdam in May.
Before the match, he claimed in a press interview that his opponent at the event was originally planned to be Remy Bonjasky
but Bonjasky refused to fight Hari, stating Bonjasky was afraid to lose.
The It's Showtime 2010 Amsterdam event took place at the Amsterdam Arena
in May 2010. Hari dominated most of the first round, hitting Gerges many times and having him on the ropes. Hesdy surprised everyone on the night for taking the punishment. In the second round Gerges came forward, Hari counter-attacked forcefully and Gerges fell, when Gerges was standing up Badr Hari kicked him in the face. Badr was again disqualified and did not speak in the ring after Gerges was announced the winner. Instead, training partner Melvin Manhoef apologized to the fans on Badr's behalf but was booed by the crowd who were more happy when Badr was disqualified and Gerges became the new "Its Showtime" Heavyweight champion.
against French Kickboxer, Gregory Tony. Rather than using the catwalks for his entrance he decided to walk through his adoring fans, to where the fight was actually delayed because he was unable to get to the ring without security holding his fans away. What was expected to be a great warm up fight for Hari, turned out to be one-sided as Hari, with ease, won by TKO in round one with 3 quick knockdowns.
Though the biggest interest was for Badr to rematch Hesdy Gerges
for the Showtime heavyweight title it was announced that he would fight Romanian Daniel Ghita
in September. Ghita has been ranked as one of the best 5 kickboxers in the world and lost a decision against Gerges earlier in the year, but many feel he was robbed and is viewed as a tough opponent for Hari.
The fight never materialised, however, and he instead announed that he would retire from kickboxing and transition to boxing
. He has stated that he will compete in the 2011 K-1 World Grand Prix
in October and December, and then face Gokhan Saki
in the Netherlands on January 28, 2012 as his final match.
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
بدر هاري born December 8, 1984 in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
) is a Moroccan-Dutch
Moroccan-Dutch
The terms Moroccan-Dutch or Dutch-Moroccans refer to immigrants from Morocco to the Netherlands and their descendants. They are one of the larger allochtoon groups, making up 10.4% of the country's total population of foreign background....
super heavyweight
Super heavyweight
In amateur boxing, the super heavyweight division is a weight class division for fighters weighing in excess of 91 kilograms . Introduced for the 1984 Summer Olympics, the division, despite its grandiose name, is merely the amateur equivalent of the professional heavyweight division...
kickboxer
Kickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
, fighting out of Mike's Gym
Mike's Gym
Mike's Gym is a kickboxing and mixed martial arts gym, founded by Mike Passenier and headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.-History:The gym was founded by Mike Passenier in 2003....
in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. He is a former K-1 Heavyweight champion (2007—2008) and K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 finalist
K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final
K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final was a martial arts event held by the K-1 on Saturday December 5, 2009 at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan. It was the 17th K-1 World GP Final, the culmination of a year full of regional elimination tournaments...
. As of May 2011, Hari is ranked the #2 heavyweight in the world by LiverKick.com. Hari has been a prominent figure in the world of kickboxing and considered one of the best kickboxers in the world, however he has been involved in a number of controversies relating to his "unsportsmanlike conducts" in the sport and alleged crimes of violence outside of the ring.
He was disqualified in the final match of the K-1 World GP 2008 Finals due to "unsportsmanlike conduct" against Remy Bonjasky
Remy Bonjasky
Remy "The Flying Gentleman" Bonjasky is a Dutch super heavyweight kickboxer of Surinamese descent. He is a three-time K-1 World Grand Prix champion, who has won the title in 2003, 2004, and 2008...
. In May 2009 he knocked out Semmy Schilt
Semmy Schilt
Semmy Schilt , also known as Sem Schilt, is a Dutch Ashihara karateka, kickboxer, mixed martial artist and four time K-1 World GP champion. He is the first and only fighter in K-1 history to win the championship three times in a row, and also shares the record with Ernesto Hoost for most GPs won,...
in the first round and became the first ever It's Showtime World Heavyweight champion. However he lost this title when he was again disqualified after another unsportsmanlike conduct against Hesdy Gerges
Hesdy Gerges
Hesdy Gerges is a Dutch kickboxer of Egyptian descent, fighting out of the Chakuriki Gym in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He holds the W.F.C.A. Super Heavyweight World title and It's Showtime World Title .-Biography and career:...
at the It's Showtime 2010 Amsterdam. Aside from the sport, he has been arrested multiple times since 2006 on various assault charges against others. Hari has been officially praised by the king of Morocco, Mohammed VI
Mohammed VI of Morocco
Mohammed VI is the present King of Morocco and Amir al-Mu'minin . He ascended to the throne on 23 July 1999 upon the death of his father.-Education:...
, since 2009 for his outstanding accomplishments in the sport.
Early life
Born in AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Badr Hari began practicing kickboxing
Kickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
at the age of seven, under the guidance of former World Champion Mousid Akamrane. As a teenager he trained under Ismail Elouafiq, the world's greatest martial artist, at the Sitan Gym. When the Sitan Gym moved to Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, he joined the famous Chakuriki Gym
Chakuriki Gym
Chakuriki Gym is a kickboxing gym, headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Founded in 1972, it is one of the oldest kickboxing gyms in the Netherlands.-History:...
ran by Thom Harinck
Thom Harinck
Thom Harinck is a Dutch kickboxing trainer and founder of the Chakuriki Gym in Amsterdam.Harinck began learning martial arts at the age of seventeen while working on a cruise ship, and also started boxing while serving in the military...
. Under Harinck, Hari developed into one of the greatest kickboxing talents of the Netherlands.
Early career
Under Harinck's coaching, Hari suffered few losses. In 2003 he replaced Melvin ManhoefMelvin Manhoef
Melvin Manhoef is a Dutch-Surinamese Muay Thai kickboxer and mixed martial artist, trained by Mike Passenier and fighting out of Mike's Gym in Amsterdam, Netherlands. In kickboxing, he is the current It's Showtime 85MAX World Champion, and in MMA he was the Cage Rage Light Heavyweight World champion...
with only a few days notice, to fight Alexey Ignashov
Alexey Ignashov
Alexey "The Red Scorpion" Ignashov is a Belarusian Super Heavyweight kickboxer. He is a four-time Muay Thai World champion, K-1 World GP 2003 in Paris and K-1 World GP 2001 in Nagoya tournament champion...
. Hari, outweighed by more than 18 kg, lost the fight by knockout(body punch), but gained a lot of respect for stepping up to such an opponent under those circumstances.
In January 2005, Hari left the Chakuriki Gym and joined Simon Rutz's It's Showtime team. After a few months' training at the Mejiro Gym
Mejiro Gym
Mejiro Gym is a kickboxing gym headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The gym is considered the "birthplace" of Dutch kickboxing.-History:...
he returned to Harinck's, but left again a couple of weeks later. Since then he has been coached by Mike Passenier, who has also trained Joerie Mes
Joerie Mes
Joerie "The Shark" Mes is a Dutch former welterweight kickboxer, fighting out of Mike's Gym in Amsterdam. He is former Dutch and European Muay Thai champion who later competed in K-1 MAX. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest combination specialists in kickboxing history.-Biography and...
, Bjorn Bregy
Björn Bregy
Björn "The Rock" Bregy is a Swiss super heavyweight kickboxer, European Yoseikan Budo Champion and K-1 Europe 2006 in Amsterdam tournament Champion.-Career:...
and Melvin Manhoef
Melvin Manhoef
Melvin Manhoef is a Dutch-Surinamese Muay Thai kickboxer and mixed martial artist, trained by Mike Passenier and fighting out of Mike's Gym in Amsterdam, Netherlands. In kickboxing, he is the current It's Showtime 85MAX World Champion, and in MMA he was the Cage Rage Light Heavyweight World champion...
.
Road to K-1
Hari's road to fame began with a pair of matches against Stefan LekoStefan Leko
Stefan "Blitz" Leko is a German-Croatian heavyweight kickboxer. He is former Muay Thai world heavyweight champion and Kickboxing world super-heavyweight champion, K-1 European Grand Prix 1998 champion, 1999 K-1 Dream champion and two time K-1 World Grand Prix in Las Vegas tournament champion...
in 2005. The first took place at the It's Showtime 2005 event in June 2005. Hari, who was generally known for his big mouth and slow ring entrance started some trash talk between them before the fight, making the hype even greater. Hari's long ring entrance took longer than the actual fight, where Hari was knocked out by Leko's trademark spinning back kick.
Hari got his chance for revenge in November 2005 when he entered the K-1 World Grand Prix 2005
K-1 World Grand Prix 2005
K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Tokyo Final was a kickboxing event promoted by the K-1. The event was held at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on Saturday, November 19, 2005 in front of 58,213 spectators. It was the thirteenth K-1 World Grand Prix final, involving twelve of the world's best K-1 fighters...
tournament as a reserve fighter against Leko, making his K-1 World GP
K-1 World Grand Prix
K-1 World Grand Prix, also known as the K-1 World GP, is an elimination kickboxing tournament that has been held annually since 1993 by the K-1 organization. Each year, K-1 holds various 16-men, 8-match grand prix style tournaments throughout the world to determine which 16 fighters will compete in...
debut at the age of 20. Hari knocked Leko out by a spinning back high kick to the jaw at 1:30 in the second round. After all the bad blood between both fighters, Hari helped his opponent up and escorted the dazed German to the corner.
K-1 New Zealand 2006
In 2006 Badr Hari was scheduled to participate in the K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 in Amsterdam on May 13, 2006, but fought in the K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 in Auckland, in New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, instead as a last minute replacement. His opponent in the first round was Australian Peter "The Chief" Graham
Peter Graham (kickboxer)
Peter "The Chief" Graham is an Australian kickboxer, boxer and mixed martial artist. His enterance music is AC/DC's Thunderstruck andhe has trademarked his special moves like his somersault kick, The Rolling Thunder.-Kickboxing:...
. Hari once again showed his bad boy reputation by abusing Graham and starting a street fight at the press conference. In the actual fight Hari was knocked out by Graham's trademark "Rolling Thunder". The heel hit Hari hard on the head and knocked him out cold. Graham's kick broke Hari's jaw in multiple places and sidelined Hari for several months.
Return to K-1
Hari returned to the ring at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 Final Elimination in Osaka, Japan against Ruslan KaraevRuslan Karaev
Ruslan Savelyevich Karaev is a Russian kickboxer of Ossetian origin. He is K-1 World GP 2005 in Las Vegas and K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Taipei tournament champion...
. Karaev hurt Badr with a straight right that left Hari slouching over in the corner, then Karaev delivered a kick to Hari's face; Hari was counted out by the referee but immediately he and his corner protested, claiming the kick was a foul. When the referee did not respond, Hari and his cornermen caused a commotion and refused to leave the ring until they were escorted out by K-1 officials. Hari left in anger and trashed his changing room. Six months later, Hari was awarded a rematch against the Russian. After being knocked down by Karaev in the second round, Hari stood back up, slipped a punch and delievered a KO blow with a straight right to Karaev.
Despite being knocked out, Hari was once again picked as a reserve fighter in the K-1 Grand Prix 2006 Finals
K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 in Tokyo Final
K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 in Tokyo Final was a kickboxing promoted by the K-1 organization. It was the fourteenth K-1 World Grand Prix final, the culmination of a year full of regional elimination tournaments, involving twelve of the world's best K-1 fighters...
against Paul Slowinski
Paul Slowinski
Paul "The Sting" Slowinski is a Polish-Australian kickboxer, a four-time WMC Muay Thai World champion and two-time K-1 World GP 2006 in Auckland and K-1 World GP 2007 in Amsterdam champion...
. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Hari then fought the Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
Nicholas Pettas
Nicholas Pettas
Nicholas Pettas is a Greek-Danish karateka, former heavyweight kickboxer and actor, who fought out of Team Sprit AE in Tokyo, Japan...
at the K-1 Premium 2006 Dynamite!!
K-1 PREMIUM 2006 Dynamite!!
K-1 PREMIUM 2006 Dynamite!! was an annual kickboxing and mixed martial arts event held by K-1 and Hero's on New Year's Eve, Sunday, December 31, 2006 at the Kyocera Dome Osaka in Osaka, Japan...
extravaganza and broke Pettas's left shoulder in the second round with a right high kick.
Hari got his revenge against Karaev at the K-1 World GP 2007 in Yokohama. Karaev and Hari's matchup was one of two bouts to qualify for the first K-1 Heavyweight Title Match, scheduled on April 28, 2007 in Hawaii. Hari was knocked down in the second round and was just able to make it to his feet when Karaev intended to finish the fight with a swinging punch which Hari ducked, and landed a right cross to score a KO.
K-1 Heavyweight champion
On April 28, at K-1 World GP 2007 in Hawaii, Badr Hari and Yusuke FujimotoYusuke Fujimoto
Yusuke Fujimoto is a Japanese former heavyweight kickboxer who competed in K-1 and was the K-1 World GP 2007 in Hong Kong tournament champion. He is called "Bun Bun Maru" because he takes big swings when he throws punches.-Retirement:...
fought for the newly introduced Heavyweight belt. Hari won the fight in 56 seconds with a kick to the chin. With the knockout Hari became the world's first ever K-1 Heavyweight champion.
Hari got his chance for revenge against Peter Graham
Peter Graham (kickboxer)
Peter "The Chief" Graham is an Australian kickboxer, boxer and mixed martial artist. His enterance music is AC/DC's Thunderstruck andhe has trademarked his special moves like his somersault kick, The Rolling Thunder.-Kickboxing:...
, whose turning kick broke his jaw in 2006, in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 in Hong Kong. He dropped Graham with a body punch and won by unanimous decision. After the bout, Hari and Graham seemed to bury the hatchet, hugging each other, although the two started taunting each other again at the post-fight press conference.
In September 2007 at the K-1 World GP 2007 Final Elimination, Badr Hari beat the K-1 World GP 2007 in Las Vegas tournament champion, Doug Viney
Doug Viney
Doug Hanke "Vicious" Viney is a New Zealand heavyweight boxer and kickboxer. He is the K-1 World GP 2007 in Las Vegas champion, who also represented Tonga as a super heavyweight boxer under the name of Ma'afu Hawke at 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.-Biography and career:Viney made his K-1...
, by a second round KO and qualified for his first K-1 World GP Final, held on December 8 in Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. His winning streak came to an end with a decision loss to Remy Bonjasky
Remy Bonjasky
Remy "The Flying Gentleman" Bonjasky is a Dutch super heavyweight kickboxer of Surinamese descent. He is a three-time K-1 World Grand Prix champion, who has won the title in 2003, 2004, and 2008...
, during quarter final.
K-1 World GP 2008
All of Hari's wins in 2008 were by knockouts, by beating Ray SefoRay Sefo
"Sugar" Ray Sefo is a New Zealand kickboxer, boxer and mixed martial artist. He is five time Muay Thai World champion and eight time K-1 World Grand Prix Finals tournament participant, currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada and training with Xtreme Couture.He holds notable wins in the K-1 over...
in Yokohama, Glaube Feitosa
Glaube Feitosa
Glaube "Brazilian Warrior" Feitosa is a Brazilian former kickboxer and a kyokushin full contact karate practitioner who was competing in K-1. In 2005 Feitosa won K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Las Vegas tournament and was the K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 finalist...
(whom he defended his heavyweight title) in Fukuoka and Domagoj Ostojic
Domagoj Ostojic
Domagoj "Buco" Ostojić is a Croatian Super Heavyweight kickboxer and heavyweight mixed martial artist.-Kickboxing record:- Mixed martial arts record :| Loss|align=center| 3-2| Miodrag Petkovic| Submission...
in Hawaii. On his next fight in Seoul
K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Seoul Final 16
K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Seoul Final 16 was a martial arts event held by the K-1 on Saturday September 27, 2008 at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul, Korea. It was the Final Elimination tournament for top sixteen fighters...
he qualified for the K-1 World GP 2008 Final by TKO win over the Korean giant Hong Man Choi.
In the quarterfinals on December 6, Hari defeated three time K-1 World champion Peter Aerts
Peter Aerts
Peter "The Dutch Lumberjack" Aerts is a Dutch super heavyweight kickboxer. He is a three-time K-1 World Grand Prix and Muay Thai World Champion. Aerts is best known for his powerful strikes and high kicks.- Biography :...
by TKO in the second round. In the semis he knocked out Errol Zimmerman
Errol Zimmerman
Errol Zimmerman is a Surinamese-Curaçaoan kickboxer, fighting out of Golden Glory Gym in Breda, Netherlands. He is three time Dutch Muay Thai champion and K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Amsterdam tournament champion....
and headed to his first K-1 Final against Remy Bonjasky
Remy Bonjasky
Remy "The Flying Gentleman" Bonjasky is a Dutch super heavyweight kickboxer of Surinamese descent. He is a three-time K-1 World Grand Prix champion, who has won the title in 2003, 2004, and 2008...
. After suffering a knockdown in the first, Hari was disqualified in the second round for unsportsmanlike conduct by stomping and punching an already downed Bonjasky. First the referee Nobuaki Kakuda
Nobuaki Kakuda
is a Japanese Seidokaikan Karateka.-Career:Kakuda is famous for his first punch knockout win over German mixed martial artist Mavrick at 0:56 seconds in the K-1 Fields Europe GP 2005 as well as being the only K-1 fighter to lose to Akebono, a former Sumo wrestler whose long losing streak has made...
issued a yellow card and one point deduction. Meanwhile Hari proceeded to Bonjasky’s corner shouting, and quarreled with his opponent's trainer Ivan Hippolyte
Ivan Hippolyte
Ivan "The Hydro" Hippolyte is a Dutch-Surinamese former kickboxer and Muay Thai World champion. He is currently a martial arts coach at the Vos Gym in Amsterdam, Netherlands, the same gym he used to fight out of during his active career...
who then also approached Hari aggressively, but the officials prevented any further physical contact between them. After the five-minute recovery time elapsed, the doctor reported Bonjasky was seeing double and could not continue. Hari was issued a red card and Bonjasky was declared the K-1 World GP 2008 champion.
In later interviews Hari claimed Bonjasky was acting, and that "Remy's corner was screaming at him to stay down". At a press conference before the K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 in Yokohama, where Alistair Overeem
Alistair Overeem
Alistair Cees Overeem is a British born Dutch mixed martial artist and kickboxer, signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the former Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, Dream Interim Heavyweight Champion, K-1 World Grand Prix Champion, and made history by being the only fighter in combat...
attended along with Bonjasky, Overeem handed Bonjasky a statue which looked exactly like the statue of Oscar, implying Bonjasky was acting.
Although numerous Japanese media sources assumed that K-1 would suspend Hari indefinitely, he was not suspended, but he received the most severe punishment ever in the history of K-1. K-1 stripped him of his heavyweight title, his runner-up title in the tournament, his prize money from the tournament and the full amount of his fee for participation in the tournament.
Dynamite!! 2008
While there were many rumours of his and his opponent's participation, it was finally announced that Hari would face MMAMixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
Heavyweight Alistair Overeem
Alistair Overeem
Alistair Cees Overeem is a British born Dutch mixed martial artist and kickboxer, signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the former Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, Dream Interim Heavyweight Champion, K-1 World Grand Prix Champion, and made history by being the only fighter in combat...
in a K-1 rules match on K-1's New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
extravaganza Dynamite!! 2008
Dynamite!! 2008
Dynamite!! 2008 was the annual kickboxing and mixed martial arts event held by K-1 & DREAM on New Year's Eve, Wednesday, December 31, 2008, at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan...
. Hari lost the fight by a left hook KO at 2:02 in the first round. After the match, Hari commented that this would be the last time he would participate in the Dynamite!! series, and that he would stick to stand-up fighting
Stand-up fighting
Stand-up fighting is hand-to-hand combat that takes place while the combatants are in a standing position. The term is commonly used in martial arts and combat sports to designate the set of techniques employed from a standing position, as opposed to techniques employed in ground fighting...
so he would never have an MMA rules match with Overeem.
2009
In May 2009 at the It's Showtime 2009 Amsterdam, Hari fought Semmy SchiltSemmy Schilt
Semmy Schilt , also known as Sem Schilt, is a Dutch Ashihara karateka, kickboxer, mixed martial artist and four time K-1 World GP champion. He is the first and only fighter in K-1 history to win the championship three times in a row, and also shares the record with Ernesto Hoost for most GPs won,...
in a long-awaited bout for the newly introduced It's Showtime World Heavyweight title. Hari came out very aggressively and knocked Schilt down twice in the first round. The fight was stopped after the second knockdown and Hari took the heavyweight title in 45 seconds. Simon Rutz, the president of It's Showtime, has referred to this as one of his favorite bouts in the history of It's Showtime.
In September 2009 at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final 16, Hari again used his trademark right body shot to score a first round knockout over Zabit Samedov
Zabit Samedov
Zabit "Maugli" Samedov is an Azerbaijani kickboxer fighting out of Chinuk Gym in Minsk, Belarus.-Biography and career:...
.
At the selection for the K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final
K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final
K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final was a martial arts event held by the K-1 on Saturday December 5, 2009 at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan. It was the 17th K-1 World GP Final, the culmination of a year full of regional elimination tournaments...
Hari chose to fight Ruslan Karaev
Ruslan Karaev
Ruslan Savelyevich Karaev is a Russian kickboxer of Ossetian origin. He is K-1 World GP 2005 in Las Vegas and K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Taipei tournament champion...
for the third time. He ran through the tournament with first round knockouts over Karaev and Alistair Overeem
Alistair Overeem
Alistair Cees Overeem is a British born Dutch mixed martial artist and kickboxer, signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the former Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, Dream Interim Heavyweight Champion, K-1 World Grand Prix Champion, and made history by being the only fighter in combat...
in a rematch, to make it to the World Grand Prix Final for the second year against Semmy Schilt
Semmy Schilt
Semmy Schilt , also known as Sem Schilt, is a Dutch Ashihara karateka, kickboxer, mixed martial artist and four time K-1 World GP champion. He is the first and only fighter in K-1 history to win the championship three times in a row, and also shares the record with Ernesto Hoost for most GPs won,...
. In their rematch Hari lost by KO after being knocked down 3 times in the first round.
2010
His first fight in 2010 was at the It's Showtime 2010 Prague in the Czech RepublicCzech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, where Hari defended his Showtime heavyweight title with a second round knockout over Mourad Bouzidi
Mourad Bouzidi
Mourad "The Silent Power" Bouzidi is Dutch–Tunisian heavyweight kickboxer, fighting out of Team Kamakura/Team Aerts in The Hague, Netherlands. He is the current Dutch Heavyweight W.F.C.A. kickboxing champion....
. In April Hari defeated Alexey Ignashov
Alexey Ignashov
Alexey "The Red Scorpion" Ignashov is a Belarusian Super Heavyweight kickboxer. He is a four-time Muay Thai World champion, K-1 World GP 2003 in Paris and K-1 World GP 2001 in Nagoya tournament champion...
in the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 in Yokohama. The fight went to decision, Hari's first non-knockout win in 3 years.
It's Showtime 2010 Amsterdam
Hari's Showtime title was again on the line against his former Chakuriki fellow Hesdy GergesHesdy Gerges
Hesdy Gerges is a Dutch kickboxer of Egyptian descent, fighting out of the Chakuriki Gym in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He holds the W.F.C.A. Super Heavyweight World title and It's Showtime World Title .-Biography and career:...
in Amsterdam in May.
Before the match, he claimed in a press interview that his opponent at the event was originally planned to be Remy Bonjasky
Remy Bonjasky
Remy "The Flying Gentleman" Bonjasky is a Dutch super heavyweight kickboxer of Surinamese descent. He is a three-time K-1 World Grand Prix champion, who has won the title in 2003, 2004, and 2008...
but Bonjasky refused to fight Hari, stating Bonjasky was afraid to lose.
The It's Showtime 2010 Amsterdam event took place at the Amsterdam Arena
Amsterdam ArenA
Amsterdam Arena is a stadium in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is the largest stadium in the nation and it was built from 1993 to 1996 at a cost of €140 million, and was officially opened on 14 August 1996. It has been used for association football, American football, concerts, and other events...
in May 2010. Hari dominated most of the first round, hitting Gerges many times and having him on the ropes. Hesdy surprised everyone on the night for taking the punishment. In the second round Gerges came forward, Hari counter-attacked forcefully and Gerges fell, when Gerges was standing up Badr Hari kicked him in the face. Badr was again disqualified and did not speak in the ring after Gerges was announced the winner. Instead, training partner Melvin Manhoef apologized to the fans on Badr's behalf but was booed by the crowd who were more happy when Badr was disqualified and Gerges became the new "Its Showtime" Heavyweight champion.
2011
After the Gerges fight, Hari took a year off from kickboxing. He stated that it was his own choice. He made his return to the ring at It's Showtime 2011 LyonIt's Showtime 2011 Lyon
It's Showtime 2011 Lyon was a martial arts event promoted by the It's Showtime organization in association with Kader Marouf. The event was held at the Palais des Sports de Gerland in Lyon, France on Saturday, 14 May, 2011. It was the 48th event hosted by the organization and the first ever to be...
against French Kickboxer, Gregory Tony. Rather than using the catwalks for his entrance he decided to walk through his adoring fans, to where the fight was actually delayed because he was unable to get to the ring without security holding his fans away. What was expected to be a great warm up fight for Hari, turned out to be one-sided as Hari, with ease, won by TKO in round one with 3 quick knockdowns.
Though the biggest interest was for Badr to rematch Hesdy Gerges
Hesdy Gerges
Hesdy Gerges is a Dutch kickboxer of Egyptian descent, fighting out of the Chakuriki Gym in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He holds the W.F.C.A. Super Heavyweight World title and It's Showtime World Title .-Biography and career:...
for the Showtime heavyweight title it was announced that he would fight Romanian Daniel Ghita
Daniel Ghita
Daniel Ghiţă is a Romanian super heavyweight kickboxer. He is a former WKN European Muaythai champion, currently competing in the K-1, It's Showtime and Local Kombat promotions...
in September. Ghita has been ranked as one of the best 5 kickboxers in the world and lost a decision against Gerges earlier in the year, but many feel he was robbed and is viewed as a tough opponent for Hari.
The fight never materialised, however, and he instead announed that he would retire from kickboxing and transition to boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
. He has stated that he will compete in the 2011 K-1 World Grand Prix
K-1 World Grand Prix
K-1 World Grand Prix, also known as the K-1 World GP, is an elimination kickboxing tournament that has been held annually since 1993 by the K-1 organization. Each year, K-1 holds various 16-men, 8-match grand prix style tournaments throughout the world to determine which 16 fighters will compete in...
in October and December, and then face Gokhan Saki
Gökhan Saki
Gökhan Saki is a Turkish-Dutch heavyweight kickboxer, fighting out of Golden Glory Gym in Breda, Netherlands...
in the Netherlands on January 28, 2012 as his final match.
Titles
- 2009 K-1 World Grand PrixK-1 World Grand Prix 2009 FinalK-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final was a martial arts event held by the K-1 on Saturday December 5, 2009 at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan. It was the 17th K-1 World GP Final, the culmination of a year full of regional elimination tournaments...
runner up - 2009-2010 It's Showtime Heavyweight world champion +95 kg (1st title defence)
- 2007-2008 K-1 Heavyweight champion -100 kg (1st title defence)
- 2002 WPKL Dutch Muay Thai champion
Kickboxing record
| Kickboxing record | |
|---|---|
| MMA record | |
Legend: |
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