Badr Hari

At the age of seven, Hari was sent by his father to the kickboxing gym to learn how to defend himself from bullies in the neighborhood. People quickly realized he was a natural talent and from the age of 11 he was fighting regularly as a junior. In his teenage years he worked with the Harinck at Chakuriki Gym and he started to become well known on the Amsterdam scene.[13]

At the age of 18 he already had 36 fights[14] on his record and was ready to fight at a professional level. A year later he fought against Alexey Ignashov at the Johan Cruijf Arena, the biggest soccer stadium in the Netherlands. Hari took the fight on short notice and lost, but won respect from the crowd and Ignashov for his display of heart.[13]

In January 2005, Hari left Chakuriki Gym and joined Simon Rutz's It's Showtime team. After a few months of training at the Mejiro Gym he temporarily returned to Harinck's for a couple of weeks. Since then he has been coached by Mike Passenier, who has also trained Joerie Mes, Bjorn Bregy and Melvin Manhoef.

Hari fought two matches against Leko in 2005; the first took place at an It's Showtime 2005 event in June 2005. Hari started trash talk between him and Leko before being knocked out by Leko's spinning back kick.

Hari got his opportunity for revenge in November 2005 when he entered the K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 tournament as a reserve fighter against Leko, and made his K-1 World GP debut at the age of 20.[15] Hari knocked out Leko by a spinning back high kick to the jaw at 1:30 in the second round.[16]

Hari returned to the ring at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 Final Elimination in Osaka, Japan, against Ruslan Karaev. Karaev hurt Badr with a straight right that left Hari slouching over in the corner before kicking Hari in the face. Hari was counted out by the referee but he and his corner immediately protested that the kick was a foul. When the referee did not respond, Hari and his corner men 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.

Despite being knocked out, Hari was picked as a reserve fighter again in the K-1 Grand Prix 2006 Finals against Paul Slowinski. He won the fight by unanimous decision.[17] Hari then fought Nicholas Pettas at the K-1 Premium 2006 Dynamite!! event and broke Pettas' left shoulder in the second round with a right high kick.[18]

Hari fought Karaev again at the K-1 World GP 2007 in Yokohama. Their matchup was one of two bouts to qualify for the first K-1 heavyweight title match, scheduled on 28 April 2007 in Hawaii. Hari beat Karaev in the second round.

On 28 April, at K-1 World GP 2007 in Hawaii, Hari and Yusuke Fujimoto 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 first K-1 Heavyweight champion.

Hari fought against Peter Graham, whose turning kick had broken his jaw in 2006, at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2007 in Hong Kong.[19] 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.[20]

In September 2007 at the K-1 World GP 2007 Final Elimination, 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 8 December in Yokohama, Japan.[21] His winning streak came to an end with a decision loss to Remy Bonjasky in the quarter finals.

All of Hari's wins in 2008 were by knockouts, by beating Ray Sefo in Yokohama, Glaube Feitosa (whom he defended his heavyweight title) in Fukuoka and Domagoj Ostojic in Hawaii. In his next fight in Seoul he qualified for the K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 Final by TKO win over Hong Man Choi.

Hari facing Remy Bonjasky in the K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 Final

In the quarterfinals on 6 December, Hari defeated three-time K-1 World champion Peter Aerts by TKO in the second round. In the semi final he knocked out Errol Zimmerman and advanced to his first K-1 Final against Remy Bonjasky. After suffering a knockdown in the first round, Hari was disqualified in the second round for unsportsmanlike conduct by stomping and punching an already downed Bonjasky. The referee, Nobuaki Kakuda, issued a yellow card and a one point deduction. Hari walked over to Bonjasky's corner and quarreled with his opponent's trainer, Ivan Hippolyte, who also approached Hari aggressively, but officials prevented any further physical contact between them.[22] 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.[23]

In later interviews Hari claimed Bonjasky was acting, and that "Remy's corner was screaming at him to stay down".[24] At a press conference before the K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 in Yokohama, Alistair Overeem handed Bonjasky a statue which looked exactly like an Oscar Statuette.[25]

Although numerous Japanese media sources assumed that K-1 would suspend Hari indefinitely,[26] he was not suspended.[27] However, he received the most severe punishment in the history of K-1:[28] he was stripped 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.[29]

Hari fought against Overeem in a K-1 rules match on K-1's New Year's Eve extravaganza Dynamite!! 2008.[30] Hari lost the fight by a left hook KO at 2:02 in the first round.[31] 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.[31]

In May 2009 at the It's Showtime 2009 Amsterdam, Hari fought Semmy Schilt in a bout for the newly introduced It's Showtime World Heavyweight title. The fight was stopped after the second knockdown and Hari took the heavyweight title in 45 seconds.[32] 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.[33]

In September 2009 at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final 16, Hari used his right body shot to score a first-round knockout over Zabit Samedov.[34]

At the selection for the K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final, Hari fought Karaev for the third time. He knocked out Karaev and Overeem in each bout's first round, before losing in a rematch against Schilt by KO after being knocked down three times in the first round.

His first fight in 2010 was at the It's Showtime 2010 Prague in the Czech Republic, where Hari defended his Showtime heavyweight title with a second-round knockout over Mourad Bouzidi.[35] In April Hari defeated Alexey Ignashov in the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 in Yokohama.[36] The fight went to decision, and it was Hari's first non-knockout win in three years.

Hari's Showtime title was again on the line against his former Chakuriki fellow Hesdy Gerges in Amsterdam in May. Before the match, he claimed in a press interview that his opponent at the event was originally planned to be Bonjasky, who refused to fight Hari, stating Bonjasky was afraid to lose.[37]

Hari in 2007

The It's Showtime 2010 Amsterdam event took place at the Amsterdam Arena in May 2010.[38] Hari was disqualified after kicking Gerges in the face while he was standing up, and did not speak in the ring after Gerges was announced the winner and became the new "Its Showtime" Heavyweight champion. Hari's training partner, Melvin Manhoef, apologized to the fans on Badr's behalf but was booed by the crowd.[39]

After the fight against Gerges, Hari took a year off from kickboxing[40] of his own choice.[41] He returned to the ring at It's Showtime 2011 Lyon against French kickboxer Gregory Tony. What was expected to be a warm up fight for Hari turned into a one-sided fight, as Hari won by TKO in round one with three quick knockdowns.

Although the biggest interest was for Hari to rematch Hesdy Gerges for the It's Showtime heavyweight title it was announced that he would fight Daniel Ghiță in September. Ghiță had been ranked as one of the best five kickboxers in the world. Ghiță had lost a decision against Gerges earlier in the year, but many felt he had been robbed and viewed him as a tough opponent for Hari.[40]

The fight never happened. Hari stated that he would compete in the 2011 K-1 World Grand Prix in October and December, and then face Gökhan Saki in the Netherlands on 28 January 2012 as his final match.[42] However, the K-1 World Grand Prix was cancelled due to financial difficulties.

Hari faced Gökhan Saki at It's Showtime 2012 in Leeuwarden on 28 January 2012. He defeated Saki by scoring three knockdowns in the first round before the referee stopped the fight, which earned him a TKO victory.[43][44]

In April 2012, K-1 Global President Mike Kim announced that Hari would make his comeback under the organization's banner. Hari's first fight was on 27 May 2012 in Madrid, Spain, against Anderson Silva. Hari won the bout via unanimous decision, and was scheduled to participate in K-1's final qualifications in October and the K-1 World Grand Prix Final in December. He was unable to participate due to uncertainty over his availability following allegations of two separate incidents of serious assault.[45]

After being released from detention, Hari was given the chance to fight in the K-1 World Grand Prix 2012 Final in Zagreb, Croatia, on 15 March 2013 when Ben Edwards withdrew. Hari had a rematch against Zabit Samedov in the quarter-finals,[46] and he scored a knockdown early in round one and forced a standing eight count in three. He won by unanimous decision, but injured his foot in the bout and was forced to forfeit the tournament.[47][48]

A third fight with Samedov took place at the Legend Fighting Show in Moscow, Russia, on 25 May 2013.[49] After being dropped late in round one, he was sent to the canvas again with a left hook in the second. Although he seemed lucid, he stayed on his knees and did not beat the count.[50][51][52][53][54]

Hari had his rubber match with Ignashov at Legend Fighting Show 2 in Moscow on 9 November 2013, taking a unanimous decision win.[55][56][57]

Hari was expected to fight Ismael Londt at the A1 World Combat Cup in Eindhoven, Netherlands, on 17 May 2014,[58] but the match was cancelled when the promoters had issues acquiring a license to promote the event.[59] Hari won a four-man tournament at GFC Series 1 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on 29 May 2014, having his rubber match with two former foes; he knocked out Leko in the semi-finals and scored a TKO over Peter Graham in the final.[60][61] He reportedly earned 1,000,000 Emirati dirham in prize money for the tournament win.[62]

On 6 July 2014, Hari announced via social media his intention to take an indefinite leave from kickboxing in order to find himself.[63] The following day he denied ever making such a statement and disavowed his "official" Facebook account.[64]

Hari was expected to fight Patrice Quarteron at GFC Series 2 in Dubai on 16 October 2014, but refused the fight and fought Arnold Oborotov instead, saying Quarteron did not behave sportingly.[65]

On 10 December 2016, Hari faced in a non-title bout Glory’s Heavyweight Champion Rico Verhoeven at Glory Collision in Oberhausen, Germany. The fight generated a lot of media attention, as Hari had not fought for over a year. He won the first round, but he injured his arm in the second round. Both his audience and the fighters themselves were very upset with the result and he quickly promised the audience a rematch.[66]

On 3 March 2018, Hari fought Gerges. Hari won the fight by unanimous decision, but a year after the fight it was revealed that both fighters had used sports supplements that contained prohibited substances; as a result, both fighters were suspended.[67]

On 21 December 2019, Hari met Verhoeven again in the Gelredome stadium in the Netherlands. Hari won the first round, but had to stop the fight in the second round due to an injury.[68]

On 19 December 2020, Hari fought the #2 ranked heavyweight contender in the world, Benjamin Adegbuyi, for the Glory Heavyweight Championship Eliminator at Glory 76. The fight was originally planned to take place on 20 June, but was postponed multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[69][70] On 13 September, Glory announced the event would take place on 7 November only for it be postponed again, when Hari announced that he tested positive for COVID-19 on 19 October.[71] Hari lost the fight by KO in the third round after being kicked by Adegbuyi.[72]

Glory vice-chairman Scott Rudmann revealed the following day that Hari suffered a double break in his nose on knockout.[73]

Hari is married to Daphne Romani and has four daughters and a son.[74] The family currently lives in Morocco.[75]

Hari has been arrested multiple times since 2006 on various assault charges,[76] and gained a reputation for violent behavior.[77] A psychologist who spoke to Hari in relation to one of his trials concluded that his success as an athlete and celebrity status, combined with a lack of personal guidance, resulted in narcissistic personality traits.[78] About his violent eruptions, Hari has said: "I am able to explode at any moment. [...] When my brakes are off, it's just one big clump of explosion, chaos and noise, and I become blind to it all. [...] A storm, a hurricane, a disaster. [...] There just is a certain aggression inside of me, of which I don't know what to do with and neither where it comes from."[79] At his conviction on 21 February 2014, the district attorney described Hari as an individual who is very short-tempered, indulges in vulgar power display, and demonstrates aggressive and intimidating behavior which is characterized by a high "do-you-even-know-who-I-am caliber".[78]

Late October 2012, an indictment was handed to Hari in his holding cell, which contained nine criminal charges against Hari: eight crimes of violence and one moving violation,[80] the latter of which is from an incident in March 2010 where a pedestrian sustained injuries. Crimes of violence include:

• 20 February 2010 Club Blinq. The bouncer of Club Blinq is assaulted by several perpetrators one of which is said to be Hari.[77][81]
• 6 March 2010 Albert Cuyp Market. Hari drives his car into the Albert Cuyp Street, which was closed to vehicle traffic, and has an accident with a pedestrian severely injuring her leg.[77]
• 1–29 July 2011 Spuistraat: Hari is accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend Rosa in her apartment in Spuistraat and the destruction of her property.[77][82]
• 17 July 2011 Club Air: Jeroen van de Berg, the owner of the Club Air and an Italian guest are assaulted. Jeroen suffers serious damage to his teeth due to a kick to the head.[77][83]
• 2 December 2011 Cooldown Cafe: Hari is caught on camera in "The Cooldown Cafe" assaulting Olivier, the stepbrother of his ex-girlfriend.[77]
• 8 July 2012 Sensation White: Dutch millionaire entrepreneur Koen Everink is severely assaulted at a dance event in the Amsterdam Arena. Everink suffered a broken nose and eye socket and a broken ankle, which required several surgical procedures.[84] The public prosecutor stated that numerous witnesses had pointed the finger at Hari.[85]

In July 2012 Hari surrendered to police as he feared "being arrested by a SWAT team"[86] to come forth and deny his involvement in an alleged assault on Everink, who claimed Hari was responsible for inflicting his face and leg injuries including a broken ankle,[86] and further allegations of assault made by an Amsterdam nightclub owner.[45] The latter alleged that he had also been attacked by Hari, saying that he "suffered a broken jaw and lost teeth after being kicked in the head" during an altercation at his nightclub and that in light of Everink's seeking to press charges, he would do the same.[45]

As is procedure in the Netherlands for crimes that carry a statutory minimum four-year prison sentence or more, Hari was detained in prison whilst awaiting trial. On 9 November 2012 a court in Amsterdam allowed Hari to return home until his trial on the condition that he not visit any horeca establishments (hotels, restaurants and café establishments), or contact witnesses, with the exception of his girlfriend Estelle Cruijff.[87] The day following his release he was spotted violating this condition by eating out at a deli with Cruijff. He also made contact with two witnesses of the incident.[88] As a result, Hari was arrested again by police in Amsterdam and was sentenced to be detained again, this time for three months, with his eventual release in January 2013.[87][88]

On 21 January 2013 a court in Amsterdam determined that Hari should again be released from his pre-trial detention, this time with the condition that he could not visit catering establishments between the hours of 8:00 PM and 8:00 AM.[89] By this point the main witnesses in the case had been heard; and the court deemed it unnecessary to further detain Hari.[89] After Hari's release he resumed training with the intention of returning to the ring.[90] His trial was reportedly set to take place in March 2013.[91]

On 21 February 2014 the district court in Amsterdam sentenced him to prison for ​1 ¹⁄₂ years.[92] His legal team and the prosecutionfiled an immediate appeal.[93] The Court of Appeal found him guilty of aggravated assault, noting in particular that each of his assaults was preceded by a relatively mild quarrel and that to his victims his violent behaviour came as a complete surprise, leaving them no chance to defend themselves. He was sentenced to two years in prison, of which ten months were suspended. Since he had already spent eight months in pre-arrest, he still had to serve half a year in prison. In addition, he had to pay his victims compensation of €45,000 in total,[94] and the judgement was upheld by the Supreme Court of the Netherlands in 2017.[95]

Hari was reportedly arrested in Dubai following his tournament win at Global FC 3 on 29 May 2014, and he was detained and questioned by police over an alleged incident from late 2011 or early 2012 before being released, according to his lawyer.[96] Hari himself refuted the reports.[97]

In 2007, Hari released a hip-hop song with Dutch-Moroccan rapper Appa entitled "Stap Maar In De Ring" ("Step Into The Ring").[98]

Hari failed a drug test prior to Glory 51: Rotterdam, and was issued with a 19-month suspension after tests on samples provided indicated a violation of Netherlands rules regarding prohibited substances for competitive athletes. Gerges, who faced Hari at the event, was also issued with an official reprimand.[99][100][101]