Badr Hari facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Badr Hari
Hari in 2016
Born	Badr Hari (1984-12-08) 8 December 1984 (age 40) Amsterdam, Netherlands
Other names	The Golden Boy Bad Boy
Height	198 cm (6 ft 6 in)
Weight	115 kg (254 lb)
Division	Heavyweight
Reach	213 cm (84 in)
Style	Kickboxing, Muay Thai
Stance	Orthodox
Fighting out of	Morocco (2005–present)
Team	SB Gym (2021–2022) Mike's Gym (2005–2021, 2023–present) Chakuriki Gym (2000–2005)
Trainer	Said El Badaoui (2021–2022) Mike Passenier (2005–2021, 2023–present) Thom Harinck (2000–2005)
Years active	2000–present (Kickboxing) 2002 (MMA)

Kickboxing record
Total	126
Wins	106
By knockout	92
Losses	17
By knockout	14
No contests	3


Mixed martial arts record
Total	1
Wins	0
Losses	1
By submission	1

last updated on: 09 September 2023

Badr Hari (born December 8, 1984) is a professional kickboxer and Muay Thai fighter from Morocco and the Netherlands. He was born in Amsterdam. Hari started his professional kickboxing career in 2000. He quickly became famous for his strong and exciting fighting style.

In 2002, he won the WPKL Dutch Muay Thai championship. He also became "The Eight Tournament" champion in Muay Thai that year. Hari won the K-1 Heavyweight World Championship in 2007. He defeated Yusuke Fujimoto by knockout in just 56 seconds. He successfully defended his title twice against Doug Viney and Ray Sefo.

Hari reached the final of the K-1 World Grand Prix for the second time in 2009. That same year, he became the It's Showtime Heavyweight World Champion. He defended this title against Mourad Bouzidi. In 2014, he won the GFC Fight Series 1 Heavyweight Tournament Championship. He defeated Peter Graham by technical knockout in the first round. Hari made his Glory debut in 2016 in a big fight against Heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven.

Hari is considered one of the best kickboxers of all time. Outside of fighting, he has been featured in several documentaries.

Early Life and Training

Hari was born and grew up in Amsterdam, Netherlands. His family is from the Berber tribe of Houara in Morocco. They moved to the Netherlands before he was born.

Hari started learning kickboxing when he was seven years old. His first coach was former World Champion Mousid Akamrane. As a teenager, he trained at the Sitan Gym. Later, he joined the famous Chakuriki Gym with trainer Thom Harinck.

Hari used to fight under the Dutch flag. After a fight in 2005, he decided to represent Morocco. He then started working with a new coach, Mike Passenier.

Kickboxing Career Highlights

Starting His Professional Journey

Hari's father sent him to a kickboxing gym to help him defend himself from bullies. People quickly saw his talent. By age 11, he was fighting regularly as a junior. In his teenage years, he trained with Thom Harinck at Chakuriki Gym. This is when he became well-known in Amsterdam.

At 18, he had 50 amateur fights. He was ready to become a professional. A year later, he fought in front of thousands of people at the Johan Cruijf Arena. This is the biggest soccer stadium in the Netherlands. He fought Alexey Ignashov on short notice and lost. However, he earned respect for his courage.

Rising to K-1 Fame

Hari became famous after two matches against Stefan Leko in 2005. The first fight was at an It's Showtime 2005 event. Hari lost this fight by knockout.

In November 2005, Hari entered the K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 tournament. He was a reserve fighter and made his K-1 World GP debut at 20 years old. He knocked out Leko in the second round with a spinning high kick. After the fight, Hari helped Leko up, showing good sportsmanship.

K-1 New Zealand Tournament

In 2006, Badr Hari fought in the K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 in Auckland in New Zealand. He was a last-minute replacement. His first opponent was Australian fighter Peter "The Chief" Graham. Hari was knocked out by Graham's special "Rolling Thunder" move.

Returning to K-1 Action

Hari returned to the ring at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 final elimination in Osaka, Japan. He fought Ruslan Karaev and lost. Six months later, Hari got a chance for a rematch.

Hari was chosen as a reserve fighter for the K-1 Grand Prix 2006 Finals. He won his fight against Paul Slowinski by decision. Hari then fought Nicholas Pettas at the K-1 Premium 2006 Dynamite!! event. He won by TKO in the second round.

Hari got his revenge against Karaev at the K-1 World GP 2007 in Yokohama. This fight was important for qualifying for the first K-1 heavyweight title match. Hari won by knockout.

Becoming K-1 Heavyweight Champion

On April 28, 2007, at K-1 World GP 2007 in Hawaii, Badr Hari fought Yusuke Fujimoto for the new Heavyweight belt. Hari won the fight in just 56 seconds with a kick to the chin. This made Hari the first-ever K-1 Heavyweight champion.

Hari later had a rematch with Peter Graham in Hong Kong. Graham had broken Hari's jaw in 2006. Hari won this fight by decision. After the match, they seemed to make peace.

In September 2007, Hari beat Doug Viney by knockout. This qualified him for his first K-1 World GP Final. He lost to Remy Bonjasky in the quarter-finals.

2008 K-1 World Grand Prix

All of Hari's wins in 2008 were by knockouts. He beat Ray Sefo, Glaube Feitosa, and Domagoj Ostojic. He defended his heavyweight title against Feitosa. In Seoul, he won against Hong Man Choi to qualify for the K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 Final.

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

In the quarter-finals on December 6, Hari defeated three-time K-1 World champion Peter Aerts. In the semi-final, he knocked out Errol Zimmerman. He then moved on to his first K-1 Final against Remy Bonjasky. Hari was disqualified in the second round of the final match. Bonjasky was declared the K-1 World GP 2008 champion. K-1 took away his heavyweight title and his runner-up title from the tournament.

Hari also faced MMA Heavyweight Alistair Overeem in a K-1 rules match on Dynamite!! 2008. Hari lost the fight by knockout in the first round.

2009: Showtime Champion and K-1 Finalist

In May 2009, Hari fought Semmy Schilt for the new It's Showtime World Heavyweight title. Hari started very aggressively and knocked Schilt down twice. The fight was stopped quickly, and Hari won the heavyweight title in just 45 seconds.

In September 2009, Hari won by knockout against Zabit Samedov. At the K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final, Hari chose to fight Ruslan Karaev for the third time. He quickly knocked out Karaev and Alistair Overeem. In the final, Hari lost to Semmy Schilt by knockout.

2010: Defending Titles

Hari's first fight in 2010 was in the Czech Republic. He defended his Showtime heavyweight title by knocking out Mourad Bouzidi. In April, Hari defeated Alexey Ignashov in Yokohama, Japan. This was his first win by decision in three years.

Hari's Showtime title was on the line against Hesdy Gerges in Amsterdam. Hari dominated most of the first round. In the second round, Hari was disqualified from the match. Gerges became the new "It's Showtime" Heavyweight champion.

2011: Return to the Ring

After the Gerges fight, Hari took a year off from kickboxing. He returned to the ring at It's Showtime 2011 Lyon against French Kickboxer Gregory Tony. Hari won by TKO in the first round.

There was interest in a rematch between Badr and Hesdy Gerges. However, it was announced that he would fight Romanian Daniel Ghita. This fight did not happen. Hari planned to compete in the 2011 K-1 World Grand Prix. However, the event was canceled due to financial problems.

2012: K-1 Comeback

Hari faced Gökhan Saki at It's Showtime 2012 in Leeuwarden in January 2012. He won by TKO in the first round. He knocked Saki down three times before the referee stopped the fight.

In April 2012, K-1 Global President Mike Kim announced Hari's return to K-1. Hari's first fight was in May 2012 in Madrid, Spain, against Anderson "Braddock" Silva. Hari won the fight by unanimous decision.

2013: Challenges and Rematches

Hari fought in the K-1 World Grand Prix FINAL in Zagreb in March 2013. He had a rematch with Zabit Samedov in the quarter-finals. Hari won by unanimous decision. However, he injured his foot and had to leave the tournament.

A third fight with Zabit Samedov happened in Moscow, Russia, in May 2013. Hari lost this fight by knockout in the second round. Hari then had a rematch with Alexey Ignashov in November 2013. He won by unanimous decision.

2014: Tournament Victory

Hari won a four-man tournament at GFC Series 1 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in May 2014. He had rematches with two former opponents. He knocked out Stefan Leko in the semi-finals. He then won by TKO against Peter Graham in the final. He reportedly earned a large prize for winning the tournament.

Hari was expected to fight Patrice Quarteron in October 2014. However, he fought a Lithuanian fighter instead.

2016-Present: Glory Fights

Hari made his Glory debut against champion Rico Verhoeven at Glory: Collision in December 2016. Hari seemed to be winning the first round. However, Verhoeven landed a knee in the second round that caused an injury to Hari's arm. Hari could not continue, so Verhoeven won by technical knockout.

On March 3, 2018, Hari fought Hesdy Gerges. Hari won the fight by unanimous decision.

Hari challenged Rico Verhoeven for the Glory Heavyweight Championship in December 2019. This fight took place at Glory 74: Arnhem in a sold-out stadium. Verhoeven won the fight by technical knockout in the third round. Hari had knocked Verhoeven down earlier in the fight. However, Hari suffered a broken ankle from a missed kick, which stopped him from continuing.

This rematch was very popular. It drew 3.5 million viewers in the Netherlands. This was one of the highest viewership numbers for a live sports broadcast in Dutch television history.

On December 19, 2020, Hari fought Benjamin Adegbuyi in a Glory Heavyweight Championship Eliminator at Glory 76. Hari lost the fight by knockout in the third round.

On September 4, 2021, Hari faced Arkadiusz Wrzosek at Glory 78: Arnhem. Hari started strong and knocked Wrzosek down three times. However, Wrzosek landed a head kick in the second round that knocked Hari out.

Hari and Wrzosek had an immediate rematch at Glory 80 in March 2022. The fight was declared a no contest because it had to be stopped due to audience issues.

Hari fought Alistair Overeem on October 8, 2022, at Glory: Collision 4. Hari lost the fight to Overeem. However, the result was later changed to a No-Contest. Hari has said he is thinking about retiring from kickboxing.

On September 9, 2023, Hari was scheduled to fight James McSweeney at Glory 88. The fight did not happen because Hari chose not to fight. This was out of respect for the 2023 Marrakesh-Safi earthquake that happened in his home country.

Hari then faced Uku Jürjendal at Glory 89 on October 7, 2023. Hari lost the fight by TKO after being knocked down four times.

Personal Life

Hari is married to Daphne Romani. They have four daughters and one son.

In 2007, Hari released a hip-hop song with Dutch-Moroccan rapper Appa. The song was called "Stap Maar In De Ring" ("Just Step Into The Ring").

Hari is friends with Ramzan Kadyrov, the Head of the Chechen Republic.

Championships and Accomplishments

K-1
- 2007-2008 K-1 Heavyweight Champion
  - One successful title defense
- 2008 K-1 World Grand Prix runner-up
- 2009 K-1 World Grand Prix runner-up
It's Showtime
- 2009-2010 It's Showtime Heavyweight Champion
  - One successful title defense
GLORY
- 2020 Fight of the Year vs. Benjamin Adegbuyi at Glory 76: Rotterdam
GFC
- 2014 Fight Series 1 Heavyweight Tournament Champion
Muay Thai
- 2002 WPKL Dutch Muay Thai Champion
- 2002 The Eight Tournament Winner
- 2003 M-1 Heavyweight Tournament runner-up

Kickboxing Record

Kickboxing record
Date	Result	Opponent	Event	Location	Method	Round	Time	Record
106 Wins (92(T)KO’s), 17 losses (14 (T)KO's), 2 Disqualified), 3 No Contest)
2023-10-07	Loss	Uku Jürjendal	Glory 89	Burgas, Bulgaria	TKO (4 Knockdowns)	2	0:47	80-17-3
2022-10-08	NC	Alistair Overeem	Glory Collision 4	Arnhem, Netherlands	No Contest	3	3:00	80-16-3
Originally a decision win for Overeem. Later changed to a No Contest.
2022-03-19	NC	Arkadiusz Wrzosek	Glory 80	Hasselt, Belgium	No Contest	2	3:00	80-16-2
The fight was cancelled after two rounds due to safety concerns over a riot in the audience. The bout was determined a No Contest.
2021-09-04	Loss	Arkadiusz Wrzosek	Glory 78: Rotterdam	Rotterdam, Netherlands	KO (Head kick)	2	1:30	80-16-1
2020-12-19	Loss	Benjamin Adegbuyi	Glory 76: Rotterdam	Rotterdam, Netherlands	TKO (Referee stoppage)	3	0:50	80-15-1
Glory Heavyweight Championship Eliminator
2019-12-21	Loss	Rico Verhoeven	Glory: Collision 2	Arnhem, Netherlands	TKO (Leg injury)	3	0:59	80-14-1
2018-03-03	NC	Hesdy Gerges	Glory 51: Rotterdam	Rotterdam, Netherlands	No Contest	3	3:00	80-13-1
Originally a decision win for Hari. Later changed to a No Contest.
2016-12-10	Loss	Rico Verhoeven	Glory: Collision	Oberhausen, Germany	TKO (Arm injury)	2	1:22	80-13
2015-08-22	Win	Ismael Londt	Akhmat Fight Show	Grozny, Russia	TKO (Straight right)	3	0:40	80-12
2014-10-16	Win	Arnold Oborotov	GFC Fight Series 2	Dubai, UAE	KO (Right body shot)	1	2:06	79-12
2014-05-29	Win	Peter Graham	GFC Fight Series 1 – Heavyweight Tournament, Final	Dubai, UAE	TKO (Punches)	1	1:34	78-12
Wins the GFC Fight Series 1 Heavyweight Tournament Championship.
2014-05-29	Win	Stefan Leko	GFC Fight Series 1 – Heavyweight Tournament, Semi-finals	Dubai, UAE	KO (Right cross)	1	1:38	77-12
2013-11-09	Win	Alexey Ignashov	Legend Fighting Show 2	Moscow, Russia	Decision (Unanimous)	3	3:00	76-12
2013-05-25	Loss	Zabit Samedov	Legend Fighting Show 1	Moscow, Russia	KO (Left hook)	2	2:16	75-12
2013-03-15	Win	Zabit Samedov	K-1 World Grand Prix FINAL in Zagreb, Quarter-finals	Zagreb, Croatia	Decision (Unanimous)	3	3:00	75-11
2012-05-27	Win	Anderson Silva	K-1 World MAX 2012 World Championship Tournament Final 16,Super Fight	Madrid, Spain	Decision (Unanimous)	3	3:00	74-11
2012-01-28	Win	Gökhan Saki	It's Showtime 2012 in Leeuwarden	Leeuwarden, Netherlands	TKO (Referee stoppage)	1	2:44	73-11
2011-05-14	Win	Gregory Tony	It's Showtime 2011 Lyon	Lyon, France	TKO (Ref. stop/5 knockdowns)	1	2:43	72-11
2010-05-29	Loss	Hesdy Gerges	It's Showtime 2010 Amsterdam	Amsterdam, Netherlands	DQ (Kicked downed opponent)	2	0:48	71-11
Lost his It's Showtime World Heavyweight Championship.
2010-04-03	Win	Alexey Ignashov	K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 in Yokohama	Yokohama, Japan	Decision (Unanimous)	3	3:00	71-10
2010-02-13	Win	Mourad Bouzidi	It's Showtime 2010 Prague	Prague, Czech Republic	KO (Right uppercut)	2	2:55	70-10
Defends his It's Showtime World Heavyweight Championship.
2009-12-05	Loss	Semmy Schilt	K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final, Final	Yokohama, Japan	TKO (Ref. stop/3 knockdowns)	1	1:48	69-10
Fight was for K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 title.
2009-12-05	Win	Alistair Overeem	K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final, Semi-finals	Yokohama, Japan	TKO (Ref. stop/2 knockdowns)	1	2:14	69-9
2009-12-05	Win	Ruslan Karaev	K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final, Quarter-finals	Yokohama, Japan	KO (Right hook)	1	0:38	68-9
2009-09-26	Win	Zabit Samedov	K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final 16	Seoul, South Korea	KO (Right body shot)	1	2:15	67-9
2009-05-16	Win	Semmy Schilt	It's Showtime 2009 Amsterdam	Amsterdam, Netherlands	KO (Right cross)	1	0:45	66-9
Wins the It's Showtime World Heavyweight Championship.
2009-02-08	Win	Frederic Sinistra	Fights at the Border presents: It's Showtime 2009	Antwerp, Belgium	KO (Right cross)	1	2:06	65-9
2008-12-31	Loss	Alistair Overeem	Dynamite!! 2008	Saitama, Japan	TKO (Left kick)	1	2:02	64-9
2008-12-06	Loss	Remy Bonjasky	K-1 World GP 2008 Final, Final	Yokohama, Japan	DQ (Illegal kick)	2	0:53	64-8
Fight was for K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 title.
2008-12-06	Win	Errol Zimmerman	K-1 World GP 2008 Final, Semi-finals	Yokohama, Japan	KO (Right cross)	3	2:15	64-7
2008-12-06	Win	Peter Aerts	K-1 World GP 2008 Final, Quarter-finals	Yokohama, Japan	TKO (Referee stoppage)	2	1:39	63-7
2008-09-27	Win	Hong Man Choi	K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Seoul Final 16	Seoul, Korea	TKO (Corner stoppage)	3	3:00	62-7
2008-08-09	Win	Domagoj Ostojic	K-1 World GP 2008 in Hawaii	Honolulu, United States	KO (Left cross)	1	0:19	61-7
2008-06-29	Win	Glaube Feitosa	K-1 World GP 2008 in Fukuoka	Fukuoka, Japan	KO (Right cross)	1	2:26	60-7
Defends the K-1 Heavyweight (−100kg) Championship.
2008-04-13	Win	Ray Sefo	K-1 World GP 2008 in Yokohama	Yokohama, Japan	TKO (Referee stoppage)	1	2:43	59-7
2007-12-08	Loss	Remy Bonjasky	K-1 World GP 2007 Final, Quarter-finals	Yokohama, Japan	Decision (Majority)	3	3:00	58-7
2007-09-29	Win	Doug Viney	K-1 World GP 2007 in Seoul Final 16	Seoul, Korea	KO (Right cross)	2	1:23	58-6
2007-08-05	Win	Peter Graham	K-1 World GP 2007 in Hong Kong	Hong Kong, China	Decision (Unanimous)	3	3:00	57-6
2007-04-28	Win	Yusuke Fujimoto	K-1 World GP 2007 in Hawaii	Honolulu, United States	KO (High kick)	1	0:56	56-6
Wins the K-1 Heavyweight (−100kg) Championship.
2007-03-04	Win	Ruslan Karaev	K-1 World GP 2007 in Yokohama	Yokohama, Japan	KO (Right cross)	2	2:46	55-6
2006-12-31	Win	Nicholas Pettas	K-1 Premium 2006 Dynamite!!	Tokyo, Japan	TKO (Arm injury)	2	1:28	54-6
2006-12-06	Win	Paul Slowinski	K-1 World Grand Prix 2006	Tokyo, Japan	Decision (Unanimous)	3	3:00	53-6
2006-09-30	Loss	Ruslan Karaev	K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 in Osaka opening round	Osaka, Japan	KO (Right punch)	1	0:52	52-6
2006-03-05	Loss	Peter Graham	K-1 World Grand Prix 2006 in Auckland	Auckland, New Zealand	KO (Rolling thunder)	3	2:54	52-5
2005-11-19	Win	Stefan Leko	K-1 World Grand Prix 2005	Tokyo, Japan	KO (Spinning right high heel kick)	2	1:30	52-4
2005-06-12	Loss	Stefan Leko	It's Showtime 2005 Amsterdam	Amsterdam, Netherlands	KO (Spinning back mid kick)	1	1:44	51-4
2005-04-16	Win	Vitali Akhramenko	K-1 Italy 2005 Oktagon	Milan, Italy	Decision (Unanimous)	3	3:00	51-3
2005-03-11	Win	Domagoj Ostojic	Ultimate Nokaut 1	Karlovac, Croatia	KO (Right hook)	2	0:10	50-3
2004-12-12	Win	Gary Turner	Rings Fightgala "Born Invincible"	Utrecht, Netherlands	Decision (Unanimous)	5	3:00	49-3
2004-10-10	Win	Gökhan Saki	2 Hot 2 Handle	Rotterdam, Netherlands	TKO (Corner stoppage)	2	3:00	48-3
2004-05-20	Win	Aziz Khattou	It's Showtime 2004 Amsterdam	Amsterdam, Netherlands	KO (Knees)	2	1:45	47-3
2004-03-21	Win	Errol Parris	Profighters Gala in Almere	Almere, Netherlands	KO (Right hook)	5	N/A	46-3
2003-09-27	Win	Antoni Hardonk	Rings Fightgala	Utrecht, Netherlands	Decision (Unanimous)	5	3:00	45-3
2003-06-08	Loss	Alexey Ignashov	It's Showtime 2003 Amsterdam	Amsterdam, Netherlands	KO (Right cross)	3	2:55	44-3
2003-05-16	Loss	Ivan Rudan	M-1 (First World Selection)	Mestre, Italy	(T)KO (Injury)	N/A	N/A	44-2
2003-05-16	Win	Mindaugas Kulikauskas	M-1 (First World Selection)	Mestre, Italy	KO	2	N/A	44-1
2003-03-30	Win	Dennis Strijbis	Rings Fightgala	Utrecht, Netherlands	Decision (Unanimous)	5	3:00	43-1
2003-02-02	Win	Ahmet Lakus	Killerdome II	Amsterdam, Netherlands	TKO	4	N/A	42-1
2002-12-14	Win	Mutlu Karabulut	The Eight Tournament Final	Amsterdam, Netherlands	KO	2	N/A	41-1
Wins the WPKL Dutch Muay Thai Championship.
2002-12-14	Win	Makhloufi	The Eight Tournament Semi-final	Amsterdam, Netherlands	KO	1	N/A	40-1
2002-12-14	Win	Ed Schaper	The Eight Tournament Quarter-final	Amsterdam, Netherlands	KO	1	N/A	39-1
2002-11-24	Win	Karim Mrabet	Xena Sports Victory or Hell	Netherlands	Decision	3	3:00	38-1
2002-10-20	Win	Ahmet Lakus	Warriors Fight Night	Dordrecht, Netherlands	TKO (Doctor stoppage)	5	N/A	37-1
2002-02-17	Win	Willy Schneider	WPKL Gala in Hogendorphal	Amsterdam, Netherlands	TKO (Doctor stoppage)	3	N/A	36-1