Prepare for Impact: Rico Verhoeven battles Badr Hari at GLORY: Collision
GLORY: COLLISION Special Event Pits Heavyweight World Champion Rico Verhoeven Against Legendary Superstar Badr Hari in December
Broadcasting and Ticketing Details to be Announced
GLORY once again raises the stakes for its year-end show, set to be one of the most anticipated in company history.
The world’s premier kickboxing league is proud to present GLORY: COLLISION, a special event to be held in December 2016, featuring the two biggest names in heavyweight kickboxing finally meeting for their long-awaited clash – perhaps the most important match-up in their storied careers.
Legacies are on the line when reigning GLORY Heavyweight World Champion Rico “The King of Kickboxing” Verhoeven crosses paths with his toughest challenge to date in heavyweight kingpin Badr “The Golden Boy” Hari, the sole legend he has yet to face.
In just four years, 27-year-old Verhoeven has risen from promising contender to undisputed champion, including a 10-fight winning streak inside the GLORY ring and four title defenses.
“This will be the biggest fight in kickboxing history,” said Verhoeven. “[Badr Hari] is an excellent fighter, but it’s my time. I am the champ. It’s my era.”
Noted for his technical excellence and limitless cardio, Verhoeven has defeated Benjamin Adegbuyi (twice), Peter Aerts, Hesdy Gerges (twice), Daniel Ghita (twice), Sergei Kharitonov, Gokhan Saki, Filip Verlinden, and Errol Zimmerman (twice) en route to a career winning percentage of 82% (and 91% within GLORY).
Hari’s thunderous power has made him one of the most consistent fight-finishers of all time and kickboxing’s bad boy is on a five-fight winning streak of his own (four by way of KO or TKO).
“Who? Rico? When he was fighting with shin protection and headgear, I was already a household name in Japan, where the real men were fighting,” Hari. “He might be king in the land of the blind, but I have 20/20 vision.”
At 31-years-old, the former K-1 heavyweight champion has impressively amassed stoppage victories over Peter Aerts, Glaube Feitosa, Peter Graham, Ruslan Karaev, Stefan Leko, Alistair Overeem, Gokhan Saki, Semmy Schilt, Ray Sefo, and Errol Zimmerman – leading to an incredible knockout rate of 88% – over his 16-year career.
“Once the idea of Badr Hari competing for GLORY became a real possibility, our social media pages exploded with interest. Now that it’s official, the feedback has been non-stop,” said GLORY CEO Jon Franklin. “This is the fight the fans demanded, this is the fight that both Rico Verhoeven and Badr Hari wanted, and this is the fight that we are delighted to say is finally happening.”
GLORY co-founder Scott Rudmann added: “Let’s just say that Rico and Badr are not too fond of each other. GLORY is giving fans the best heavyweight strikers on the planet squaring off in their primes. The power, skill, and athleticism of these two is staggering.
“This bout and the rest of the incredible card we have planned for GLORY: COLLISION will be seen by more fans around the world than any other event in kickboxing history. It’s time for GLORY!”
Location, ticketing details, and broadcast schedule for GLORY: Collision will be announced at a later date.
GLORY has created a sign-up page for fans interested in receiving first notification about tickets for GLORY: COLLISION going on sale.
For more information, visit glorykickboxing.com.
