Rabat – Dutch kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven has sent a heartwarming message to Morocco’s heavyweight legend Badr Hari after he abandoned the Glory rematch fight due to an ankle injury on December 21.
Rico showed full support when Hari could not finish the fight in the ring, and he repeated his gesture off the ring with a message on social media after the fight.
Hari’s performance during the first three rounds satisfied his fans all over the world, and Rico has acknowledged that the Moroccan was superior and deserved to win the fight.
“Due to injury the legend couldn’t continue the fight and that sucks that sucks a lot … because I never got this close to losing a fight like this,” he said
The Dutch fighter said he felt disappointed in himself for being close to losing to Hari.
“I never got this close to losing a fight like this. Getting knocked down twice. OMG. so disappointed in myself and at the same time taking my hat off to @badrhariofficial for giving me and the fans what we’ve been waiting for.”
Rico said that Hari game was “fireworks and a real fight because that’s what this was.”
As he supports Hari after his injury, Rico lauded the Moroccan’s fighting and winning mentality, saying he hopes the Moroccan gets better soon and comes back to the rings. “It is not about how many times you fall down it is about how many times you get back up because it’s the moments of struggle that defines us, how we handle them is what matters,” he wrote.
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He added that winning or losing are important but should not be the only things that matter, because “coming home safe to the ones you love is all that matters.”
He concluded his supporting message with thanking Hari for the amazing fight.
“I hope you get well soon. We’ll meet again,” he added.
The post garnered thousands of reactions, with fans from both sides showing him respect.
Hari was down in tears after he caught injury in his ankle in the third round.
The same scene was repeated three years ago when he had an arm injury from the same heavyweight competitor.
Despite the loss, Hari has received full support from tens of thousands of fans in Morocco and across the world. “Once a champ, always a champ!” many fans wrote as they paid tribute to the Moroccan for being one of the greatest legends of kickboxing.
