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**Rauno** · 09-28-2011, 03:01 PM

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Not many events in the kickboxing world can leave you speechless, but the retirement of one of Heavyweight Kickboxing's biggest stars in the past ten years will do just that. The big secret announcement from It's Showtime was originally scheduled for Friday but was then pushed back to today. In the meantime, word got out that Badr Hari would take on Gokhan Saki on January 28th for It's Showtime. To many, this was the big announcement that It's Showtime was trying to keep under wraps, but it would turn out to be much bigger.

Badr Hari has spoken about his desire to enter the world of Boxing for a long time now, much more seriously over the past year. This includes talk of possible Olympic Boxing that seemed to die off and talking with Michael Schiavello in a Voice Versus episode about possibly leaving kickboxing for boxing. Add in the steady decline of K-1 over the past few years and Badr Hari's legal troubles and kickboxing became less and less his passion.

Tonight It's Showtime sent around a press release announcing Badr Hari's retirement from kickboxing on January 28th against his hand-selected opponent of Gokhan Saki. The irony is, of course, that Gokhan Saki might do exactly the same thing next year and pass on Kickboxing to enter into the Boxing or MMA world. It's Showtime also casts some serious doubt onto the possibility of the K-1 World Grand Prix;

If K-1 will host a World Grand Prix this year, Badr will also participate to that. The Grand Prix Final is scheduled for December 10 in China. If this World Grand Prix will take place, depends if K-1 will be able to pay its debts to IT’S SHOWTIME and others. If not, the fight on January 28 will be Badr’s only remaining fight as a kickboxer.
This is huge, if not crushing news to kickboxing fans around the world and good news for Boxing.

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I mean, shit? Hari retiring, Saki and Spong showing interest in MMA, Overeem exclusive to UFC, Aerts and Schilt starting to get too old for this stuff..

**Leed** · 09-28-2011, 03:33 PM

And Remy probably not fighting anymore..

**Rauno** · 09-28-2011, 04:05 PM

At least this year's Grand Prix is somewhat good. And we still have Hari-Saki coming.

Boxing is where the big money is, with K-1 owing everybody and kickboxing in general slowly fading, can't really blame Hari.

**El Bresko** · 09-28-2011, 08:52 PM

This is devastating.

**Intermission** · 09-28-2011, 09:49 PM

Hari should try MMA. Find a promotion that will give him a striker or something just to see how Hari hits with 4oz gloves lol.

joshua7789 · 09-28-2011, 10:40 PM

This is a bummer. Its sad that Hari is leaving kickboxing before he cemented himself as one of the all time greats, instead he is going to be remembered like JLB as one of the guys that almost got there but could never quite bring home that formerly majestic GP title. Im sure he will do well in boxing, but I really wanted to see someone surpass Ernesto, Schilt, and Aerts as the geatest of all time.

King JLB · 09-30-2011, 01:25 PM

Terrible news, he was the main guy who was going to step into the spotlight for all the retiring greats. Like many already stated, you can't blame him, his purses are surely going to be much higher in boxing as well as possibly finding new, more lucrative sponsors.

MikeHawk · 09-30-2011, 08:13 PM

I don't blame him. K-1 is dead now. Everyone has gotten too old or moved onto something else. Overeem winning last years GP was a joke.

**limba** · 10-01-2011, 10:10 AM

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Originally Posted by Rauno

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I mean, shit? Hari retiring, Saki and Spong showing interest in MMA, Overeem exclusive to UFC, Aerts and Schilt starting to get too old for this stuff..

That means Ghita will be K-1 Champ.