Badder Hari
Jake Rossen Jun 1, 2010
There’s an unwritten contract between fighters that dictates
behavior: don’t hurt me and I won’t hurt you. That doesn’t include
the techniques and violence used to win fights, but the kind of
excessive, unnecessary or illegal offense that could cost someone
their career. Violating it should be a no-strikes policy: do it
once and you’re out.
Paul Daley ignored the agreement and lobbed a punch at Josh Koscheck moments after Koscheck had put his defenses down and was walking in the other direction after their fight; Mike Kyle has done it on repeated occasions; Gilbert Yvel, reformed as he may seem, has enough ring infractions to keep him out of gyms, much less prizefighting.
The latest entrant: Badr Hari. During a kickboxing match with Hesdy Georges last week, Hari launched a soccer kick that kept Georges on the canvas for an uncomfortably long amount of time. This follows an incident in 2008, when Hari stomped on a downed Remy Bonjasky. If Hari is not an undisciplined thug, he does a terrific impression of one.
What happens when a talent like Hari seems incapable of honoring the expectations to perform responsibly? As one of the world’s best kickboxers, he is absolutely a literal lethal weapon: having his shin crash into your face when you haven’t braced for it is a savage offense. Fighting sports are dangerous even under regulation. When fighters refuse to accept the limitations of an arena, it’s an invitation to tragedy.
Paul Daley ignored the agreement and lobbed a punch at Josh Koscheck moments after Koscheck had put his defenses down and was walking in the other direction after their fight; Mike Kyle has done it on repeated occasions; Gilbert Yvel, reformed as he may seem, has enough ring infractions to keep him out of gyms, much less prizefighting.
The latest entrant: Badr Hari. During a kickboxing match with Hesdy Georges last week, Hari launched a soccer kick that kept Georges on the canvas for an uncomfortably long amount of time. This follows an incident in 2008, when Hari stomped on a downed Remy Bonjasky. If Hari is not an undisciplined thug, he does a terrific impression of one.
What happens when a talent like Hari seems incapable of honoring the expectations to perform responsibly? As one of the world’s best kickboxers, he is absolutely a literal lethal weapon: having his shin crash into your face when you haven’t braced for it is a savage offense. Fighting sports are dangerous even under regulation. When fighters refuse to accept the limitations of an arena, it’s an invitation to tragedy.
