Kickboxing star Badr Hari withdrew from the main event of Glory 88, citing the devastating earthquake in his ancestral Morocco as his reason for not competing.
Badr Hari, the renowned kickboxer, was unable to square off in the anticipated main event of Glory 88 due to unfortunate circumstances in his home country. Scheduled to battle James McSweeney in the headline bout that took place on a recent Saturday in Paris, Hari entered the ring to deliver an unexpected announcement. The North African fighter decided not to compete, excusing his withdrawal with the tragic news coming from Morocco, his native land where he still maintains strong family ties.
Just the night before the competition, a disastrous earthquake had rattled the High Atlas range near Marrakech, causing widespread devastation in Morocco. The disaster’s toll has been extremely high, with fatalities surpassing 1,300 people and around 1,800 reported injuries. Hari delivered a touching speech to his fans, conducted in Arabic, in which he conveyed his emotions on the tragedy and his decision not to fight.
Following Hari’s withdrawal, Glory officials authenticated his reasons and confirmed that the main event would have to be cancelled. Glory released a subsequent statement respecting Hari’s decision and expressing their support for those affected by the earthquake. The sports organization announced that all profits from the event will be given to a charitable organization in Morocco, aimed at providing help to the victims of the disaster. This report was supplemented with contributions from Damon Martin.