Hesdy Gerges to Be Released Within the Week, Says Thom Harinck

Last Updated on Thursday, 24 February 2011 20:31 Monday, 21 February 2011 22:38

Written by Dave Walsh

There have been some clouds over the kickboxing world of late, as the first big kickboxing event of the year, Fighting Stars presents It's Showtime on March 6 had its main event threatened when headliner Hesdy Gerges was arrested for involvement in possible drug trafficking. His half brother was arrested last May in a warehouse in Belgium that contained 128 kilos of cocaine. Hesdy was already out of the picture in the investigation last year, but for some reason the investigation had stalled and he was put back in the picture last week. There was no cocaine or any weapons found in Gerges residence, unlike you'll see reported or rumored, and I've believed the entire time that Hesdy would not be held for much longer as the timeline doesn't add up for his involvement in this.

In May of last year, Hesdy Gerges was fighting for It's Showtime in their big ArenA event, fighting the highest profile fight of his career against Badr Hari. He made a huge impression, holding his own against the fighter known to be one of the best, if not best in the world. He was so on his game that it frustrated Badr Hari to the point of kicking him after tripping him and making international headlines. Hesdy Gerges became a household name due to that fight, and was invited back to K-1. His career finally taking off, on top of a tough training schedule doesn't leave much time or reason to throw it all away with a risky drug endeavor.

His trainer, Thom Harinck spoke with the Dutch Metro News today, and outright said, "Gerges has been framed." Fighter Stars and It's Showtime believe that Gerges is innocent as well and have not gone ahead with an official replacement yet. Harinck discussed why he believes Gerges is innocent, outlining his schedule. "He wakes up at 7:30, at 10:00am he trains with me, rests in the afternoon, then in the evening does strength and conditioning and is in bed by 10:00 PM. I cannot imagine that he still would have time for things like this."

Fighting Stars representatives believe that Gerges will still be able to make the event, and Harinck believes that Hesdy should be released by the end of the week, putting this whole nightmare behind us. [source]

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