His match on Sunday is his farewell match and his debut as a professional in one. Benaissa Haddaoui will entertain the audience one more time and the 34-year-old Hilversum kickboxer will do so during the main match in his ‘own’ Hilversum. All the ingredients are there to treat the home crowd to an evening they will never forget. “I’m an entertainer,” he says with a twinkle in his eye.
After almost twenty years of fighting, the time has come to leave the boxing gloves behind in the ring. He fought his first match at the age of fifteen and now, more than nineteen years later, he wants to fight a match for the last time. On Sunday, his fight against the Greek Vaggelis Sumpakas should be the highlight of the kickboxing gala in the Dudok Arena.
Ring rust?
Over the past ten weeks he has been working hard towards his last fight, which is also his first as a professional. Benaissa could have entered the ring as a professional before, but it didn’t happen. The last time was in 2020. Two weeks before he was supposed to fight, corona threw a spanner in the works and after that it didn’t happen anymore due to his busy schedule. He is not afraid of ring rust, despite the fact that he has not fought a match in almost five years.
But why enter the ring one more time? In his own words, the Hilversum wants to close the chapter neatly and well. Showing his skills one more time and what could be better than doing that for ‘his’ people. In addition, it nagged in his head that the boys he fought against had been active at the highest level. He would like to prove himself at this level.
Benaissa trains one more time – NH News
In Hilversum, Benaissa is not only known as a fighter, but for many he is the person who teaches them the tricks and love for the sport. He has been teaching children and adults since he was seventeen. He has been doing this for years at Van Hellemond Sport on Jan van der Heijdenstraat. There he works twenty hours a week for various kickboxing groups and is the club manager.
Example
The quiet and modest Benaissa says she owes a lot to the sport. Not only has he learned to defend himself and gained a lot of confidence, but as mentioned, he also earns his living as a kickboxing teacher. He is an example to many, because as a human being, fighter and instructor he exudes respect, discipline, tranquility and norms and values. In addition, he is technically gifted and considers it an honor to pass on his love for the game.
“I never expected that I would reach such a big podium with a sport like kickboxing”
‘He lives for his sport’
Kamal Chabrani and Erik van Ouwerkerk, two well-known names in the Gooise martial arts world, guided Benaissa Haddaoui in his preparation for his farewell fight. According to Van Ouwerkerk, the boy he met as a twelve-year-old at Boxing Gym is ‘a great person and as a sportsman’.
“Benaissa has been around for so long. He has so much routine and over the years he has had the necessary trainers. He is a trick boy in the ring and he has always been an attractive fighter. And what you have with Benaissa is that “You never have to worry that the basics are not there. He really lives for his sport. Benaissa is very disciplined: from his character to his fighting.”
“I never expected that I would reach such a big podium with a sport like kickboxing,” says the Hilversummer. “I’m not even talking about my competitions, but that as a trainer I can get such a large audience enthusiastic, that I can be a positive added value for them. That makes me good. I want to continue doing that all my life.” , he adds.
Humble
He gets a lot of satisfaction from teaching. This goes beyond making students better technically and tactically. “For me it is important that I can help people in the right direction,” he explains. “I try to humble children who come here at a young age with too much self-confidence, while I try to give someone else, who initially doesn’t even dare to look at you, more self-confidence. If I can change that, there I am very happy with it.”
He also recognizes himself in the latter. As a twelve-year-old boy, he took his first steps at the Boxing Gym on the Geuzenweg and wanted to work on increasing his self-confidence. A year later he literally moved one street further and started kickboxing at Everybody Gym on the Korte Noorderweg (both gyms no longer exist, ed.). Two years later he made his debut in the ring and two years later he was already teaching children and adults. He now trains at Elite Training Center in Amsterdam.
The public should enjoy it
Back to Sunday. Benaissa can’t wait. The preparation went smoothly and now he finally wants to compete at professional level. When did he say goodbye to the ring? “If the audience enjoyed it. In that respect, I am and will remain an entertainer,” he said decisively.
Benaissa says she always comes to ‘fight’. Above all, he wants to create a high-profile party. Winning is important, but not everything. “I have once played the game of the evening, but I still lost. Then you leave satiated, but for Sunday I have mentally prepared myself for the win,” he explains.