PETER AERTS may receive a spot in the upcoming K-1 World Grand Prix Final, according to his world famous
trainer Thom Harinck.
Veteran Aerts was denied an incredible 17th consecutive appearance
in the final after a shock points defeat to Dutch countryman Alistair Overeem at the Final Eliminations.
The three-times champion is instead scheduled to face Gokhan Saki in one of two reserve
fights on the December 5 card in Yokohama, Japan.
But Aerts could yet be drafted
into the tournament proper if - as Harinck has been informed - one of the eight quarter-finalists withdraws.
Harinck stopped short of revealing the identity of the fighter he has heard might drop out, although Ruslan
Karaev might be a candidate after taking severe leg damage in his recent loss to his Egyptian protege Hesdy Gerges.
But he told Fightnewz.net that Jerome Lebanner has not been training with him for the K-1 Final as planned.
Frenchman Lebanner has been concentrating on boxing recently and stopped Ladislav Kovarik in two rounds on
November 13.
Chakuriki Gym's Harinck, reunited with Aerts after coaching him to
two K-1 titles in the 1990s, also said Gerges is in the frame to fight Saki if Aerts is added to the tournament.
Speaking shortly after another Chakuriki prospect, Brazil's Anderson Braddock Silva (pictured
above) outpointed Dennis Stolzenbach in Barneveld, Holland, Harinck said: "Peter must fight Saki but there will be one
pull-out from the last eight maybe.
"We hear some rumours - I cannot say
who. When they pull out, Peter will go by the last eight and maybe Hesdy will fight Saki.
"Jerome is another problem. He had another boxing match but he is maybe having one more.
"He should have come to train with me for the final but he didn't show up and nobody knows where
he is.
"We've phoned him and he doesn't answer the phone, it's a strange
thing.
"They also said rumours he is maybe not fighting any more. I'm not sure
but that is what people are saying.
"But if he doesn't fight, Peter will go
by the last eight and Hesdy can fight Saki, so we are there again."
Whether he
fights in the tournament or not, Harinck said Aerts is looking much sharper than in the build-up to the Overeem bout, although
the trainer thinks the Dutch Lumberjack should only give it one more year before retiring.
Harinck,
65, said: "No excuses, Alistair won the fight on the day, but before Peter wasn't well and the preparation wasn't
good because he had no sparring.
"Hesdy was in hospital for his nose and
Braddock was in Brazil, so he didn't have good sparring partners.
"And he had
too many fights together and didn't feel well. At the moment he feels very sharp but I think Peter must stop in one more
year.
"Peter has a very good heart and in the ring he is dangerous. But in the
gym with sparring he gets many punches and kicks because Hesdy and Braddock are too quick for him.
"But in the ring it's different because it's a real fight. It's good for my boys to train
with Peter and it's good for Peter to train with the young boys."
Harinck
knows a thing or two about champions having mentored Branko Cikatic and Aerts to a combined three K-1 titles from his gym
in Amsterdam, and he is excited about the potential of Gerges and Sao Paulo native Silva.
Gerges showed a stack of heart in going the distance with triple champion Semmy Schilt on his K-1 debut and has since
emphatically beaten Karaev, peppering the Russian with low kicks on the way to a points victory.
Silva's win over Stolzenbach was his 11th from 12 fights this year - his lone defeat coming against Tomas
Hron - and followed his head-turning stoppage of former K-1 standout Stefan Leko.
Harinck
added: "I think they are going to do well in K-1 for sure, 100%.
"Hesdy should
be by the last eight - you saw the way he beat Karaev. He has lost only twice in I think 38 fights so he should be standing
there, but next year.
"Anderson, I think for him it will be one more year
- 2011. For now we are working on a couple of things. He has to be a little bit more explosive, like Hesdy, and he needs a
little bit stronger kicks.
"But he is only 23 and didn't
have so many fights in Brazil and he has been with me now for two years. He has got a lot of potential - he is a
real good fighter."
