Heavyweight kickboxer Jamal Ben Saddik has been sentenced to four years in prison for his role in the kidnapping of a dockworker linked to drug trafficking at the Port of Antwerp. The incident took place last summer, when the victim was approached on the street, forced into a car at gunpoint, and pressured to assist with a cocaine shipment. He refused, and was released only after his sister alerted police. His home was also turned upside down during the ordeal.
The Antwerp court concluded that Ben Saddik directed the operation and gave him the highest sentence among the four defendants. One of the men in the car was armed, and the dockworker’s uncle, who phoned during the drive urging him to “cooperate”, was sentenced to 30 months.
Ben Saddik rejects the ruling. Through his spokesperson, he told vechtsportinfo:
"I am extremely shocked and disappointed by the court’s ruling. I have been convicted on the basis of a single statement without any supporting evidence. I am innocent and am being framed in a way that does not reflect who I am. My lawyer will file an appeal on my behalf."
He also called the court’s assessment of him as the leader “completely unjustified.”
Once regarded as one of the world’s top heavyweights and known for his rivalry with Rico Verhoeven, Ben Saddik’s career has increasingly been overshadowed by legal issues, including a money-laundering conviction last year and a lengthy doping suspension in 2022.
An appeal has been filed, but a new trial could take months. Until then, Ben Saddik maintains he will not accept the verdict.
