Boxing’s heavyweight division could have a new influx of massive power players.
Hafthor Bjornsson, a strongman who on Saturday broke the world deadlift record (501kg) and an actor who played The Mountain on HBO’s hit show “Game of Thrones,” challenged rival Eddie Hall to a competition away from the barbells.
"Core Sports just offered me a seven-figure contract, which is the biggest contract of my life. I've signed it already,” the 6 foot, 9 inch Bjornsson said after his record-breaking lift.
"Eddie Hall has been running his mouth for two weeks now and I know that he got the same deal. So Eddie, I just knocked out your record, and now I’m ready to knock you out in the ring. Time to put your fists where your big mouth is and sign the Core Sports contract. I’m ready. Are you ready, Eddie?"
With the 1,104 pound-lift in his hometown of Iceland, Bjornsson broke Hall’s record, which was 1,102 pounds in 2016.
The 32-year-old, 6 foot, 3 inch Englishman Hall, who’s nicknamed “The Beast,” obliged for a possible clash of 300-pound plus titans.
“1,000 percent I’m going to sign those papers. And you know why I’m going to sign those papers,” said Hall. “It’s not the money, it’s not the dead lift feud we’ve got going on, nothing to do with that. It’s because you called me a cheat at World’s Strongest Man 2017. I can’t put that to bed, I can’t forget it. People may forget it, but you’ve never apologized. You think you should’ve won that year, regardless of the trophies or not, and you let people know that. I cannot have that, that’s why I’m going to sign those papers. Because I want to teach you a lesson. and that lesson is going to be me knocking you the f--k out. I don’t care if you’re 6 feet 9 inches, I don’t care if you’re an actual giant. I don’t care. I’m gonna train the hardest, prepare the hardest … do everything in my power to step in that ring and rip your f--king head off.
"So Thor, get training, I’ll see you in the ring."
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist and member of the Boxing Writers Assn. of America since 2011. He has written for the likes of the LA Times, Guardian, USA Today, Philadelphia Inquirer, Men’s Health and NFL.com and currently does TV commentary for combat sports programming that airs on Fox Sports and hosts his own radio show in Los Angeles. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan or via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com.