Thor Bjornsson towered over rival Eddie Hall as the pair almost came to blows at the final press conference ahead of their boxing clash.
The pair are in the final stages of preparation for their fight at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium on Saturday. They came face-to-face earlier this week for a joint interview but today was the first time they were able to officially size each other up since the bout was confirmed back in 2020.
But it all got a bit heated after Bjornsson and Hall traded insults during a media event that saw the pair continue their rivalry, which has been brewing since the 2017 World's Strongest Man competition. The Icelander showed his significant height advantage over his rival Hall, standing at six feet eight inches, five inches taller than his opponent.
The pair started respectfully, with Bjornsson saying that he would be willing to shake hands with Hall and put their feud to bed after the fight. But it quickly devolved into a shouting match, with Hall's son sitting between the pair as they hurled expletives at one another.
And it almost got physical between the duo, with Hall approaching Bjornsson and declaring, "No one is holding you back. You f***ing f****, you f***ing v****, f*** you!" Hall roared at Bjornsson as the pair were separated by event organisers and coaches.
"You're a fake f***, look at you, you scared little boy, you're a child, you're acting the hard man, I don't care. Your whole life you've been the bully, everyone's scared of you but as soon as someone stands up to you, you s*** yourself!"
Bjornsson attempted to stay calm, but couldn't resist throwing a few choice words of his own at Hall, whom he competed against at strongman competitions throughout his career. "You're the child," he shouted at Hall. "Saying let's fight now - you're a f***ing a**hole."
The pair nearly came to blows earlier this week after crossing paths when Hall arrived at the gym as Bjornsson was leaving.
They squared up while backed by members of their respective teams, prompting the shorter man to say, "If you touch me, I'll bite your f****** nose off." Hall later appeared to spit at Bjornsson which prompted an extremely angry response from the Icelandic star who appeared to spit back in the other direction.
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Bjornsson later apologised for the incident. but the pair have continued to express their real rivalry and dislike for one another in the build-up. Despite being the shorter star during the face-off, Hall will not face any significant weight disadvantage with the star deliberately coming in heavier to increase his power for the clash.
Hall is increasingly confident of securing a stoppage and believes his opponent holds no statistical advantage on the night despite the height difference.
“The promoter asked me to measure reach and it’s 80 inches, which, believe it or not, is a huge reach for someone my height," Hall told Muscle and Health. I’ve got the same reach as a 6’8” guy. As it turns out, Thor has an identical reach. So, he’s got no statistical advantage other than being taller, which actually makes it easier for me because you’re never as strong punching downwards.
"You’re always stronger punching upwards. So, I’ve actually got the overall advantage in terms of reach and the height. This for me, is revenge. It’s getting my own back. This guy put a black cloud over my win at World’s Strongest Man five years ago.
"I’ve taken that pent-up anger and I’ve been using it in my training so that I can fight in a more relaxed manner. I know I’ve got the potential to knock him out in the first thirty seconds and I’ve also got the potential to go the full six rounds."
