Thor Bjornsson weighed in more than a stone heavier than rival Eddie Hall for their boxing clash on Saturday night.
The Icelandic star will finally settle his rivalry with Hall at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium this weekend, after over two years of trash talking. Bjornsson and Hall have both made remarkable transformations with the Icelandic star having shed nearly 60kg and the Briton also shedding around 50kg.
However Hall has weighed in at 142kg (313lb) in which is 13lbs lighter than Bjornsson who has stepped on the scales at 152kg (335lb) despite holding a six inch height advantage. The pair both hold sizeable frames due to their time competing in strongman competitions with their rivalry dating back to an incident in 2017.
Hall has claimed in the build-up to the fight that he put some weight on over the Christmas period which he has stuck with in training to increase his punch power for the clash. He posted on Instagram : "Purposely kept heavy throughout my camp for power and I fully intend on delivering it. And don’t worry I can work for 10 rounds! I’m calling this journey ‘The Desolation of Thor’. Almost time for that big crybaby to pay!"
The 34-year-old is yet to compete in the ring since beginning his boxing journey two years ago after pulling out of the pair's previously scheduled bout last September after suffering a detached bicep. Bjornsson has taken to the ring three times in clashes with professional stars Steven Ward and Simon Valily before defeating arm-wrestler Devon Larratt with an opening-round stoppage.
Bjornsson has faced concern from fans after looking considerably lighter in the build-up, with his rival branding him "skinny" and "ill". But the 33-year-old believes that he will have the edge in the fight. "I don’t feel being big in boxing is going to help you," Bjornsson said. "Why is Tyson Fury the best boxer in the world?
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"Because being heavy doesn’t help you, he could beat me and Eddie no problem. Size is great but boxing skills, ring IQ, footwork and different combinations work in your favour much more than being heavy. I would rather lose a bit of weight to get my endurance and speed up.
"Having extra weight in my opinion doesn’t help you. Me and Eddie have a different view. But on Saturday we will see. On Saturday we will see what is better. Was it Eddie’s technique to come in heavier and stronger? Or will it be Thor’s emphasis on boxing technique, endurance and boxing skills that will beat brute strength?"
Both men have promised stoppages in the build-up to the fight, with a heated confrontation taking place earlier in fight week as the pair crossed paths in the hotel gym. The winner is likely to continue their boxing journey with Hall already having had an eye on his next opponent.
