Instagram superstar the Iranian Hulk has shown off his new look almost a year on from his embarrassing first boxing match against the Kazakh Titan.
The social media sensation lasted just a matter of seconds in his first fight against Djumanov Almat Bakhytovich in Dubai last summer, and has taken a back seat over the last few months. But in a new video showing his intense training regime, he has shown off a new look.
It was evident from the opening bell of his fight that Gharibi did not flaunt the muscular physique displayed in many of his clearly doctored Instagram pictures and was barely fit enough to throw a punch. But he has shown himself lifting weights with bodybuilder Milad Shami in a new video.
And while he doesn't look much different, he can clearly be seen exercising and lifting significant amounts of weight. The video was captioned: "Last summer I was like a tree that was cut down by the ax of the most trusted person in my life... An ax of betrayal and deception. But I had roots."
Shami shared his support for his client in the comments section, telling the Iranian: "You will come back with strength, your training is great and it is a sign of your high motivation." But others were not so convinced, with the most liked comment joking that "after nine months... He got pregnant?"
Gharibi elected to keep his shirt on for video, just how he did in the fight last year. This was despite getting famous by posting photos on social media showing a ripped physique that earned him his nickname. He was quickly left cowering and turned his back on his opponent with the referee halting the bout just seconds in. The fight was stopped with seconds remaining in the first round.
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The influencer had amassed almost one million Instagram followers over the years, but it had been long theorised by fans that he edits his pictures. He even lost a deal with the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship over concerns about his legitimacy before eventually agreeing to a bout on Wicked 'N' Bad.
And last year, around two months on from his ring debut, his Instagram account had just a handful of posts left as Gharibi scrubbed his account of many of the old 'altered' pictures from his feed. Seven of the posts were from prior to the fight, with the most recent being a video of him weighing in for his fight with Bakhytovich whilst wearing a baggy t-shirt.
Initially, Gharibi was supposed to fight strongman rival Martyn Ford earlier in 2021 at London's O2 Arena. But it quickly became clear that many of his pictures were deceiving, as he was towered over by the 'World's Scariest Man' during their face-off. The Brit ultimately pulled out of the fight over fears for Gharibi's mental health, something the Iranian later threatened to sue him for.
