Martyn Ford has joked he will fight Olympic gold medalist Bakhodir Jalolov after his clash with Iranian Hulk.
Ford crossed paths with the 27-year-old Uzbekistani heavyweight in Dubai before his fight upcoming fight with Kamil Sokolowski. Posing for pictures whilst laughing with Jalolov, he joked with the Uzbekistani's interpreter that he will fight him in the future.
"Tell him I wish him all the best tomorrow and if he wants any lessons I'm happy to help," Ford laughed whilst talking with iFL TV. "Once I finish his pretend one, I'm more than happy to step in and teach him a few moves.
Ford - who is also referred to as the 'World's Scariest Man' - then seemingly backtracked on his comments by stating: "This is my boy! Are we gonna fight? Are we hell!"
Jalolov won gold in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo by outpointing Richard Torrez in the super heavyweight final. It came four years after he lost in the semi-finals of the 2016 games to eventual silver medalist Joe Joyce.
The Uzbekistani was already 6-0 as a professional before competing in the 2020 games. Jalolov looks to pick up his ninth consecutive stoppage win against 35-year-old journeyman Sokolowski, who last fought Otto Wallin, on Friday night.
It's no surprise Ford, who has never competed in the ring before, backtracked on his call out of Jalolov. The 6'8" strongman and actor who weighs a massive 150kg was supposed to fight Iranian Hulk - real name Sajjad Gharibi - on April 2 but the fight has been pushed back to April 30.
Who wins next month - Martyn Ford or Iranian Hulk? Let us know your prediction in the comments section below
The strongmen rivals got into an altercation when they stared off for the first time last month in Dubai, with Gharibi being sent flying across the ring by a push from Ford. Gharibi apologised to his fans after the scuffle in a video that was translated for Mirror Fighting.
"I came here with my own money and capital without any financial support and without a coach," he said. As you can see in the video, he publicly shocked me and I lost my balance. I apologise to all the people of Iran for this.
"But know that this is not the end of the story, and I will say the main thing in the competition, I promise. The Iranian team was told before the conference that they only face each other, and that you have no right to hit your opponent."
