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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Harry Davies

Martyn Ford mocks his own boxing technique ahead of Iranian Hulk fight

Martyn Ford has critiqued his own boxing technique as he prepares for his ring debut against Iranian Hulk.

Ford and Iranian Hulk - real name Sajad Gharibi - will fight The O2 arena on April 2 the heavyweight giants look to settle their rivalry.

The Brit has over three million followers on Instagram and is mostly known for his impressive physique, with his appearance earning him the title of the 'World's Scariest Man'.

It's no surprise that Ford - who stands at 6'8" and weighed 150kg before his training camp - isn't the most agile boxer and he mocked this in a recent training clip.

"Float like an elephant, sting like a sponge," Ford said as he put his own twist on Muhammad Ali's famous "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" quote.

It's not the only training video Ford has recently laughed at, with his rival Gharibi posting a bizarre video of himself fending off several of his training partners.

“I was embarrassed, genuinely embarrassed," Ford told Mirror Fighting. "People ask me if this is a real fight or if this is some kind of WWE fight.

"He is either an absolute genius and is putting this content out to fool me that he is that bad. Or he was conceived too close to a nuclear experiment and his head isn’t right.

"Because there is something about that video and all of them I can’t grasp what he is doing. The contracts signed and the fights are real and he is putting out the content like that."

Ford and Gharibi will come face-to-face for the first time this week at a press conference in Dubai ahead of their grudge fight.

A fight between the pair was first teased in 2018 when Ford signed for Polish MMA promotion KSW, but Gharibi never followed suit and the clash fizzled out.

Who wins on April 2 - Martyn Ford or Iranian Hulk? Let us know your prediction in the comments section below.

Since then Ford has continued his acting career by appearing in films such as Final Score and Fast and Furious 9.

Little is known about Gharibi's preparations for the fight, but the Iranian did weigh over 180kg before he started his training camp for the fight.

“At my heaviest, I weighed 180kg and they called me ‘tank’. I lost weight in order to fight and perform better," he told Muscle and Health.

"Now, I have more power than ever before, I’m training seven days a week for two hours at a time. I mix bodybuilding with boxing skills.

“I have millions of fans, both young and old, who are waiting patiently for this fight. I promise I will make them happy.”

Despite Gharibi's promises, some fans fear that he will pull out of the fight with Ford after watching his questionable training videos.

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