Thor Bjornsson believes Eddie Hall has made a huge error by planning to weigh in heavier for their strongman clash.
The Icelandic star is preparing to settle his long-term rivalry with British star Hall at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium this Saturday. He has made a remarkable transformation to weigh his lightest for years after shedding over 60kg in weight to prepare for the fight.
His opponent Hall has made a different approach by opting to come in much heavier, which Bjornsson believes may work to his advantage after the opening round. "I don’t feel being big in boxing is going to help you," Bjornsson told Mirror Fighting . "Why is Tyson Fury the best boxer in the world?
"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?"
Hall and Bjornsson will weight in today and the Englishman has suggested he will be better suited by weighing in heavier to increase his power for the fight, and ease closer to a stoppage game plan that he has promised in the build-up.
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Bjornsson, meanwhile, has already fought three times, most recently stopping arm-wrestler Devon Larratt in his last fight. He expects that Hall will come with an aggressive approach but believes his improvements have come after trading with professional and novice fighters.
"I am expecting him to be wild, throw big hooks," Bjornsson continued. "He will be square on and I am expecting him to go all in the first round. Even though I expect that I am ready for anything, he might come in with a totally different game plan because he knows what I think. Maybe he is going to come in relaxed and just wait for me to land the first punch.
"But maybe he is going to come in like a bullet and try to land straight away. I guess it is just a wait and see what happens. I have been training against different fighters, novice and professional. Good amateurs too. The reason I wanted a beginner is because I wanted to know how it is to go against someone who doesn’t have the experience a professional has."
