Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Martin Domin

Thor Bjornsson sets fight challenge for Martyn Ford after "too soft" jibe

Thor Bjornsson believes his next boxing bout will likely be against either Martyn Ford or Mariusz Pudzianowski.

Former strongman Bjornsson outpointed bitter rival Eddie Hall earlier this month to settle their long-running feud in the ring. And the Icelander expects to fight again having been called out by several fighters.

YouTube star KSI has been among the more unlikely options but Ford and Pudzianowski are former strongmen in their own right and are seen as potential foes. Ford must first overcome Iranian Hulk when the pair meet in the ring in London on April 30.

And Bjornsson said: "In my opinion, Martyn Ford or Mariusz Pudzianowski make the most sense. I read somewhere that Pudzianowski only wants to do MMA, he's been fighting now for more than a decade and is a lot more experienced than me, so he shouldn't have an issue boxing a man like myself.

Who should Thor Bjornsson fight next? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below

"Martyn Ford is supposed to be fighting end of April. He obviously has to win his fight for me to consider fighting him."

Ford has made no secret of his desire to face Bjornsson having previously backed Hall to win their grudge fight after claiming Bjornsson didn't look prepared. “Thor has been very edgy the last two days," Ford told iFL TV in an interview ahead of the grudge match. "Like I said before this fight, I was like, I think Thor is too soft. I think he has just not got that (signalling energy)."

Bjornsson, however, vowed to "smash" Ford should the pair meet down the line. Ford's clash with Hulk - real name Sajad Gharibi - has already been delayed once by four weeks. The rivals were due to clash this Saturday before injuries to undercard fighters pushed the event back.

And Bjornsson expects Ford to come through his first boxing fight, predicting: " He also believes that Ford will defeat Gharibi, saying that the Iranian doesn't look in shape to take the fight past one round. "I think Martyn Ford is going to win that fight," he continued. "The other guy doesn't look in shape at all.

"I don't know the guy but from the pictures I've seen he looks big. He doesn't look like he has the endurance to go more than one round in my opinion. But I don't know, we'll see, I've seen some bits of Martyn Ford, he looks okay."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.