Two of the biggest human forces on the planet are set to collide in the boxing ring as Icelandic man mountain Hafthor Julius Bjornsson and UK strongman Eddie Hall confirmed an 'official' showdown between the pair in Las Vegas.
Bjornsson - widely known for his role as aptly named character 'The Mountain' in hit series Game of Thrones - stunned fans at the weekend by breaking the world deadlift record previously held by Hall, lifting a colossal 501kg (1,105lbs).
But not content with besting Hall's record, Bjornsson then said he wanted to pound Hall to a pulp in the ring as he called his fellow muscleman out for a boxing bout.
"Core Sports just offered me a seven-figure contract, which is the biggest contract of my life. I've signed it already. Eddie Hall has been running his mouth for two weeks now and I know that he got the same deal," said Bjornsson, 31.
"So Eddie, I just knocked out your record, and now I’m ready to knock you out in the ring. Time to put your fists where your big mouth is and sign the Core Sports contract. I’m ready. Are you ready, Eddie?"
Also on rt.com 'I'll rip your HEAD off': Eddie Hall warns Hafthor Bjornsson he will 'knock him the f*ck out' as strongman row erupts (VIDEO)English muscleman Hall, 32, soon shot back, vowing he would accept the challenge.
“I’m gonna train, eat, sleep and recover the hardest. I’m going to do everything in my power to step in that ring and rip your f*cking head off," said the man nicknamed 'The Beast'.
"So Thor, get training, I’ll see you in the ring."
The uber-heavyweight showdown now appears a step closer to reality after both men teased an "official" date and venue for the fight, stating they will collide in Las Vegas in September of next year.
The fight - promoted by CoreSports - is unsurprisingly being billed as "The Heaviest Boxing Match in History," with the 6ft 8in Bjornsson typically weighing in at around 200kg (440lbs) and the 6ft 2in Hall tipping the scales at around 165kg (360lbs).
"It's official," wrote Hall as he teased the titanic showdown.
Writing to his 3.2 million followers, Bjornsson billed the bout as "The Moutain versus the Beast".
"It’s official. September 2021 in Las Vegas Nevada, the Mountain vs the Beast.
"The next year and a half of my career will be solely dedicated towards this fight.
"I can’t wait to have my family ringside as I throw down. I’m coming for you," Bjornsson wrote.
Bjornsson already appears to be stepping up his preparations, posting a series of training images in recent days of himself doing padwork.
While the pair's trash talk suggests simmering resentment between the two leviathans, Hall had initially been supportive of his strongman rival in the build-up to his bid to break the deadlift record.
Hall said he hoped the Icelander would “smash” it, wishing him “big love” in an attempt that had to be made in a gym rather than under official conditions because of isolation restrictions enforced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But the bearded English mammoth changed his tune after the event, hinting at unfinished business with Bjornsson dating from their days competing in the World Strongest Man - a title both men have won.
"It’s not the money, it’s not the deadlift feud we’ve got going on, nothing to do with that," Hall said after Bjornsson broke his record.
"It’s because you called me a cheat at World’s Strongest Man 2017. I can’t put that to bed, I can’t forget it. People may forget it, but you’ve never apologized.
"In your head, you think you should’ve won that year and you let people know that. I cannot have that. That’s why I’m going to sign those papers – because I want to teach you a lesson. and that lesson is going to be me knocking you the f*ck out."
Hall has already acknowledged he would be giving away significant height and weight advantage to his Icelandic rival, nonetheless proclaiming he would prevail "against the odds."
The recent trash talk may simply bluster from the two big men in a bid to hype up the fight, but there will be little need for that should the pair actually trade blows in the ring, given the undoubted excitement one of the more curious bouts in recent years would generate.
A curious fact however is that both Bjornsson and Hall would come up light compared to the heaviest man ever to officially step between the ropes - an honor which belongs to Wade Bruins, who weighed in at a barely-believable 249.5kg (550lbs) for a bout in February of last year.
Retired Russian giant Nikolay Valuev holds the record for the heaviest ever world champion, winning the title in 2005 while a whopping 149kg (328lbs). Standing 7ft, Valuev is also the tallest world champion ever.
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