Eddie Hall vs. Hafþór Björnsson

Eddie Hall vs. Hafþór Björnsson, known as "The Heaviest Boxing Match in History" at its time,[5][6] was a boxing match between strongmen Eddie Hall and Hafþór Björnsson that took place on 19 March 2022. Both have won the strongman competition "World's Strongest Man" owned by IMG Worldwide. Prior to Hall's injury, the match was set to take place on September 18, 2021, at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.[7] The replacement match in September 2021 was between Björnsson and Devon Larratt in Dubai while the match against Hall was rescheduled to March 19, 2022.[8]

The Heaviest Boxing Match in History
Date19/03/2022
VenueDubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium
Title(s) on the lineTitan weight belt
Tale of the tape
Boxer United Kingdom Eddie Hall Iceland Hafþór Björnsson
Nickname "The Beast" "The Mountain"
Hometown Clayton, Newcastle-under-Lyme, England Reykjavík, Iceland
Pre-fight record 0–0 1–0-2
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)[1][2] 6 ft 9 in (205 cm)[1]
Weight 142 kg (313 lb) 152 kg (335 lb)
Style southpaw slugger orthodox outboxer
Recognition World's Strongest Man 2017
Former Deadlift World Record 500kg (strongman)[3]		 30 international titles including
World's Strongest Man 2018
International Sports Hall of Famer
Current Deadlift World Record 501kg (strongman)[4]
Result
Björnsson wins via unanimous decision

Hall started the first round with continuous haymakers but Björnsson kept his composure and stuck to the basics, focusing on a solid jab and better footwork. Once Björnsson realized Hall's game plan, he took control of the fight by hitting down Hall twice to the floor in rounds three and six. Hall sustained bleeding lacerations on top of both eyes and Björnsson won the fight via unanimous decision, having won all but the second round.[9][10][11][12]

Background

The fight was announced in November 2020.[13]

Both Hall and Björnsson went into the fight with numerous accolades in strength athletics. Hall holds the title of 2017 World's Strongest Man and won UK's Strongest Man and Britain's Strongest Man multiple times. Björnsson holds the title of 2018 World's Strongest Man and has placed in the top three positions of the competition every year since 2012. He is also the 2018 World's Ultimate Strongman, 3 times in a row Arnold Strongman Classic champion, 5 times Europe's Strongest Man, 8 times Strongman Champions League champion, 9 times Giants Live champion, and 15 times Iceland's Strongest Man and Strongest Man in Iceland champion.

In 2016, Hall set a world record in deadlifting with 500 kg (~1102 lbs) at the 2016 Europe's Strongest Man competition. However, Björnsson deadlifted 501 kg (~1105 lbs) at the 2020 World's Ultimate Strongman - Feats of Strength series and established the current world record.[14]

On 26 July 2021 an announcement was made that Hall had suffered an injury and therefore the fight would be postponed.[15] Devon Larratt was chosen as the replacement for Hall for the September 18 match to be held in Dubai.[8] Björnsson defeated Larratt in the first round by technical knockout.[16]

References
  1. Tao, David (18 October 2018). "Here's How Top Strongman Athletes Stack Up In Height". Barbend.com. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  2. IMDB.com, Mini Bio (19 March 2022). "Eddie Hall Biography". IMDB. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  3. Walker, Graham (11 July 2016). "Strongman Eddie Hall deadlifts world record HALF A TON then passes out at Leeds Arena". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  4. Guinness World Records (10 May 2020). "Heaviest Deadlift". guinnessworldrecords.com. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  5. Wison, Scott (4 May 2020). "Hafthor 'The Mountain' Bjornsson and Eddie Hall to fight in Las Vegas on 18th September 2021". givemesport.com. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  6. Davies, Ben (12 May 2023). "YouTube boxers weigh combined 800lb as heaviest-ever fight is made official". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  7. "Thor Bjornsson vs. Eddie Hall Takes Place in Florida". MTK Global. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
  8. Fordham, Josh (18 August 2021). "Hafthor Bjornsson finds Eddie Hall replacement for next fight and will face Canadian arm wrestler Devon Larratt who is 'training with Lennox Lewis'". talkSport.
  9. Andrews, Connor (20 March 2022). "Thor wins boxing's heaviest match as he sends Eddie Hall to the floor twice". talkSPORT. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  10. Davies, Harry (25 February 2022). "Eddie Hall fans convinced Thor Bjornsson looks "unhealthy" after weight loss". Mirror. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  11. "Thor smashes Strongman rival in brutal boxing fight". Fox Sports. 20 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  12. "Thor wins boxing's heaviest match as he sends Eddie Hall to the floor twice". talkSPORT. 20 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  13. "Hall vs Bjornsson fight date confirmed for 'heaviest boxing match in history'". talkSPORT. 2020-11-24. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
  14. "Hafthor Bjornsson breaks world record with 1,104-pound deadlift". ESPN. May 2, 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-05-03. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  15. "Hafthor Bjornsson vs Eddie Hall postponed as 'The Beast' suffers 'serious injury'". talkSPORT. July 26, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-07-25. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  16. "Hafthor Bjornsson vs Devon Larratt full highlights as Thor batters arm wrestler". GivemeSport. September 19, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-09-20. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
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