Hafthor Bjornsson dropped in final warm up fight ahead of Eddie Hall bout
Channel: Hot SportNews
Date: 2021-05-29

Hafthor Bjornsson dropped in final warm up fight ahead of Eddie Hall bout
Halfthor Bjornsson hit the canvas in his final warm-up exhibition bout ahead of his fight with Eddie Hall in September.
Bjornsson, who is 6"9' and had cut around 50 lbs to weigh in at 335 lbs, has been testing himself in preparation for his fight with fellow strongman Hall on September 18, which is being billed as the 'heaviest boxing match of all time'.
He took on Brit Simon Valilly who entered the ring a whopping 80 lbs lighter than his opponent, although his strong amateur background and 21 pro bouts made him the much more experienced fighter.
The Icelandic Game of Thrones star took a few strong shots from Commonwealth games gold medalist Valilly in the first round, and was rocked badly in the second by a counter left from his opponent.
But he appeared to have landed a knockdown later in the round before the referee adjudged it to be a slip.
In the third round, Bjornsson found himself on the deck early when Vallily landed flush, but he returned to his feet and was willing to let his hands go as the pair traded heavy punches. Bjornsson hurt Valilly towards the end of the round, and had the more experienced on the ground himself later on, but it was ruled a slip as well.
In the fourth, the work rate of both fighters visibly began to slow as the pair began to show signs of tiredness, with Bjornsson ultimately finishing strongly.
The bout was ultimately ruled a draw due to exhibition rules, although Valilly was clearly the winner in the eyes of most viewers.
However, the Icelandic giant showed huge signs of improvement from his first fight against Steven Ward in January and will likely be a favourite against the Brit.
Following the bout, he didn't mince words in his warning for his next opponent ahead of their meeting on September 18.
"Eddie Hall, you better be training your a** off," Bjornsson warned. "Because I'm coming for you, and I'm knocking you out - you're going down.
"I respect you as an athlete, and I know you're training hard, but I am going to knock you out, see you soon!"
Bjornsson was complimentary to his opponent Vallily, adding: "Simon was a good opponent for me, it was good to test my chin as well as my ability to fight a professional.
"He gave me some good shots, as well as some good hooks that tested my chin, but I was very happy with my performance and I'd like to thank him for coming here to Dubai."
Bjornsson has competed in multiple 'World's Strongest Man' competitions with Hall.
Both men are past winners of the tournament - in 2018 and 2017 respectively - while Hall is considered Britain's strongest man having won the domestic tournament five times.