'The Mountain' Announces His First Exhibition Boxing Match
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Hafthor Bjornsson, also known as "The Mountain" from Game Of Thrones, has had the opponent for his exhibition boxing bout revealed.
Northern Irish boxer Steven Ward will be travelling to Reykjavik, Iceland, for the fight.
Promoters MTK Global announced the news on Twitter, confirming that the match will be going ahead on 16 January 2021.
The bout is a warm up for "The Heaviest Boxing Fight Of All Time", where Bjornsson will be facing fellow strongman Eddie Hall in September 2021.
Known as 'The Quiet Man', Ward will be giving up a hefty size advantage to Bjornsson. At 6'2, the 30-year-old will be towered over by the 6'9 Icelander, and it is likely to be a large weight difference too. Ward is a former WBO European light heavyweight champion, and most recently fought at cruiserweight.
A couple of fans did point out that it could be an issue...
Can't fault Ward for taking a big payday but somebody needs their head checking for making this "fight" in the first place. Thor is over double Ward's bodyweight! Boxing is becoming a circus... https://t.co/Gx0HKgR218
- Chris Bradley (@ChrisBradley97) December 1, 2020
Ward, a natural LHW (175lbs) who's recently moved up to Cruiserweight (200lbs) fighting Thor who weighs a whole 400lbs. Make it make sense♂️ https://t.co/DHNkhcmBgj
- R U S S E L L :sparkles: (@BenRussell99) December 1, 2020
Steve you've plenty of time to get down to his weight
- Ally McKenzie (@AllyMcKenzie91) December 1, 2020
Do you want to borrow my stepladder mate?
- kegsy1524 (@kegsy1524) December 1, 2020
"It all sort of came out of the blue, and it is something different," Ward told Belfast Live.
CONFIRMED :white_check_mark:@Stevenward_ to take part in an exhibition bout against @ThorBjornsson_ in Iceland next month.
- MTK Global :earth_africa: (@MTKGlobal) December 1, 2020
DETAILS :arrow_right: https://t.co/vwquofnX9d#TeamMTKGlobal pic.twitter.com/f1sT400gkS
"It is a bit left-field but when the opportunity was put to me I said yes. Boxing in the current climate is difficult, and getting fights is tough."
He continued: "My last fight was in September, and it could be February or March before I fight professionally again, and I have a young family.
"So when this was put to me I thought it through and said I would do it."
Ward's last fight was a six-round points victory over Jone Volau in his cruiserweight debut, and he currently holds a 13-1-0 record.
Featured Image Credit: MTK Global/Instagram
Topics: Boxing News, Boxing, Hafthor Bjornsson
