Iranian Hulk and Kazakh Titan weighed a combined 520lb for their boxing fight in Dubai tomorrow night before engaging in one final shoving match.
The strongmen, whose real names are Sajad Gharibi and Djumanov Almat Bakhytovich respectively will make their boxing debuts at the P7 Arena on Sunday night, and weighed in today to make their exhibition bout official. Gharibi tipped the scales at 300lb while Bakhytovich came in considerably lighter at 220lb before the pair faced off with Gharibi pushing his opponent before a ruckus developed and security staff stepped in.
After two years of back-and-forth needling, the pair have finally weighed in for their grudge fight, which will come as a particular relief to Gharibi. The Iranian Hulk has had a number of false-starts to his fighting career, including an ill-fated bout with Martyn Ford which was rescheduled multiple times before being completely cancelled in April.
But he is now finally going to make his debut against a rival he has been eager to face since November of 2020. As for Bakhytovich, it is a massive opportunity at exposure against an opponent with nearly a million more followers than he has, who also happens to have minimal boxing experience.
“Many people are saying they don’t know who I am," he said in a statement days after the fight was confirmed. "But they will see on July 31 who Kazakh Titan is, my power. I am going to make history by winning and making it the most entertaining show that has been in Dubai. When I win this fight, I want to fight Fedor in Almaty and bring the biggest fight to the country ever."
Who do you think will win; Iranian Hulk or Kazakh Titan? Let us know in the comments section below!
Gharibi's rivalry with Bakhytovich has led him to this fight, but he also has eyes on convincing Ford that they should finally do battle next. The Brit pulled out of their April bout scheduled for The O2 arena in London citing concerns over his opponent's mental health after he broke down in tears on Iranian TV.
But he wants the fight to still happen, saying ahead of this weekend's main event bout: "This fight is for me to set the record straight. I will be a great champion for Iran and I'll represent my people with respect and all my strength. After I win this fight, I want to challenge myself against Martyn Ford, this fight will happen, if Martyn is too scared to fight me then the world will know. I’m stepping into the ring now ready to fight”.
