Martyn Ford has taken advice from Dillian Whyte ahead of his boxing debut.
The British star will make his boxing debut in a strongman clash against bitter rival Iranian Hulk at the O2 Arena in April.
Ford is notorious for his career in fitness holding a social media following of over three million followers and is friends with the likes of Eddie Hall and Glory Kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven.
Ford has explained the impact of speaking to Whyte due to "similarities" in their fighting styles and has also been invited to train with Frazer Clarke.
“For the last six to 12 months I have had some phenomenal friends in my life, boxing wise I have Dillian who I have spoken to on and off quite a bit," Ford told Mirror Fighting .
"He is a massive inspiration to me because he has always been that rough and ready, in your face, hungry and fights for the fight. He is someone I can look up to and find a lot of similarities.
“Rico (Verhoeven) is a great friend of mine. Glory heavyweight champion and kickboxer he is on the phone almost every day. I should be in Holland right now actually so I have a lot of things going on. I have legitimate professional world champions giving me time and advice that I can go and train with.
“ Frazer Clarke who I have been talking to recently down Loughborough is on about there and coming down and doing some work. All of these immense athletes are way better than where I’d be, but the energy I can take from them and implement into my fight game.
"But it is going to be one hell of a lot of explosions and fireworks. You have to remember that I am 23 stone 6’7 and powerful, we are going to bring fireworks to the table. It is going to be packed with hunger and aggression."
Ford has no prior experience in the boxing ring but has frequently trained in mixed martial arts.
Who will win - Martyn Ford or 'Iranian Hulk'? Let us know your prediction in the comments section below
The event against Sajad Gharibi has been touted to take place since 2018 after Ford signed for Polish MMA promotion KSW but a bout failed to materialise.
However the bout will now take place in the boxing ring which will be promoted by celebrity boxing label Boxstar.
Despite also having a film and TV career, Ford sees his future continuing in fighting and sees a future to compete in both the iron square and the cage.
“Yeah 100 per cent. For me the MMA is something I want to test myself in and I have already spoken to KSW and that is something they are more than happy to link in," Ford continued.
'I love the idea of the Boxstar so if it is a collaboration, one on and one off. We will see what comes but there is definitely growth for me in both areas. As long as I can get the opponents I feel like I have four or five years of sharpness in me.'
