When strongman Eddie Hall announced last week that he had torn his bicep while working out, it’s fair to assume that nobody was more disappointed by the news than fellow former ‘World’s Strongest Man’ and would-be boxing opponent Hafthor Bjornsson.
Both men had spent the better part of a year training for what was billed as the “World’s Heaviest Fight,” with both Bjornsson and Hall showing impressive results, transforming their formidable physiques to be leaner and more agile while still possessing otherworldly strength.
Until today, however, “The Mountain” had been surprisingly quiet about Hall’s injury and his feelings about the uncertainty now surrounding the long-awaited bout. In a somber YouTube video posted today titled “My Message to Eddie,” Bjornsson shared his reaction. The clip opens with Bjornsson at home, presumably not long after hearing the news. “Fight’s off,” he says, looking understandably agitated. “Apparently, Eddie’s injured. It’s a bummer.”
While Bjornsson seems understanding, acknowledging that injuries happen during training, his sympathy seemingly only goes so far. Bjornsson implies that he still wants the fight to happen at some point after Hall rehabilitates his injury. Otherwise, he says, “his doctor has to tell him he’s physically unable to fight the rest of his life.” In the meantime, Bjornsson says he intends to stay focused—and that he’s putting many other priorities on hold to keep training, hoping for a new fight date early next year.
Asked if he has any thoughts on what led to the injury, Bjornsson speculates that the combination of continuing to lift heavy while also doing cardio-centric boxing training may have played a role. “When you lift heavy, you get stiff. Then you punch the bag—it’s too much for the body,” he says, adding that Hall has sustained other injuries throughout his career.
As the video concludes, Bjornsson’s videographer asks what he would say to Hall if they met face-to-face right now. “I’d ask him how he’s doing,” Bjornsson says. “I wish that he would be a bit more careful with the heavy weights because right now in my opinion it’s unnecessary, and it’s too much risk.”
Finally, Bjornsson says, while Hall recovers he’ll simply focus on getting better as an athlete and keep adapting his body to the rigors of boxing. “I will become a machine,” he says. “There is no way I stop.”
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