After almost two years of anticipation, the fight between 2017 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion Eddie Hall and 2018 WSM champion Hafthor Björnsson is set to take place on Saturday, March 19, 2022, at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium in the United Arab Emirates.
Billed as “The Heaviest Boxing Match in History,” both men initially agreed on this fight after Björnsson broke Hall’s all-time deadlift world record by one kilogram — Björnsson pulled 501 kilograms (1,104 pounds) on the initial episode of World Ultimate Strongman’s “Feats of Strength” series. Hall still disputes the legitimacy of Björnsson’s deadlift because it wasn’t performed in competition. Björnsson challenged Hall to the fight within minutes of pulling the massive weight, and Hall accepted less than one hour later. The fight was initially set for September 2021, but Hall injured his left biceps during a sparring session, resulting in the fight’s rescheduling for March 2022.
As recently as one week before the highly anticipated bout, unsubstantiated rumors spread that the fight would be canceled again. At the time of this article’s publication, promoter Don Idrees confirmed to BarBend that the fight is on and will be live-streamed for free to everyone who wishes to watch.
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[Related: Giants Live Issues 505-Kilogram (1,113.3-Pound) Deadlift Challenge With $55,000 Reward]
How to Watch Hall vs. Björnsson
The fight is scheduled for Saturday, Mar. 19, 2022, at 8:30 p.m. local time/4:30 p.m. EST/1:30 p.m. PST, and the live-steam is available on the Segi TV website for free. No registration or subscription is required to watch the fight. The matchup between Björnsson and Hall will be the only event on the card that day. There is also a series called Road to the Ring, a six-episode look at the leadup to the big fight between the two strongman legends, available to view for free.
Details of the Fight
The fight will consist of six three-minute rounds. Both combatants will wear 12-ounce gloves, and there will be one referee to control the action. Three judges will score the fight in case it goes the distance, meaning neither boxer scores a knockout.
Aside from personal bragging rights, there is a side wager between the Hall and Björnsson. After an original challenge whereby the loser would donate $100,000 to the charity of the winner’s choice, both men agreed to donate $200,000 of their respective purses. Björnsson also challenged Hall to a tattoo wager, where the loser of the bout must get a permanent tattoo of the winner’s name. The respective tattoos must read as described below:
- Eddie Hall, should he lose — “World’s Strongest Man: Hafthor Julius Björnsson”
- Hafthor Björnsson, should he lose — “World’s Strongest Man: Eddie Hall”
Where the tattoo would go on the loser’s body was not confirmed, though Hall, who may or may not have been joking, said in a YouTube video that it would go on Björnsson’s butt cheek should Hall win.
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