Hafthor Björnsson is stepping in the ring again. On May 28, 2021, the 2018 World’s Strongest Man winner will be squaring up against heavyweight and cruiserweight pro boxer Simon Vallily in Dubai. The match, which is an exhibition, will be a part of a full card taking place on that day. This fight will be available for fans to watch for free via Core Sports. The announcement was made on April 16, 2021, on Core Sports’ Instagram page.
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This will be Björnsson’s second time in the ring since 2021. He fought Steven Ward back in January 2021 during an exhibition bout. No winner was declared. The Icelandic native was scheduled to face fellow strongman Alex Simon, but Simon suffered an injury and will not compete. Vallily answered the call, and the fight remains on.
“After Alex Simon’s unfortunate injury, I still wanted to get the experience in,” Björnsson wrote in a post from his Instagram account. “Thankfully, Simon Vallily, the heavyweight pro boxer with a 17-3-1 record stepped up and agreed to step into the ring with me in Dubai.”
This upcoming bout is, of course, another step in Björnsson’s preparation for a fight against 2017 WSM winner Eddie Hall. The two strongmen — who have publicly feuded on the internet — both predict knockouts. Hall has yet to participate in an exhibition bout. Their fight will take place in September 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. CrossFit Games athletes Josh Bridges and Jacob Heppner will box on the September card, too.
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About Simon Villily
Villily currently has a professional record of 17 wins, three losses, and one draw. Seven of his victories came by way of knockout. In 2010, he won gold in boxing at the Commonwealth Games as a representative of England. Coincidentally, he actually defeated Bjorsson’s first exhibition opponent, Ward, in the finals of that tournament. He stands six feet, two inches tall, and is 35 years old.
He is seven inches shorter than the six-foot-nine-inch tall Björnsson, but Villily is only one inch shorter than Hall. That is important because it provides Björnsson an opponent with height and wingspan comparable to his opponent this September.
Since this fight is considered an exhibition, this event won’t affect Villily’s record either positively or negatively. That means Björnsson will also not be credited for having an official fight as of yet. (Hey, he can still lay claim to the heaviest deadlift of all time, though.)
Featured Image: @thorbjornsson on Instagram
