Over the weekend, Game of Thrones star Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (Gregor “the Mountain” Clegane) fought former strongman Eddie Hall in an exhibition boxing match at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium in the United Arab Emirates. Björnsson is a former strongman himself, and both combatants weighed in at over 300 pounds. That led to their fight being dubbed the World’s Heaviest Boxing Match.
The match was supposed to happen a while back, but COVID delayed things. All in all, the fighters were trash-talking each other for upwards of two years; to this day, I don’t know if that was genuine or put on for show. But it built hype for the match, which Björnsson won.
According to Men’s Health, it was a pretty even match with both fighters giving as good as they got. Apparently the crowd was on Hall’s side, perhaps because they hadn’t seen Game of Thrones…or maybe they did and still haven’t forgiven the Mountain for popping Oberyn Martell’s head. But in the end, Björnsson emerged victorious and the fighters bumped fists.
Game of Thrones star Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson wants to pursue acting full time
Björnsson has had quite a career: actor, strongman, boxer. Where does he go from here?
“I’m also open to moving more into acting, which has been hard for me to do because of strongman and obviously boxing,” Björnsson told The Sun. “While competing in strongman, I did Game of Thrones and did some other jobs but it was always a huge challenge for me.
"I would love to, at some point in my life at least, focus fully on acting and giving my full attention to it, like I gave strongman, like I’m giving boxing right now. At some point in my career, I would like to be a full-time actor, if possible, if the opportunities are there."
I’m sure Game of Thrones will go on his demo reel.
You can watch the full fight between Björnsson and Hall here.
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels