Icelandic strongman Thor "The Mountain" Bjornsson loved every second of his exhibition bout with Steven Ward – and has warned Eddie Hall that if he doesn’t take it equally as seriously then the Englishman will be knocked out in the first round. Thor and Ward took part in a three-round exhibition bout in Dubai over the weekend, and The Mountain had plenty to say following the clash. Bjornsson said: “What I’ve seen from Eddie Hall doesn’t look good. He has to be taking it seriously. He just seems to be paying some poor guy to not punch him back. If you want to beat me, you have to spar and get punched in the face. If not I will knock you out in the first round."

 

He continued, “This feels great and I love it. Thanks to Steven Ward for doing this. He’s a really nice guy and not many people would want to face someone who weighs 130lbs more than him, so he has the biggest heart ever. For him to do this exhibition with me means a lot. Ward is the same height as Eddie Hall, so this was a good experience. I can’t wait to get back home and train to be even better. I’ve been doing this for six months and I have a huge respect for the sport and its athletes. I wanted to get my technique right first, and then I’ll focus on speed and everything else. The fight with Eddie will be six rounds, and I will be in the absolute best shape of my life. In September I will knock him out!”

 

Ward, who was knocked down, said: “I thought Thor looked great. I’ve never seen a man that size move so well. I got a bit careless at one points and he shook me to my boots with a shot. It’s great to be involved in this. Thanks to everyone that came out and to my management team MTK Global. They’re getting every boxer great opportunities.”