The Iranian Hulk has laid into Martyn Ford after the cancellation of their contest and labelled the powerlifter a “coward”.
On April 5, the Brit took to Instagram to reveal the news to his 3.9 million followers. Although, on paper, the fight appeared very one-sided, fans were still looking forward to it.
Combat sports enthusiasts wanted to see if Hulk had the minerals to perform the ring. Alas, it appears we will maybe never know the answer to the question, or for some time at least. But having said that, the face-off gave us a pretty good indicator.
The event is still going ahead and features match-ups between Manchester United legend Patrice Evra vs YouTuber Adam Saleh. Meanwhile, former Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara takes on fitness star Kris Boyson. However, that doesn’t make up for the fact that we’re missing out on the original main event.
Read: Martyn Ford v Iranian Hulk is off: Here’s what we know so far
Why is the fight between Martyn Ford and The Iranian Hulk not happening?
Some fans have assumed that the Iranian is the man who has caused the collapse of the eagerly anticipated contest. However, the man himself has claimed otherwise.
He posted a video on his YouTube channel in which he alleges Ford is behind disappointing the fans, before then making the extraordinary claim that he was suffering from Covid-19 on the day of their face-off in February.
He said: “I had coronavirus during our Dubai meeting. On face-to-face day, I announced this to the organisation [Boxstar]. I never used this as an excuse and I did not run away from anything.
“I was present with a lung infection and a fever of 40 degrees. It is really embarrassing that the fight is cancelled by a coward. It does not matter to me, I am still in this race. I also told the organisation to put a fighter in front of me, someone who has a fighting spirit.”
He had earlier stated: “I heard Ford doesn’t want to fight, it is not me [and] not any other fighters. I never cancelled any fight between us but he doesn’t want to see me again! It is against the contract and my legal team have started looking at it.
“Actually ‘pretty boy’ can’t ever fight, he just hides and runs away, he must have a permission from a woman first. I can’t believe an opponent like him, it’s shameful. This victory isn’t an honour for me, it’s a century joke, not a century fight.”
It’s fair to say that fans are still desperate to see Hulk back up his boasts in the ring. But it looks like they will have to wait a while longer.
Image Credit: Sajad Gharibi / Instagram