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Iranian Hulk to Taishan Dong: Boxing Curiosity in the Context of Abnormality

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George Mitu Iranian Hulk and Taishan Dong

Boxing has long been interested in how athletes with unusual physiques, from Iran’s Hulk to Taishan Dong, have developed careers in the ring.

WBN examines the fascination with boxers who are simply odd. There have been anomalies in the super heavyweight and heavyweight divisions in the past, and that tradition has continued into the exhibition arena.

When ‘Iranian Hulk‘ Sajad Gharibi’s entry into combat sports immediately sparked intrigue with what he had to offer in the squared circle. Gharibi posted several photos of the mountain mammoth that could destroy anything in his path. He even joined the ranks of Bare Knuckle Fighting after signing with BKFC.

The truth was that Hulk was under six feet, and standing next to a true brute like Martyn Ford, Gharibi looked like a impoverished effort at a fighter. It all ended in tears when Gharibi was knocked out early in his only boxing match.

There have been many anomalies in the past, and some have seriously hoped to succeed in the sport. In 1935, one European giant opened the door for others to follow in his footsteps.

The world’s tallest boxers

Gogea Several [pictured above on the left]born Dumitru Stefanescu, he started a revolution on the professional side of the sport. Still listed as the tallest Romanian of all time, Mitu stood at 7ft 4in [2 meters 23cm] and 8 feet 2 inches [2 meters 50cm]depending on who you believe.

Judging by Mitu’s photos, you’d be inclined to think the latter. But when Mitu made his pro debut at age 25 in June 1935, the lanky puncher was already struggling with a height problem. A first-round knockout of Saverio Grizzo put Mitu on the map. Four months later, a second early knockout victory in his homeland led to a call from France.

Mitu went to Paris to start a lucrative period with a possible next trip to America. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out. Despite thrilling the Parisian fans with a second-round victory over Giuseppe Sanga, Mitu never fought again.

Six months later, Mitu died from complications of tuberculosis, aged just 26. Mitu had already set the stage for what was to come.

The boxing fraternity was already fascinated when the South African fighter appeared George PotgieterHe was 7 feet 2 inches statuesque and won 11 of 13 fights. [all eleven by KO]. Interest in taller athletes has increased, especially in professional wrestling and other combat sports. Over the years, boxing has enjoyed crossovers with competitors from the worlds of wrestling and sumo. Muhammad Ali AND George Foreman were just two of those who competed in the exhibition competition.

After a period of standstill in the 1980s. Mike Tyson took center stage with his incredible knockout power. Unfortunately for Tyson, the 1990s were a breeding ground for taller heavyweights. Lennox Lewis, Wladimir Klitschko and brother Vitali took the top division into a recent era of super heavyweights.

The Dawn of the Super Heavyweight Boxer

In the 2000s, this incredibly statuesque boxer returned as Nikolai Valuev. A 7-foot Russian colossus with bad intentions, Valuev turned pro in 1993, gaining immediate recognition for his sheer mass and brute strength.

A decade of battling timid opposition had made Valuev a 33-0 contender. Soon it was time to step up. At the time, the Klitschko brothers had a monopoly on the division. Typically, neither wanted to get close to someone like Valuev, even though he was now a gigantic name in Germany.

Valuev instead set his sights on a shot at the WBA “regular” title. Wins over Larry Donald and Clifford Ettiene helped him rise in the rankings. John Ruiz was next for the largely unrecognized belt. Valuev broke the mold, however, by becoming the only fighter seven feet statuesque or taller to become a world champion.

The series lasted three defenses. The unexpected and much shorter Ruslan Chagaev took over the mantle of Nik’s invincibility via majority decision. Triumphs over Evander Holyfield in Zurich, Ruiz again [regaining the title]and Siarhei Liakhovich remained at the top. Moreover, the stress of being a fighter took its toll on Valuev’s considerable physique.

When the little one [compared to Valuev] a former cruiserweight named David Haye called, the writing was already on the wall. It would take a much smaller man to prove he was Kryptonite. The training regimes were torture for Valuev at the time. After twelve rounds, Valuev fell to the hard-hitting Briton on points. Wobbling along the way, it was the precise moment for Valuev to call it a day.

Already leading the taller man into a recent era, proving that long-term success in the sport is possible, Valuev remains a legendary figure among the more gigantic lifters. In a later shocking move, Valuev became a children’s storyteller on television.

Taishan Dong and the Iranian Hulk

Since then, boxing has been hungry for another monster. For a brief moment in 2015, it seemed like it was the Chinese man-mountain Taishan Dong was the man. Signed by Golden Boy Promotions under Oscar De La Hoya, Taishan was promoted under the moniker “The Great Wall.”

After a few knockouts, everything seemed to be going well. That was until Taishan started landing more and more punches in each fight. Unhappy with his suspect defense broken, Taishan retired from boxing after six fights.

For almost two years, people wondered what happened to Taishan. In 2017, they got their answer. Unsurprisingly, it was former WWE boss Vince McMahon, the entrepreneur who brought “Andre the Giant” to the forefront. Dong entered wrestling, offering Taishan a spot at WWE Developmental in their Performance Center.

Trying out in October 2017, Taishan was officially signed by WWE in July 2018. He lasted just five months before voluntarily leaving WWE.

Iranian Instagram star Hulk followed in Taishan’s footsteps. Judging by his [now confirmed as doctored] posts, looked like an amazing specimen.

BKFC boss David Feldman wanted to organize at least one show with the participation of the most popular Iranian weightlifter. However, the whole story of the Iranian Hulk turned out to be a farce. Later, he lost his first heavyweight fight in the first round. Oddly enough, he cried to his mother and was afraid to face the music after being humiliated. All this added to the fairy tale and kept martial arts fans on the edge of their seats.

We’re waiting for another giant to take on the sport. RIZIN recently signed a seven-footer to compete in their ranks.

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Boxing

Tyson’s conqueror, Danny Williams, was “never considered” for Morrison

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Kenzie Morrison Danny Williams

World Boxing News has learned that Danny Williams was never considered for a fight against Tommy Morrison’s son Kenzie on November 9.

WBN has learned from a source that Williams was scheduled to face Morrison next month when he returns to action at Firelake Arena in Shawnee. However, promoter Tony Holden confirmed what WBN initially reported, namely that Williams had been offered for the fight.

BoxRec also briefly placed Williams within Morrison’s record on November 9, before removing the former British champion. Williams famously knocked out Mike Tyson in 2004, but has since lived off his victory despite losing his British license more than a decade ago.

Holden, who represents Morrison and is looking for an opponent for the competition in three weeks, explained the situation exclusively to WBN.

“I never confirmed William’s story and I never considered him,” Holden said. “I said no when a local promoter suggested it.”

Williams, 51, last fought in August 202, losing for the 33rd time in his career. With 88 professional fights under his belt, Williams seems unable to turn down a payday despite his advanced age.

Morrison, a power puncher who has stopped 19 of his 21 wins, will look for his next conquest elsewhere. The fight with Mike Balogun remains on the table for 2025 after it was postponed from its original October date.

Balogun, who knocked out Kenzi’s brother Trey in the first round, claimed Morrison was pulled from the fight to spare him the loss.

Holden denies this view.

“Even though this post isn’t up to my standards, I’m going to write it anyway. Mike Balogun falsely claimed that I pulled Kenzie Morrison out of the fight because I was afraid he would lose. Please allow me to correct you, Mr. Balogun,” he stated.

“The decision was not made by Kenzie. Let’s raise the stakes and make it fascinating. If you emerge victorious this month, Kenzie will fight in November.

“We may decide this early next year. If your confidence remains unshaken, we can place a significant bet. Watch Kenzie take revenge on her brother and end your career.

Balogun, a former San Francisco 49ers linebacker, responded to Holden by increasing his salary for a potential collision next year.

“No matter how fair and honorable your decision was, just remember that ‘yesterday’s price is not today’s price,’” said the 2010 undrafted pick.

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Andrew Moloney is confident that if given the chance, he would have beaten Phumelele Cafu and Kosei Tanaka

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Andrew Moloney (left) attacks Pedro Guevara – photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank

Few people were more disappointed than Andrew Moloney when Kosei Tanaka lost his WBO super flyweight belt to Phumelele Cafu at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan on Monday night.

The 33-year-old Australian veteran was hoping to get a shot at beating Tanaka in the lucrative Japanese market.

Those dreams were dashed when South Africa’s Cafu delivered the performance of his life, knocking out Tanaka in the fifth round and finishing the fight strongly, beating the four-weight world champion by split decision.

“The plan was to target the WBO and really chase the Tanaka fight, but it all fell apart on Monday night,” Moloney (26-4-1NC, 16 KO) told The Ring. “I think the WBO is probably still the direction we go, but I’m not sure if they have a rematch clause or if Tanaka will take it. But after watching the fight yesterday, I would be really confident that I could fight one of these guys and win. We would like to follow this path.

“I would love to fight Tanaka in Japan as a four-division world champion. He’s definitely someone I’ve looked up to and wanted to fight for a long time.

“Last night was a little hard to watch. The way he performed, I’m more confident than ever that I have what it takes to beat Tanaka.

I assume there will be a rematch and I hope that Tanaka will regain the belt and I will be able to return to the ring and climb the rankings, and maybe this fight will still happen.

Tanaka entered Moloney’s orbit four years ago when he debuted at 115 pounds. Earlier this year, it looked like they were also on a collision course, with Moloney being number one in the WBO rankings. However, when an offer was made for the vacant IBF lightweight title fight between Vasily Lomachenko and George Kambosos Jr. in May in Perth, Western Australia, Moloney felt he couldn’t turn her down.

This decision ended in disaster. Moloney faced Carlos Cuadras, who withdrew from the fight with a ruptured Achilles tendon and was replaced by Pedro Guevara. Moloney entered the fight with a torn bicep and was largely reduced to boxing with one hand, which circumscribed his punching power.

Still, Moloney felt he did more than enough to win, and was shocked when Guevara was declared the winner by split decision. He was so disappointed that he announced immediately after the fight that he was leaving the ring, but a few days later he withdrew these comments.

It was a breakthrough moment in his career.

“Looking back, it’s a wonderful thing, but watching the Tanaka-Cafu fight made me think that maybe I would do a lot of things if I could turn back time a little bit,” Moloney explained.

“Before my last fight, I was number one in the WBO rankings and I rejected the option of waiting to fight Tanaka. But the opportunity arose to fight Guevara in Australia for the interim WBC title on a major card, and to be candid, I kind of regretted that the Tanaka fight was hanging in the balance, but ultimately we decided to stay busy and take the opportunity to fight in Australia.

“Also, the injury before the fight was another thing I thought about: will I undergo surgery, keep the top spot and wait for Tanaka, but I made the decision to go ahead with the fight with Guevara. Looking back now, maybe it wasn’t the smartest thing to do. And looking at the way Tanaka fought last night, I thought maybe I should have waited. I’m sure I could beat Tanaka and take the belt away from him.

“So I take some consolation, but unfortunately you can’t turn back time.”

It’s been a frustrating year for Moloney, but he’s still hitting the gym and his team is working to get him another fight. The window of opportunity to box again this year is closing quickly, but he still hopes to return to the ring in December, most likely in his native Australia.

“I really hope so,” he said. “That’s what I’ve been working on. I have been training strenuous at the gym for some time, quite a few months. I hope to return before the end of the year.

“At this stage it will probably be December. I’m trying to block something, but so far no luck. I’m still training away as if the fight was to take place in December, the team is currently working on it and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we’ll be able to finish it.

“I just hope we can get out before the end of the year, get back into the winner’s circle and start climbing the rankings again.”

Moloney, who fought at bantamweight for the first three years of his professional career before dropping down to super flyweight, surprisingly, said he would even consider moving up to another weight class given the right opportunity.

“It’s a tough time in the super flyweight division,” said Moloney, the eighth challenger to The Ring’s 115-pound title. “There’s a lot going on and it’s always strenuous to plan which route to take because everything changes so quickly. I’d pick Bam Rodriguez to beat Guevara, then there’s talk of a rematch between Kazuto Ioka and Fernando Martinez on Up-to-date Year’s Eve. And then there’s talk of Bama, if they win, fighting the winner of that game in unification. The WBO seems to me the fastest way to win the title, so that’s the path we will follow.

“We have also rejected for some time the idea of ​​moving up to flyweight and getting crack there. There’s also some engaging scene going on there right now, but it’s still uncertain. I’d probably feel a little better at super flyweight, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens with Cafu and Tanaka, but like I said, I’d feel comfortable and confident against either of them, so hopefully he can make it it will happen sooner rather than later.”

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Doubts that fuel 19-year-old Benjamin Johnson

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Despite an impressive amateur resume, welterweight Benjamin Johnson of Springdale, Maryland, enters the professional ring with a shoulder injury.

Johnson will face Kevin Pantoja in a four-round fight at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, Maryland, promoted by his trainer Lamont Roach Snr’s NoXcuses Promotions. The fight will be broadcast on Saturday on ProBox TV.

Johnson, 1-0 (1 KO), spent just 2:23 in the ring in his professional debut, displaying the quick, aggressive hands that won him multiple national titles. However, 19-year-old Johnson feels an advantage, believing he is being overlooked by his NoXcuses Boxing Gym teammates.

Pantoja, 1-1, 27, has never stopped being a professional – Johnson aims to change that.

“People underestimate me,” Johnson said. “It’s been like that since I was an amateur.”

He added that this underestimation increases his motivation in the gym. Johnson is determined to prove his worth not only to himself, but also to those who doubt him or, worse, don’t recognize him. “I never felt like I was recognized as that guy, so I feel like I’m underappreciated,” Johnson said of his amateur and now professional career.

Johnson sees the fight as a key step in his career, compared to feared forward David Benavidez by some teammates and touted by others as one of the most ready-to-fight prospects in the country.

“I train as much as I can,” Johnson said. “It’s about making a statement. The way you win shows people what you’re capable of, and I’m ready to show my best.

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