Icelandic strength athlete, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, is often regarded as the greatest in his sport. He made his debut on the big screen in Game Of Thrones on HBO. The strongman portrays ‘The Mountain,’ a persistently evil figure, in the eight-season series.

In March 2022, Hafthor revealed that he had been taking boxing lessons from the aces of the sport, Mike Tyson, Tyson Fury, and Canelo Alvarez. The news came shortly before his scheduled exhibition match with heavyweight boxer and rival strongman, Eddie Hall. In an interview with Joe, the athlete explained his training regimen to prepare for ‘The Heaviest Boxing Match in History’. He also praised other boxers and spoke about the athletes he looked up to for inspiration.

Strongman Hafthor Bjornsson on Tyson’s style

The 34-year-old strongman praised Boxing ace Mike Tyson for his ‘aggressive’ style in the ring.

“A guy I like to watch is Mike Tyson. Like, he was very aggressive. He came inside with the body shots, uppercuts, always throwing combinations,” said Hafthor. “Nowadays, I love to watch guys like Canelo, ‘GGG’, Tyson Fury,” he continued, “There’s a lot of great fighters that I like to watch. Old ones, and the ones that are active today.”

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“Genes Must Be Protected”: Fans Joined Hafthor Bjornsson’s Dilemma of Breaking Up With Girlfriend “So She Doesn’t Ruin the Tall Genetics”

Hafthor started boxing in 2020 and fought a few exhibition matches. His fight against Eddie Hall materialized in 2022. Soon after, the strongman retired from boxing. The Gypsy King, Hall, even flew to Iceland to fight Hafthor. In a video recorded outside Hafthor’s power gym, the pro-boxer was seen waiting to fight the strongman. In the end, Thor never showed up. Bjornsson has previously indicated that he believes his huge stature would allow him to surprise the Brit in a prospective battle, despite not showing up to accept Fury’s offer.

Who is this Icelandic giant? A look at Hafthor’s history.

Hafthor Bjornsson, an athlete from Reykjavik, Iceland, is a 34-year-old strongman. Before he discovered his passion for basketball, he began his athletic career with soccer and gymnastics. He stands 6 feet 9 inches tall, and his nicknames include “The Mountain,” “Thor,” and even “Ljonio” (The Lion).

Hafthor entered the bodybuilding world after winning a number of basketball tournaments, including the Nordic U-16 and U-18 championships. Ronnie Coleman and Dorian Yates, among others, served as inspiration for his newly discovered interest in enhancing his physique. 2012 saw him reach his heaviest weight of 463 lbs.

Watch this story >5 WWE stars who have a bodybuilding past

Hafthor has additionally competed in a number of strongman tournaments. This includes the Arnold Strongman Classic, World’s Ultimate Strongman, and World’s Strongest Man. He secured the championship title for The Arnold Strongman Classic, Europe’s Strongest Man, and the World’s Strongest Man in the same year, making him the first and only person to do so.