Strongman-turned-boxer Hafthor Bjornsson has opened up on his rivalry with Eddie Hall and the journey to get to fight night as he prepares to enter the squared circle this weekend.

On Saturday night, the years-long rivalry between strongman foes Hafthor Bjornsson and Eddie Hall will finally come to an end. The pair have spent a long time in talks for a boxing showdown and finally, in what’s bound to be a unique collision, they’ll meet inside the ropes.

While some have wondered whether this is all for show, Thor has insisted that the feud runs deep.

“He really dislikes me and I really dislike Eddie. He wants to punch me in the face, I want to punch him in the face,” Thor told GiveMeSport.com.

“It’s not a fake rivalry, it’s actually real. We really dislike each other and if anyone thinks anything is fake here, nothing is fake. 

“This is 100% true, and it’s 100% going to go down on Saturday. Full force. We both want a knockout, we both want to come out on top and get the win.”

The transition from competing in the world of strongman to boxing was never going to be an easy one, and even ‘The Mountain’ won’t hide away from the toll it’s taken on him.

“100% this is the craziest, hardest thing I’ve done in my entire life. Extremely difficult, physically, mentally.

“There were days when I wanted to just give up and I thought ‘wow, this is too much’. But I didn’t, because I have a mentality where nothing stops me. 

“I just keep going and keep pushing myself no matter what. I show up everyday, no matter what - no matter how tired I am, how sore I am. It doesn’t matter if I was crying the day before because I was in so much pain. I’m just gonna show up and do my best every single day.”

The Reign Total Body Fuel athlete has the experience and height advantage but admitted there’s a route to victory for Hall - through an unforced error, that is.

“I have the reach, I have the height, I have the experience, I have everything against him. In my opinion I’m a better boxer. Everything goes my way. 

“It’s my fight to lose. If I lose this fight, it’s because I didn’t control this [his mind]. “If I go into this fight with my head strong, stay calm, relaxed and do my part as a boxer, If I come in and show people what I’m capable of, there’s no way he’s beating me.”

Will Thor’s boxing journey continue?

Through all of the noise and chaos of fight week, Bjornsson has admitted that there could be another challenge on the horizon.

“I’m too focused on Eddie right now, but there was someone earlier that asked if I would fight Martyn Ford, a friend of Eddie Hall. If that question gets asked after the fight, we’ll discuss it. We’ll discuss it if it makes sense.”

Hafthor Bjornsson is a Reign ambassador and will fight Eddie Hall on Saturday 19th March at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium. #ReadyToReign