It’s been two months since Hafthor Björnsson defeated his rival Eddie Hall in the “Heaviest Boxing Match in History.” Both men have continued to stray along different paths in their respective retirements from strongman. Björnsson recently had some eye-opening news as he continues to figure out what he now wants to achieve athletically.
On June 1, 2022, Björnsson shared an update about where his physique stands after his fight with Hall. The 2018 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) Champion says his body weight is now 146 kilograms (322 pounds). Since Björnsson weighed 152 kilograms (335 pounds) for his match with Hall, that means he lost 13 pounds in roughly eight weeks. For additional context, Björnsson weighed 205 kilograms (452 pounds) when he won his 2018 WSM title.
[Related: Eddie Hall Honored Boxing Bet With Hafthor Björnsson And Got A Tattoo Of His Full Name]
The radical shift in Björnsson’s physique is apparently part of an ongoing athletic experiment after strongman. After a decade-plus of pushing himself to be one of the planet’s strongest people, it’s understandable the 33-year-old Björnsson wants to figure some things out before taking another step forward.
“I’m human like everyone else, and I’m going through a period in my life where I’m not 100 percent focused or dedicated all the time,” Björnsson wrote in the caption of his Instagram post. “It’s weird because, for the last 10-plus years of my life, I’ve been super focused and driven because I’ve always had a goal to strive towards.”
What Björnsson describes might be relatable to a lot of strength sports athletes. It can take some time to adjust to a new life after being so dead-set on one singular goal for so long. In Björnsson’s case, he at least certainly understands that his current struggle is normal and human and won’t last forever.
“Being in the unknown now has my motivation lacking a bit,” Björnsson writes. “If you are lacking motivation at this moment, know that it’s normal, and we all go through that.”
The Road Ahead
At the time of this writing, Björnsson maintains that he’s looking for another boxing fight. While still early, it seems boxing is the next professional athletic endeavor he wants to dive into fully.
Some had surmised that Björnsson would take Hall up on a rematch offer on that front. However, in a YouTube response to Hall’s offer in early April 2022, Björnsson said he doesn’t think the timing lines up for an immediate rematch.
Whoever Björnsson ultimately does line up for a fight, it should be another fascinating matchup of skill-sets for the former strongman great.
About Björnsson
If his strongman career is any indication, Björnsson might be in a quality position to excel at whatever he puts his mind to.
In addition to his 2018 WSM title, Björnsson is a three-time winner of the Arnold Strongman Classic (2018-2020) and a five-time winner of Europe’s Strongest Man (2014-2015, 2017-2019). He’s also the current official deadlift World Record holder with a pull of 501 kilograms (1,105 pounds) from the 2020 World’s Ultimate Strongman Feats of Strength series.
In essence, the strength sports world knows what Björnsson’s capable of with motivation. Be it in boxing or another avenue, it might not be long before we see Björnsson thriving as a professional competitor again.
Featured image: @thorbjornsson on Instagram