Boxing has long been curious about how unconventional-sized athletes, from the Iranian Hulk to Taishan Dong, navigated their careers in the ring.
WBN looks at the pugilistic fascination with the freakish, which has seen past anomalies at super heavyweight and giants, continuing the tradition into the exhibition age.
When an ‘Iranian Hulk‘ Sajad Gharibi entered combat sports, he immediately sparked intrigue about what he offered inside the squared circle. Gharibi posted several images of a mountain mammoth man who could destroy anything in his path. He even joined the ranks of Bare Knuckle Fighting after signing a deal with BKFC.
However, the truth was that Hulk stood below six feet, and standing next to a real brute like Martyn Ford, Gharibi looked like a puny effort of a fighter. It all ended in tears as Gharibi got knocked out early in his only boxing match.
Many anomalies have occurred; some seriously hoped to make it in the sport. In 1935, one European giant opened the doors for others to follow.
The World’s Tallest Boxers
Gogea Mitu [pictured above on the left], born Dumitru Stefanescu, started the revolution on the professional side of the sport. Still listed as the tallest Romanian of all time, Mitu stood between 7ft 4ins [2 meters 23cm] and 8ft 2ins [2 meters 50cm], depending on who you believe.
Judging by photographs of Mitu, You’d tend to lean toward the latter. But when Mitu made his pro debut at 25 in June of 1935, the lanky puncher had already struggled to cope with his growth. Defeating Saverio Grizzo via KO in the first round, though, Mitu was off and running. Four months later, a second early stoppage victory in his home country led to a call from France.
Mitu headed to Paris for what should have been the start of a lucrative spell with the possibility of a further trip to America. Sadly, this failed to transpire. Despite wowing the Parisian fans with a second-round win over Giuseppe Sanga, Mitu would never fight again.
Six months later, Mitu died of complications from tuberculosis at just 26. Mitu had already laid the groundwork for what was to come.
The boxing fraternity was already hooked when along came South African George Potgieter. He stood 7ft 2ins and won 11 of 13 bouts [all eleven by KO]. The gravitation towards taller competitors grew, particularly in professional wrestling and other combat sports. For years, boxing enjoyed crossovers with fighters from the wrestling and sumo worlds. Muhammad Ali and George Foreman were just two of those who competed in exhibitions.
After a lull in the 1980s, Mike Tyson took center stage with his freakish knockout power. Unfortunately for Tyson, the 1990s was a breeding ground for taller heavyweights. Lennox Lewis, Wladimir Klitschko, and brother Vitali took the top division into a new era of super heavyweights.
Dawn of the super-heavyweight boxer
In the 2000s, the super-tall pugilist returned as Nikolai Valuev. He was a 7-foot Russian behemoth with bad intentions. Valuev turned pro in 1993 to instant recognition for his sheer bulk and brute force alone.
A ten-year run against timid opposition turned Valuev into a ranked contender at 33-0. It was soon time to step things up. By then, the Klitschko brothers held a monopoly over the division. Typically, neither wanted to go near someone like Valuev, despite the fact he was now a big name in Germany.
Valuev instead forged his path to a WBA ‘regular’ title shot. Victories over Larry Donald and Clifford Ettiene helped push his ranking. John Ruiz was next up for the largely unrecognized strap. But Valuev broke the mold by becoming the only fighter seven feet or over to become champion of the world.
The run lasted three defenses. The unfancied and considerably shorter Ruslan Chagaev took Nik’s cloak of invincibility via majority decision. Triumphs against Evander Holyfield in Zurich, Ruiz again [regaining the title], and Siarhei Liakhovich kept a run at the top. Furthermore, the strain of being a fighter took its toll on Valuev’s considerable frame.
When a tiny [compared to Valuev] former cruiserweight named David Haye came calling, the writing was already on the wall. It took a far smaller man to prove to be the Kryptonite. Training regimes were torture for Valuev by then. After twelve rounds, Valuev succumbed to the big-punching Briton on points. Wobbled along the way, it was a precise moment for Valuev to call it a day.
Already leading the taller man into a new era by proving a long-term run in the sport is possible, Valuev remains a legendary figure among more giant heavyweights. In a later shock move, Valuev became a children’s storyteller on TV.
What happened to Taishan Dong and Iranian Hulk?
Since then, boxing has been craving another monster. For a brief moment in 2015, it seemed Chinese man-mountain Taishan Dong was that man. Signed by Golden Boy Promotions under Oscar De La Hoya, Taishan was promoted under the ‘The Great Wall moniker.’
A couple of KOs in, things seemed to be going well. That was until Taishan began to ship more and more punches in each fight. Not happy that his suspect defense was breached, Taishan quit boxing after six bouts.
For almost two years, people have wondered what happened to Taishan. In 2017, they got their answer. Unsurprisingly, former WWE boss Vince McMahon, the entrepreneur who brought ‘Andre the Giant’ to the fore, was behind it. Dong entered pro wrestling by offering Taishan a spot in WWE Developmental at their Performance Center.
Trying out in October 2017, Taishan was officially signed by WWE in July 2018. He lasted a mere five months before leaving WWE voluntarily.
Instagram sensation Iranian Hulk followed Taishan’s demise. Judging by his [now confirmed as doctored] posts, he looked to be an unbelievable specimen.
BKFC boss David Feldman was keen to put on at least one show featuring Iran’s most-followed weightlifter. However, the whole Iranian Hulk story proved to be a sham. He subsequently lost his first heavyweight effort badly in the first round. Weirdly, he cried to his momma and was scared to face the music after being humbled. It all added to the fairytale and kept combat fans on the edge of their seats.
We wait for the next giant to take up the sport.
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Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010.
