IRANIAN bodybuilder Sajad Gharibi certainly cuts an imposing figure – but it wasn’t always this way.
The 27-stone strongman, 30, is known as the ‘Iranian Hulk’ and saw his boxing match with Martyn Ford collapse earlier this month.
Powerlifter Gharibi is an internet sensation
He regularly provides updates to his 1.1m followers on Instagram
The Iranian was due to fight Brit Martyn Ford at the O2 in late April
Throwback pics show the strongman as a timid school boy
A snap of the Iranian Hulk aged 14 shows a dramatic transformation
But despite the setback, Gharibi hasn’t given up on his boxing dream and is still looking for an opponent to face him in the ring.
He branded Ford a ‘clown’ and claimed the movie star fled to Dubai after their mega-fight fell through on April 4.
Gharibi has a huge social media presence, with over 1.1m followers on his Instagram page.
The colossal bodybuilder posts snaps and videos of his antics including breaking concrete in half, punching walls, and pulling cars.
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He’s already flirted with the world of MMA and was ready to forge a boxing career with victory over Ford.
Standing at 6ft2 and weighing in at a whopping 380lbs, the Iranian Hulk certainly packs a punch behind those hefty fists.
Throwback pictures from Tribute & Transformation show his journey from a fresh-faced eight-year-old to the giant you see today.
Fans on YouTube were particularly stunned by his transformation.
EPIC TRANSFORMATION
One wrote: “Something happened between age 8 and 13, it looks like he literally ate his classmates!”
Gharibi has reportedly represented Iran in powerlifting competitions and has sculpted his muscle mass over a number of years.
It’s even claimed that he can lift 50 POUNDS more than his own extreme bodyweight.
Little is known about his childhood growing up in Ahvaz, but he’s revealed a traditional upbringing with family values at its center.
And behind the tough-guy exterior, the Azad University graduate clearly has a softer side.
He revealed on Instagram: “I am an Iranian citizen with traditional values of Persian, upbringing surrounded with a close-knit family.
“[I also have] many great friends from all around the world who have supported me every step of the way in these difficult times.
“I endlessly would like to thank and appreciate [sic] all your kind words and support from all around the world.
“It means a lot to me and my family and I truly appreciated it from the bottom of my heart.”
He revealed how he turned down lucrative bodyguard gigs to prepare for his April 30 showdown at the O2.
But tempers flared when Hulk came up against Ford in a Dubai face-off, with the 6ft9 Brit shoving his opponent to the floor.
And Ford – dubbed the ‘World’s Scariest Man’ – fanned the flames by claiming that Gharibi runs his Instagram snaps through PHOTOSHOP.
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Ford said: “I think he’s just fooled the world with Photoshop, if I’m honest.
“Seeing him in real life is not as impressive as seeing him in pictures.”
Gharibi was stunned following the face-off fracas, even going on Iranian TV to reveal his parents would no longer speak to him.
He said: “I cannot call my family; when I returned [from Dubai] I didn’t go to my family.
“I can’t talk to my father and my mother, when I spoke to her, said: ‘The person in this video that I saw was not my son, my son is way stronger than this’.
“It hurts my heart when I can’t talk to my family. I have lost my pride and I am destroyed. How can I explain?
“They deceived me and I fell to the ground. My family said that you will go there and finish him. They expected the other way around.”
The Iranian Hulk has not ruled out fighting another opponent and has called Ford a “cowardly coward”.
The Iranian powerlifter was born in the city of Ahvaz, close to the Iraqi border
He has claimed he can lift more than his own bodyweight
Hulk still wants to go into boxing despite his fight with Ford falling through
The strongman has branded the Brit a ‘coward’ since the news broke on April 4
