Iranian Hulk deletes Instagram images after boxing defeat

LONDON: Instagram star Iranian Hulk, real name Sajad Gharibi, has removed dozens of images from the social media platform over claims that they have been photoshopped. The move comes in the aftermath of his defeat in the boxing ring by Kazakh Titan, real name Almat Bakhytovich, which was described as “embarrassing” following an opening-round stoppage last month. Footage of the fight suggested that Gharibi did not possess the physique displayed in his photos.

He has used those images to amass a following of over 1 million on Instagram, but all but 14 have now disappeared from his profile. The most recent post is a video of the weigh-in for the fight with Bakhytovich. Ahead of the fight, trainer Hamzeh Moradian had said Gharibi was “too shy” to spar in public, and there were even suggestions he would pull out of the bout.

Moradian told the Daily Mirror: “When we talked, I told him that there is no way Sajad can fight. I said that I don’t mean to intervene, but I think it’s better if it’s canceled. “When they tried to cancel it, they realized that they can’t do it, because they had to pay a penalty.” He added: “There are rules anyways, and people working in sports know that it’s not possible to cancel such events and he had to attend.” Earlier this year, strongman Martyn Ford canceled a scheduled fight against Gharibi over fears about the Iranian’s mental health.

In photographs of the pair, Ford was also clearly significantly larger than his billed opponent — another indicator that Gharibi’s online presence had been doctored. “He was not what I expected,” Ford said. “I think he’s just fooled the world with photoshop, if I’m honest.