An Egyptian Man Plans to Fight, and Maybe Kill, a Lion

[ChocoFace]

So THAT'S what the Cracked article was about.
http://www.cracked.com/blog/if-egyptE28099s-gladiator-fights-lion-i-will-fight-11-turkeys/

Would be fun to see a guy get mauled by a lion though.

 

[Hafnium]

I'm very concerned about animal rights, but obviously a healthy lion would smash him, so I'm not worried for the lion.

Make it a fair fight and let the lion go after it bites his head off, and it's fine with me!

 

[Dr Snakeman]

I don't think this guy realises how much lions dislike idiots who try to wrestle them.

And this is the heart of the problem.

I can't wait for news that he got eaten by a lion. Seriously, how deluded can you be? He will die, and I will laugh, because he thought that fighting a lion with his bare hands was a good way to say "Israel suxxx!!!1!!"

Moron.

 

[Magnesium360]

Technically, the Lion is far from the strongest creature on the planet. He sounds like cocksure idiot who has just scheduled a date to become lunch and thinks that fighting a lion will somehow help his country, but Darwin's will be done.

 

[Flig]

Some Excerpts from an official Q&A Session with him:

Al-Masry: What message are you trying to send?

Essawy: When I defeat the lion - which I will - I will pull an Israeli flag out of my pocket, and drape it over the lion, and put my foot on it. Israel led me to this, through all their atrocities which, as a child, I grew up watching on television. The message is that even though Israel and America may be as strong as a lion - the strongest creature on the planet - they too can be defeated.

Al-Masry: By you?

Essawy: By the Arab youth, which is about to explode. Soon, they will be ready to take on the mightiest foe.

Al-Masry: If the event is successful, how will you follow it up? More lion fights?

Essawy: I have a whole series of shows planned in my head. I will pull an airplane with my teeth, and I will pull an airplane with my hair. I will also be run over by an airplane. In between each of these acts, there will be lion battles.

Al-Masry: Have you fought any other beasts before? Will this be your first lion fight?

Essawy: This will be my first battle with a lion, yes. I have fought other animals, mainly dogs. On separate occasions, I have fought three of the most ferocious dog breeds.

Al-Masry: You punch dogs?

Essawy: I punch and kick them.

Al-Masry: Finally, do you have anything to say to the angered public that you feel might change their mind about this lion fight?

Essawy: I think it?s time we start celebrating genuine talent. For years we?ve been celebrating nothing but sex. I?ve taught children how to chew glass and pull cars with their teeth - the proof is on YouTube. I can raise a generation of super soldiers. I?ve jumped from ten-story buildings, I?ve hung myself many times and have been repeatedly run over. So, when I say I have the intellect and strength to take a lion down, people should take me seriously. Why isn?t anyone listening to me? I don?t know, but it?s very frustrating...

So he's a hyper-nationalist who wants the Arab Youth to take on the "mightiest foe" Isreal (and America?) that thinks he can pull airlines with his hair and teeth, and get run over by these airplane. He also "punches and kicks" dogs. And he teaches children to chew glass and pull cars with their teeth, and thinks he can turn them into a "generation of super soldiers." He's jumped from ten story buildings and has hung himself multiple times and has(I assume purposely) been run over multiple times. And thinks this means he has "intellect." And wonders why nobody is listening to him.


For fucks sake.

 

[Irriduccibilli]

So by killing lions, you will save your country's economy? Well, time for that safari
Step one. Acquire SUV
Step two. reinforce SUV's fram with metal
Step three. Find savana
Step four. Run down as many lions as possible with SUV
Profit?

 

[EHKOS]

While I feel bad for the lion, I would watch this.

 

[Therumancer]

HOLY FUCK
"An Egyptian man who proclaims to be the "strongest man in the world" believes that fighting, and perhaps killing, a lion would help fix his nation's embattled economy and tourist trade.

Al-Sayed al-Essawy, a 25-year-old from the northern Delta region of Egypt, tells the popular Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper that he was inspired to do something positive for the country's economy in the days following the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, and that he believes ?the world will flock to see the Egyptian man who defeated a lion with his bare hands.?

"I discovered my incredible strength at the age of 13, and, almost immediately afterwards, promised myself that, one of these days, I would fight a lion," says al-Essawy, whose fight is reportedly scheduled for June 25. "If America, or any other country, had a man with the ability to combat the strongest creature on the planet, they would properly promote him, and use his strength to their advantage. He would become a worldwide phenomenon, and people would come from their countries just to see him. This is what I want to do for my country." Though al-Essawy insists he does not intend to kill the animal, he adds, "If it comes down to either me or him, I will have to kill him.""


I honestly can't tell if this is real or not. It's been reported in too many newspapers to be a satirical piece, but is so over the top that I don't know what to think of it. I like to believe that this guy exists but plans to rack up enough media attention and then go "oops, people don't like cruelty to animals, so I won't do it. I could though."

On the other hand, if he actually goes through with it, he could actually succeed in increasing tourism and attention. Seriously. If millions of people tune in to football, then image how many people will watch this? Make it Pay-Per-View and their financial crisis is over. Thoughts?

EDIT: By the way, I'm all for having life goals, but if you're 13 and promise yourself that you will one day fight a lion, you don't need to keep that particular promise. We won't think any less of you.

It's one of those cases where I think it's all in the details. Superficially I'm not all that impressed by this guy claiming that he can kill a lion with his bare hands. I say this because there are Zoo Keepers and such who handle big cats all the time in the course of their jobs, and if you know/practice the right things I'd imagine it wouldn't be hard, it's like asserting dominance and taking it a step further. You can probably see something similar on TV nature shows if you watch long enough, without the actual killing part.

I mean even if the guy somehow manages to have a wild, feral, undomesticated lion captured and throws down with it, I figure the feat in of itself is similar to say a bull fight, or any other situation where someone fights an animal.

As far as him being the strongest man in the world, well, I'd say that a good start should not be to trying to re-enact gladatorial games, but to actually prove it by seeing if he can get into something like "The World's Strongest Man" first.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World%27s_Strongest_Man

If you asked me who the strongest man on the planet is, I might be wrong, but I'd pick this guy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%BDydr%C5%ABnas_Savickas

He won two years in a row (sadly I can't pronounce his name though).

At any rate if Al-Sayad wants to really impress me, I'd like to see him take on a Kodiak or other large bear bare handed. That would make him the real world Zangief. Heck, assuming he's a big guy he might even weigh more than the lion (depending on the species).

Of course then again, as I kind of said above, I don't think gladitorial stunts are going to really put Egypt on the map, at most this would give him five minutes of fame assuming he succeeded... of course immortality as "that moron who got mauled by a lion" if he failed. If he managed to win something like "World's Strongest Man" though he'd be able to land some endorsements and probably make a career out of being a daredevil that did crazy things if he wanted to from that point onward, and people might take it a little more seriously.

 

[DSK-]

He's dead. At the very least the Lion will get a free meal out of it. You gotta look at the positives, people.

 

[Hagi]

I'm wondering where the idea that a lion is "the strongest creature on the planet" came from.

It's probably not the strongest but probably near the top in most lethal.

He should be fighting a Hippo then. They've killed the most people from all the bigger animals.

If he really wants to fight the most lethal creature then he'd be up against a malaria mosquito, but I guess that wouldn't be too impressive a fight.....

 

[emeraldrafael]

Snip

But <url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Kazmaier>this guy won three years in a row.

 

[mexicola]

Hell yes! Those lions been talking smack at us for long enough, finally someone stood up for us. Seven peanut shells on the human.

 

[ilspooner]

How is fighting a lion supposed to help his country? I hope that petition wins. But if he does go ahead with this insane fight, my money is on the massive carnivore with long claws, sharp teeth and a bite which can crush bones.

 

[kradx]

He can use a toilet roll:

"... has broken animal trafficking laws by purchasing a lion on the black market"
I hope he has the time to find some new friends in jail.
But he still needs Psychiatric attention.

 

[Therumancer]

Some Excerpts from an official Q&A Session with him:

Al-Masry: What message are you trying to send?

Essawy: When I defeat the lion - which I will - I will pull an Israeli flag out of my pocket, and drape it over the lion, and put my foot on it. Israel led me to this, through all their atrocities which, as a child, I grew up watching on television. The message is that even though Israel and America may be as strong as a lion - the strongest creature on the planet - they too can be defeated.

Al-Masry: By you?

Essawy: By the Arab youth, which is about to explode. Soon, they will be ready to take on the mightiest foe.

Al-Masry: If the event is successful, how will you follow it up? More lion fights?

Essawy: I have a whole series of shows planned in my head. I will pull an airplane with my teeth, and I will pull an airplane with my hair. I will also be run over by an airplane. In between each of these acts, there will be lion battles.

Al-Masry: Have you fought any other beasts before? Will this be your first lion fight?

Essawy: This will be my first battle with a lion, yes. I have fought other animals, mainly dogs. On separate occasions, I have fought three of the most ferocious dog breeds.

Al-Masry: You punch dogs?

Essawy: I punch and kick them.

Al-Masry: Finally, do you have anything to say to the angered public that you feel might change their mind about this lion fight?

Essawy: I think it?s time we start celebrating genuine talent. For years we?ve been celebrating nothing but sex. I?ve taught children how to chew glass and pull cars with their teeth - the proof is on YouTube. I can raise a generation of super soldiers. I?ve jumped from ten-story buildings, I?ve hung myself many times and have been repeatedly run over. So, when I say I have the intellect and strength to take a lion down, people should take me seriously. Why isn?t anyone listening to me? I don?t know, but it?s very frustrating...

So he's a hyper-nationalist who wants the Arab Youth to take on the "mightiest foe" Isreal (and America?) that thinks he can pull airlines with his hair and teeth, and get run over by these airplane. He also "punches and kicks" dogs. And he teaches children to chew glass and pull cars with their teeth, and thinks he can turn them into a "generation of super soldiers." He's jumped from ten story buildings and has hung himself multiple times and has(I assume purposely) been run over multiple times. And thinks this means he has "intellect." And wonders why nobody is listening to him.


For fucks sake.

Well, people are listening to him: he is getting international media attention. He's also right that the Muslim youth are ready to explode as he puts it, I've been talking about the culture for years now and facing the ugly reality of the situation.

Ultimatly though when you get past this guy's political agenda, he is more or less saying he wants to be a daredevil/strongman, people have made careers out of things like that, and I could see him doing it from Egypt.

Truthfully, I find it a bit scary that he is being given this platform, especially seeing as I don't think he's even won a single serious strongman competition. I was looking at the "World's Strongest Man" competition for example... where they have incidently done things like pull planes and large trucks... and assuming he's as strong a guy as he claims he should probably see if he can qualify for such competitions (even if not that one) and see where that takes him for a start... before he starts going off about fighting lions.

Honestly this guy reminds me a bit of "The Iron Shiek" the guy who played the character/wrestler has gone off on political rants a few times and I've seen videos of
them a few times.

I fail to see what eating glass has to do with anything, while it's not an easy thing to do I imagine, it IS a stock sideshow trick, they had a guy on that TV show "Oddities" come into the shop who did that and eat a lightbulb for crying out loud. I mean it's cool and all, but I fail to see where it's a sign of being on the way to becoming a super soldier.

 

[newwiseman]

I'd tune in to watch a lion maul an arrogant Egyptian, if he has any sort of weapon then he's a damn coward.

 

[The Diabolical Biz]

Spoiler: GoT spoiler

As long as it's that little bastard Joffrey, best of luck to him.

But seriously wtf this could be awesome of tragic, as long as no one dies, lion or man.

 

[Gudrests]

My money is on the big beast with sharp claws and sharp teeth, look on the bright side if he dies how many people can say they died fighting a lion.

No one, because they died. While fighting a lion.

True well his offspring (if he has any) can gloat that their dad died fighting a lion I can see it now

*in the weight room*
"dude my dad just died fighting terrorists, how did your dad die"
*Pumps iron trying to look serious*
"He died fighting a lion"
*weight bar drops, hits the floor with a big bang*
"He fought a lion!?!?!? your dad has my respect"

more like....."wow...your dad's a dumbass"

 

[Ashtovo]

im betting on the lion. unless this guy is the egyptian saxton hale, in which case i wonder why he hasn't done this already.

 

[Drummie666]

I recall hearing about a guy who was some major Karate master (Or some other fighting technique) who challenged a lion.

He died.