A young Egyptian man, who claims to be the “strongest man in the world” believes that fighting, and possibly killing a lion, would help boost his country’s poor economy and tourism trade.
The supremely confident Al-Sayed al-Essawy, a 25-year-old from the northern Delta region of Egypt, told a popular Egyptian newspaper that he was inspired to do something positive for his nation’s economy following the toppling 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 25 June.
“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 he does not intend to kill the lion, al-Essawy added, “If it comes down to either me or him, I will have to kill him.”
However, not everyone is thrilled at the prospect of Man vs Lion. The Green Prophet, a Middle East-focused environmental blog, reports al-Essawy has broken animal trafficking laws by purchasing a lion on the black market for an estimated $4,000.
“The gladiators have been dead a long time. Let’s leave it that way,” writes blogger Tafline Lavlin.
In addition, Egypt’s Tourism and Interior Ministries have refused to sanction the fight, and an online petition against al-Essawy’s plan has already received over 3,500 signatures.
So far, al-Essawy has dismissed the words of his detractors. “To my attackers I say, if you think this is wrong, maybe you should change your perspective, or at least, take it out on the bullfighters too, instead of just me,” he says.
“Besides, this isn’t just for fun, what I’m planning on doing. It’s to help my country, and to send an important message.”
