‘The Otter’ to KO opponent at Arnold Classic

Dissatisfied with two knockout victories under his belt, Lilianton slap fighter Barry ‘The Otter’ Green is itching to rub his right hand on the left cheek of his opponent when they meet at the Arnold Classic in Ruimsig Stadium later this month.

Weighing 93.7kg and standing at 1.87m, the Hoërskool EG Jansen alumni was introduced to the sport by the founder and CEO of Ultimate Slapfight SA, Bobby ‘The Punisher’ Krisch, whose infamous #pullin video invited fighters to rally together and unite the sport.

“I knew this was for me. It was where I could prove a point and show that the fat kid at school does have what it takes,” he said.

“This is an equal playing ground, and it doesn’t matter what your background is. If you have the heart, guts and maybe are a bit ‘crazy’, you have a fair shot.”

After direct messaging Krisch in June, declaring his interest in joining the movement, he finally got to prove himself on home turf at Presleys nightclub in October.

His first fight ended in a no contest. But in his second and third fights, he established himself after he “slapped the living daylights out of his opponents”.

The chef and English teacher trained hard in preparation for the contest at the event hosted by legendary bodybuilder and Hollywood figure Arnold Schwarzenegger.

“The first part of my training is getting my jaw and neck as strong as possible with breathing exercises and intense neck resistance exercises to absorb impact.

“I then focus on my technique to be within the set rules and not getting fouls, and thirdly, I focus on the slapping muscles where I pay attention to my forearm, shoulders and chest.”

Green advised fighters to be mentally and physically prepared, saying, “It’s no joke or game, this is a contact sport, and you can get hurt by slapping or getting slapped.”

“I would like to thank my sponsors, PJ Brooks from Ultranova Industrial Solutions and Cliff from KPMT Enterprise, who have been with me from day one.

“Should any person or company be interested in walking this journey with me and having their logo or name on my shirt as a sponsor, they more than welcome to get in contact with me on 076 565 2817,” he said.

The Arnold Classic will be held in Ruimsig from May 19 to 21.

Also Read: Looselaw thrives on a slap in the face

Also Read: Arnold Classic is back with over 70 sports, arts and entertainment events