Kristaps Porzingis’ transformation into Ivan Drago may soon be complete.
During an Instagram Live session Monday from the official NBA account, the Dallas Mavericks star talked about how he was doing some boxing to keep himself in shape during the current quarantine period.
“I have a little weight room here with a bike and stuff so I can do some cardio, and I do a little bit of boxing,” said Porzingis. “I try to work on my boxing skills, too, so I have a little bag right here, a little [basketball] basket over here, too, so I can keep working on my game. Just trying to stay busy and stay in shape. We don’t know when we’re going to re-start everything, so I’m just making sure I do the max I can to just stay in shape and stay ready.”
The Latvian big man also discussed his fascination with combat sports.
“I love boxing,” he went on. “I’ve always been a big fan of boxing and mixed martial arts, so I’m keeping myself entertained and doing a little bit of that myself here at home. And I’m a YouTube guy, so I’m on YouTube a lot just watching videos and learning new stuff. Like I said, just trying to keep myself busy. I kind of always been a big fan of Mike Tyson. And also, now with the MMA scene growing and Conor McGregor making it such a mainstream sport, I also became a big fan of MMA. That’s something I’d love to work on also in the offseason once I’m not playing, so we’ll see. I don’t know when, but I’ve always kind of been interested in the combat sports.”
Porzingis, who was averaging 19.2 points and 9.5 rebounds per game before the season was suspended, would certainly be a menace in the ring. He stands a whopping 7-foot-3, and his 7-foot-6 wingspan would make him even more of a nightmare to box against.
The former All-Star Porzingis actually once compared himself to Drago, and now he seems to be taking the comparison to another level (and literally so).
