Strongman plans to slay lion and revive Egyptian tourism trade

Minister of tourism vows to make sure 'such a barbaric act does not take place in Egypt' as thousands sign online petition to stop al Sayed al Essawy fighting a 10-year-old, 280kg lion named Samson to the death on June 25.

Al Sayed al Essawy plans to fight a lion in front of the pyramids at Giza on June 25. Holly Pickett for The National

CAIRO // There is a hush among the entourage gathering in the living room when al Sayed al Essawy appears, dressed completely in white down to his shoes and watch.

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His secretary, Ibrahim, narrates the life of the legend as the group of eight listens in his apartment: "He can jump off the 10th story of a building and not break a bone. He has survived 12 … And there is no doubt he will kill the lion."

Known for his feats of strength, Mr al Essawy, 25, has announced plans to battle a 10-year-old, 280-kilogram lion named Samson to the death on June 25.

The bout has economic and political motivations. Mr al Essawy believes it will draw tourists to Egypt, which is suffering from a steep drop in visitors after the revolution. But he also says it will represent his abhorrence of the violent acts of Israel.

"When I conquer the lion, I will put an Israeli flag on him and step on the lion," he says. "I am not against a Jewish state or the security of Israel, but they should be punished for their attacks on Palestinian people."

Flipping open a laptop, he shows photographs of some of his accomplishments: hanging himself by the neck without strangling, pulling a truck with a rope connected to nails embedded in his shoulders, and leaping from a building onto a pile of sand.

Then he opens the lion video, which he says was recorded a few weeks earlier at a farm near the pyramids in Giza. In it, he taunts the lion with gloves as it bats his hand away.

"This was the first time I met the lion," Mr al Essawy says. "I will not see the lion again until the day of the fight. Whenever I see this, I want to fight the lion at once." He bought the lion for 25,000 Egyptian pounds (Dh15,450) from a Giza farmer who acquired him from an "African country".

Whether he will actually fight the lion remains in doubt. The minister of tourism, Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour, vowed in a public statement last week that he was "personally involved in making sure such a barbaric act does not take place in Egypt".

An online petition titled "Stop al Sayed al Essawy from murdering an innocent lion!" has garnered more than 3,500 names.

Mona Khalil, the head of the Society for the Protection of Animals in Egypt, called the planned fight "totally unacceptable" and part of a wider problem with abuse of animals in the country.

"I just wish that the lion will be hungry before he gets into this fight," she says. "A lion is not a pet and no one should be allowed to fight a lion."

There was even a small clash with the local authorities in the city of Mansoura, in the delta region. A black bruise near his eye is the result, Mr al Essawy says, of an encounter with police officers who came after he demanded to see the governor to get his permission to host the fight on a farm near the Nile River.

Mr al Essawy's account of the event is confusing. He said he went to the governor's office but was refused. When he announced he was going to have a sit-in at the office, the governor agreed to meet him. But Mr al Essawy refused to accept, saying that he should not have to have a sit-in to see the governor.

On the following day, he joined a group of peasants protesting about land issues in Mansoura and was rounded up by the police, where he was struck in the face with a gun, he says. The events could not be independently confirmed.

"I don't understand why there are problems with fighting a lion," he says, with a solemn look at the crew he has assembled in preparation for the battle. "In Spain, they have bullfighting? Why don't they stop them?"

After the outcry, Mr al Essawy has decided to make the fight invitation-only at a farm near his hometown. He hopes an international television channel will broadcast it.

Most days, Mr al Essawy sits in his sparsely decorated bedroom preparing mentally for the fight. He plays out every scenario of how the battle will go down. "I am absolutely certain I will conquer the lion."

He has no exercise regimen and eats just one meal a day. Strength, he says, comes from the mind.

It was at the age of 13 when he discovered his physical strength and mental powers and ever since he has dedicated himself to finding the next big challenge.

After finishing secondary school, he went to Sharjah, where he helped train police. Returning to Egypt two years ago, he set up an import business for body-building supplements and made a name for himself with his stunts, which he has performed on Egyptian TV.

He has since closed his supplements business and is focusing solely on his entertainment career.

The lion fight is just the beginning, Mr al Essawy says. Next, he will lie on the ground as an airplane drives over him. And then, if he can find the sponsors, he will go to the Bermuda Triangle and "reveal all its secrets".