John Weah Beats "No Fear" to Win Liberia's Strongest Man Crown

PAYNESVILLE, LIBERIA: Liberian heavyweight lifter, John Weah, alias "Gentle Giant", proved his resilience in the sport on Saturday, December 27, 2025, handing down defending champion, Thomas Benjamin, known as "No Fear", to win the 2025 National Heavyweight Championship in Liberia.

John Weah shocked spectators with his 6th round first finish, after stumbling in the early rounds. The "Gentle Giant" piled different weights from 300kg to 500+kg, in the great showdown, edging the defining champion and other closed rivals in an average pound lifted.

Weah's triumph marked his first National Heavyweight Championship in his professional career. He outshone notable names in the weight-lifting sport, including Thomas S. Benjamin "No Fear", Yusufu Kroma, "Lib Hulk", Amos N. Kamara "Pipeline Hulk", and Prince Kaydee "Sapo Giant".

The first round was highly contested, but John Weah (Gentle Giant) did two solid lifts late on. In the second, Weah took control delivering two precise lifts. The third round saw closed rival No Fear did some accurate lifts, after Weah's responses lost some sharpness.

Weah then rediscovered his rhythm in the fourth, fifth, and sixth rounds to explode. He defied the odds to clinch the "001" title against Thomas Benjamin (No Far) who emerged as the runner-up, and Yusufu Kroma (Lib Hulk) settling in the third place.

The 2025 grand final took place at the SKD Basketball Gym in Paynesville. The heavyweight competition is an event organized by the Liberia Strong Man Federation to show the physical strength of athletes and determine the strongest man in Liberia.

This year's challenge was dubbed the "Battle of the Giants." John Weah, the new strongest man, dominat display, surprised a lot of fans. Before the grand final, expectations were mainly shifted toward the defeated defending champion, No Fear, and the much-talked-about Sapo Giant.

Many predicted that it would have been a two-horse race between the No Fear and Sapo Giant, based on their showmanship and rivalry in recent months. However, the expectations proved otherwise on the day of the highly anticipated grand final.