Is bodybuilder Tiny Iron the new B.A. Baracus?
Meet Tiny Iron, the man who could be king. Of bling.
Because this bodybuilder extraordinaire is on the shortlist to play B.A. Baracus in a big screen version of The A Team. That’s right, a Londoner taking on the role made famous by Eighties icon-cum-Snickers promoter Mr T.
But when we first heard a 28-year-old Tottenham hero could be about to play Mr T we were a bit confused, thinking Harry Redknapp would be mad to let injury prone defender Ledley King go to Hollywood.
Fortunately, it wasn’t ‘Deadly Ledley’ but North London hardman Tiny Iron.
Tiny is in the Guinness Book of Records for having Britain’s biggest biceps, with his guns measuring a staggering 24-inches. To put that into perspective, if his arms were a dress size they’d be a six – the same as Posh Spice.
So obviously I had to meet him in his natural environment, the gym. Sporting his trademark attire of tracksuit bottoms, black string vest, gold necklace, gold rings and gold watch, Tiny is what you might describe as ‘intimidating’.
Hero’s footsteps
The A Team film is scheduled for release next year with Bradley ‘The Hangover’ Cooper playing The Faceman and Liam Neeson taking on the role of Hannibal. The biggest focus will be on who gets the role of B.A. Baracus – the van driver with a mad attitude.
On the face of it, Tiny practically has a BA in Baracus. “Mr T is my idol. I’ve always wanted to be like him. Clubber Lang is the best character in the Rocky series.
“I’ve had a van on hire and I’ve just been driving round with The A Team theme tune on repeat, I love it.”
“I met Mr T and gave him my doll. He’ll remember me because when I gave it to him I told him that when I see him again I’ll sign it personally.” With this sort of arrogance and audacity, Tiny Iron has B.A. written all over him.
Hip-hop star The Game has been rumoured to be on the shortlist for the role. “He looks like my finger,” says Tiny. “I should play B.A. Baracus because no one else on this planet can beat me. I look like the strongest man in the world. No one else is as brutal as Tiny Iron.”
Mixing with Fiddy
The Game should probably be a bit worried about the bulging muscles of Tiny Iron because the Tottenham titan is getting a name for himself among rap royalty. In the past year, he has been a bodyguard for the likes of Akon, Timbaland and Justin Timberlake.
When 50 ‘I’ve been shot nine times’ Cent comes to the UK, Tiny gets the call to play bodyguard, all thanks to his growing reputation. Just last week, he reportedly swapped phone numbers with Barbados beauty Rhianna.
But despite his gargantuan size, he’s a bigger threat to poultry than he is to the public. To keep his bulk, Tiny eats three whole chickens a day accompanied by jacket potatoes layered with cheese. And his size just makes it harder to choose a car, turning up at our meeting in his manager’s Mercedes CLK.
Boxer’s bravado
“I used to love watching Cribs with the American footballers and basketball stars showing off their supercars,” says Tiny. “I thought that if they can get in to them I wouldn’t have a problem.
“But I’ve sat in a Gallardo and a Ferrari F430 and there just isn’t enough room for me. I’d love a Ferrari 360 Spider but I’d have to get it customised so I can fit. My favourite real world car is the previous generation Audi TT Quattro.” You wouldn’t call him a hairdresser at the lights would you?
As we leave the gym which Tiny Iron visits 364 days a year, he poses for a few pics by my Suzuki Swift Sport long termer. We manage to squeeze him into the little hot hatch for a few shots. “Man it’s tight in here,” says Tiny. Probably best stick to the Merc for the time then…
After meeting the man mountain I can’t help thinking how brilliant it would be to have a Brit taking on the iconic role of B.A. Baracus in next year’s film. His presence is immense, everyone wants to shake his hand and he’s got the bravado of a heavyweight boxer.
Let’s hope the big man is driving the van when The A Team hits cinemas in 2010.
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