'The Wire' actor Idris Elba impresses in professional kickboxing debut
Idris Elba punched a man in the face this week.
This, of course, is a fantastic sentence, and it only improves with the following:
1) There were multiple punches.
2) Real punches.
3) We have video.
4) The video was taken by Madonna.
5) Madonna.
That's a lot to take in, but it does add up. Elba is training to become a professional kickboxer for an upcoming Discovery documentary series. And suffice to say, the British actor known for pissing everyone off on HBO's "The Wire" and beating up half of London in BBC America's "Luther" is taking his kickboxing very, very seriously.
Which brings us back to the punching: Elba's training culminated this week in a real, honest-to-God professional kickboxing match in London's York Hall.
Madonna, the musical artist, was on hand ringside taking video of Elba's kickboxing debut (sure!). As the video demonstrates, the 44-year-old actor wades into a flurry of low kicks and proceeds to punch his opponent in the face unperturbed.
It's not the most artful exchange, but Elba holds his own. He lands about as much as he takes, and ultimately looked like he walked away with the decision.
Elba's victory is a product of a lot of hard work. The actor has been documenting his progress on Instagram for the last few months, and what started as a large, imposing man is now a large, jacked imposing man:
So if you ever thought, "Stringer's got the reach, but I could take him," rest assured: No. No you cannot.
Dan is on Twitter. And he wants his corners.
