The rivalry between Iran’s Hassan Yazdani and the USA’s David Taylor might not be as big other big rivalries but it still packs enough punch to be included amongst the best wrestling battles. Both the wrestlers have qualified for the Tokyo Games in 86kg freestyle. While Yazdani has booked the berth via 2019 world championship, Taylor got the ticket through 2020 Pan American Olympic Qualifiers.
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The US wrestler is two-time Pan American and four-time Big Ten Championship gold medallist. His Iranian counterpart, on the other hand, is the current Olympic champion and four-time world medallist. He also won gold at Asian Games and Championships.
But now, both the wrestlers are in lockdown due to the outbreak of coronavirus. And while they just like you miss some sporting action, WrestlingTV brings their two best wrestling battles.
-2017 World Cup, Kermanshah:
Hassan was the crowd favourite in this match as the freestyle world cup was held in Iran. While it was an equally matched game, David Taylor managed to pin Hassan’s shoulder’s long enough to win the match by pinfall.
–2018 World Championship, Budapest:
The duo met in the qualification round of the 86kg freestyle. Hassan had started strongly securing the early three-point lead. But Taylor was quick to cover ground and took two-points by takedown bring the score to 3-2. The Iran wrestler, however, continued to dominate the game and took three points via takedown and pushout. At the end of the first half, the score stood at 6-2 in Hassan’s favour.
Second-half of the bout, however, had a different story. Taylor went full throttle and scored nine points in three minutes to win the game 11-6. The US grappler eventually went on to become the 2018 World Champion.
