Brick to face The Fury in arm-wrestling showdown

James "Brick" Wall became interested in arm-wrestling after spotting a Russian fighter in a pub

A British arm-wrestling champion is preparing for a fight against one of the best in America.

James "Brick" Wall, from Grantham, will take on Craig "The Fury" Tullier in a Knuckles Up 4 match in Fort Lee, New Jersey, on Saturday.

Wall said he became interested in the sport about nine years ago when he spotted someone arm-wrestling in a pub.

"It happened to be a Russian guy", he said. "Anyway, I beat him and this Russian guy said 'you need to do this professionally', so that's when I looked into it and realised that it was a huge sport away from what we all think it is".

Wall, who has held the British 95kg title for the last two years and is also the ArmGods Commonwealth Champion, said the sport was growing in popularity in the UK and had about 1,000 "active arm wrestlers".

He told BBC Radio Lincolnshire the sport had been good for his mental health as well as his physical strength.

"It really helped me develop as a person over the last 10 years, build confidence to get up on stage and hear your name," he said.

"That just happens naturally and organically. You just develop this mental strength that I think is really important."

Jack Orme is one of the youngest members of Maggie's Boys Arm Wrestling in Grantham

Wall, who described himself as an avid rock climber and weight-lifter, has established Maggie's Boys Arm Wrestling club in Grantham, where he trains others in the sport.

One of the club's youngest members, Jack Orme, has recently turned 18 and is preparing for the International Federation of Armwrestling World Championships which begin in Greece at the end of September.

"I kept seeing it on TikTok and Instagram and thought it looks really interesting

"Then I saw something about James in the Grantham Journal and I asked him if I could come training. Since then I've been coming twice a week and just getting better and better".

Wall's opponent Tullier boasts a number of world championships, and is known as America's best arm-wrestler in the 95kg (15 stone) category.

"I'll always be nervous leading up to the match," said Wall.

"But, just before I come out, the nerves go and I'm in my own world then. That's when I'm happy. "

Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.