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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1930[1] |
| Died | 12 April 1987 (aged 57)Lahore,Punjab,Pakistan |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Akram Pahalwan Iki Pehlwan |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Billed weight | 220 lb (100 kg; 16 st) |
| Trained by | The Great Gama |
| Debut | 1953 |
| Retired | 12 December 1976 |
Akram Pahalwan (Punjabi:اکرم پہلوان) (1930 – 12 April 1987), also known asIki Pehlwan, was a Pakistaniwrestler and a part of the Bholu Brothers tag team in professional wrestling during the late 1960s. Some of his opponents were Haji Afzal (1963),George Gordienko (1967),Anton Geesink (1968),Antonio Inoki (1976) and Halal Mahdame (1964).
Pahalwan was initially trained in Lahore as a student ofThe Great Gama. Akram started his professional wrestling career in 1953, wrestling Ugandan and Kenyan wrestlers in East Africa. He defeatedMahindar Singh inNairobi with a submission hold in a match where Singh’s elder brother was the referee. The East African public named him "The Lion" when he defeated the Ugandan ChampionIdi Amin.
Pahalwan participated in around 280 major wrestling events during the 1950s. In 1958, he was proclaimed the Champion of Malaya inSingapore when he defeated Hari Ram.
During the 1960s, Pahalwan also remained a part of the Bholu Brothers wrestling team. In 1965, Pahalwan defeated Indian wrestlerHardam Singh at the National Stadium, Karachi in the third round. In 1967 he toured UK. The Bholu Brothers were rated 10th in the 1968 tag team world ratings.[2] In 1968 Akram wrestled inSuriname,South America where he was beaten unconscious byAnton Geesink. Later in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) he injured his left arm in a match againstBill Verna of Australia.
In 1976, the Bholu Brothers claimed to be the world champions and slated Pahalwan to fightAntonio Inoki. On the day of the match Inoki defeated Pahalwan with achicken wing armlock. Pahalwan did not submit, but the ring doctor stopped the match because his left arm broke under the submission hold. Pahalwan's wrestling career ended after his match with Inoki.