It sounds like something lifted from an outrageous science-fiction movie, but the first reported human-versus-robot boxing match has now taken place.
Influencer Frankie Lapenna entered the ring last Friday against a six-foot humanoid robot whose appearance bore an unsettling resemblance to the Terminator.
The showdown was held in San Francisco by robot-fighting company REK, which operated the machine remotely.
Although Mr Lapenna put up a determined fight, the bout quickly became a daunting test of human endurance.
Wearing a helmet and protective padding as he entered the ring, Mr Lapenna was met by a visibly anxious coach who warned: ‘I’m scared for you, man.’
The influencer initially appeared to hold his own, landing several powerful punches that knocked the lumbering robot’s head backwards and sent it stumbling.
That early advantage did not last. The robot soon responded with a fierce barrage of kicks, sending Mr Lapenna hurtling across the cage.
Despite how the footage appears, REK said Mr Lapenna was declared the winner. He later returned to the ring that same evening to face an even larger robot.
Influencer Frankie Lapenna stepped into the ring last Friday to take on a 6ft–tall humanoid robot with a worrying resemblance to the Terminator
Cix Liv, REK’s chief executive, told the Daily Mail that human-versus-robot fights were not part of the company’s original plans.
The San Francisco-based business primarily stages battles between remotely controlled robots, creating a real-life version of the futuristic combat seen in the film Real Steel.
That changed when Mr Lapenna contacted the company about two months ago and said he wanted to fight in the ring himself. REK decided the unusual proposal was too compelling to reject.
‘When he reached out to us, he said he didn’t want to wear any protective clothing,’ Mr Liv told the Daily Mail.
‘But we told him that he had to, and when he saw what the robot could do, he actually said that he needed more.’
For the bouts, Mr Lapenna wore motorcycle protective equipment to reduce the impact of the robot’s blows, along with spiked boxing gloves designed to protect his hands.
Footage showing the robot knocking a human fighter to the floor left many viewers alarmed on social media.
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One Instagram user commented: ‘Didn’t we have, like, 6 movies explaining why this is a bad idea?
REK, the company hosting the fight, says that Frankie wore motorcycle protective gear and spiked boxing gloves so that he could stand a chance of surviving the robot’s attacks
‘This could’ve been a Black Mirror episode,’ another person wrote.
A third commenter was more direct, posting: ‘Stop. Teaching. Them. To. Fight.’
Across the entire evening, the influencer actually took on three robots, starting with a tiny Unitree G1 and working his way up to face two of the hulking six–foot bots seen in the viral clip.
Those large robots are adapted versions of the ENGINEAI T800, which weighs up to 187lb (85kg) and costs $40,500 (£30,332).
Although they are not specifically built for fighting, their powerful limbs make an extremely powerful base for a robotic warrior.
Mr Liv says: ‘We have like 500 try–hard men emailing us saying they’re going to fight the robot, but they don’t realise that it’s like trying to punch a metal wall.’
While the average adult can kick with about 650lb (294kg) of force, REK says its large robots deliver 850lb (385kg) of force with their blows.
Although it can’t be seen in this teaser clip, Mr Liv says that the influencer actually ‘defeated’ the massive bot seen kicking him around the ring.
The ‘Terminator’ robot was just one of three bots that the influencer took on that night, with each round seeing the human fighter sent flying by kicks
Mr Lapenna apparently managed to unbalance the bot and send it tumbling into the wall, where it seized up and ‘ripped its head off’.
Mr Liv says he doesn’t want to give away the results of the next fight, which will be released in a video tomorrow, but cautions that things didn’t go so well for the human fighter.
Despite that, the only real damage sustained by Mr Lapenna is a self–inflicted hand injury that came from ‘punching metal’, and the influencer was otherwise unhurt.
Mr Liv says that the company had never considered hosting human fights long term and added that this was always intended to be ‘a stunt’.
But with so many people already begging to get in the ring, he says: ‘We’ll have to do it again.’