Is the battle of the titans back on?
Rumors and stomachs are swirling after eight-time world hot dog eating champion Joey "Jaws" Chestnut revealed that there may be a face-off against disgraced gustatory legend Takeru Kobayashi in the works. Chestnut leaked the news -- albeit before reaching a final deal with Kobi -- Wednesday in an interview with the New York Daily News.
On Thursday, just before America's celebrated July 4th eating contest, Chestnut said he'd be happy to have Kobi back at the Big Table. He backpedalled from confirming there will be a Major League Eating sanctioned event between the two bottomless pits, but agreed he's hungry to get his only true competitor back in the game.
WHERE TO WATCH THE COMPETITION
July 4th, 2015, at Coney Island, New York
Women's Contest - 11AM EST ON ESPN3
Main Event - 12PM ON ESPN2
"He was the reason I dove into competitive eating head first," Chestnut told The Huffington Post. "We had a rivalry, me and Kobi. He was my nemesis. I really enjoyed beating him and seeing him in pain, I’m sure he felt the same."
In the world of competitive eating, a gut-busting battle between Chestnut and Kobayashi is as sought after as the boxing match between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Maywether that materialized earlier this year.
Buns furiously flew in their last matchup in 2009 when Chestnut downed 68 dogs to Kobayashi's 64.
To be sure, there are more important matters at hand. Kobi yet again won't enter Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island on Saturday.
He's been in a prolonged contractual dispute with MLE and will instead eat frankfurters while playing ping pong in a separate event ignored by aficionados and casual spectators.
Once again Chestnut is the mouth to beat. His only real competitor is Matt Stonie making Chestnut a favorite to win. It would be his ninth title. He wants to win his 10th next year, during the competition's 100-year anniversary celebration.
Chestnut holds the record for devouring 69 hot dogs and buns in a contest and won last year's salty smackdown with 61 HDBs to Stonie's 58. Chestnut says he's "always nervous" to go wiener-for-wiener with the man known as the Megatoad, and this could be a year for upset stomachs. But he's been training with a diet of only liquids and hot dogs over the past few weeks.
"Stonie can eat, he’s my biggest obstacle, he’s young and hungry and he’s willing to push his body," Chestnut said. "But my body feels like a hot dog eating machine. I'm ready."
Luckily, Chestnut and Stonie won't have to scarf next to the dark horse of competitive eating, Andy "Feast Mode" Campbell, who's not under contract by MLE and therefore not allowed to compete (though he has demonstrated his enthusiastic, yet sloppy technique for HuffPost). Meet this year's legitimate competitors: