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The Arnold Classic Brazil was a pretty sad IFBB Pro show. Let me start from there. This lineup was weak at best, and quite frankly, the fact it\u2019s on any level associated with Arnold Schwarzenegger should be cause for pause. The contest was predominantly for Brazilians. With the exception of Blessing, representing the USA by way of Ireland, and just one other competitor, the rest were Brazilian.<\/p>\n
Leandro Sencini Peres dominated the contest. He faced considerable resistance from Wellington Baptista, but that was about it. The rest of the guys, including strong favorite Blessing Awodibu, were nothing to write home about. As a writer and pundit, I have to admit feeling kind of stupid right now. And that\u2019s ok. Sometimes I\u2019m way off. The idea that pundits are always right is ludicrous, but what Blessing brought to the stage was embarrassing. I try not to pick on competitors, but when you look at his progress shots and his updates, that\u2019s a stark difference from what the guy presented this past weekend. I get The Boogieman will be competing in other shows (e.g. the NY Pro, Pittsburgh Pro, the Cal and possibly the Legion), but if he looked this bad in an easy show, what\u2019s he going to do at a Big 3 show like New York or Pittsburgh?<\/p>\n
The Arnold Classic South America was as low-hanging fruit as low-hanging fruit goes. I think it was even worse than the FIBO. I\u2019d like to send a huge congratulations to Leandro and to Wellington, but this article is all about Blessing. There are things that need to be said here.<\/p>\n
For starters, what was going on with Blessing\u2019s midsection? It was all out of control. I\u2019ve heard some people make excuses for the travel time. Of course that factors in. Listen, when you have to take several flights, your body is going to hold water. Extensive travel can also affect cortisol levels. It might explain why perhaps The Boogieman was holding onto fluids. It might also explain why he looked flat, but it wouldn\u2019t do much to address the midsection. This comes down to muscles, it comes down to breathing exercises, and comes down to posing.<\/p>\n
I think it\u2019s possible that Blessing figured he\u2019d come into this contest and win everything in sight. Maybe he thought he\u2019d repeat what Sas did the week prior. The problem is that the Arnold Classic South America is very much a Brazilian show. I\u2019d argue that non-Brazilians have their work cut out for them far more than natives. Is that politics? Maybe, but probably not.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t think this is a show that too many people care about. I mean just look at the lineup. Blessing was the only guy most of us had ever heard of. With the exception of Leandro, who has done some shows stateside, I wouldn\u2019t know any of the other competitors. Therefore, the chances that politics came into play seems pretty unrealistic in my book. If Blessing looked even remotely on point, he could have clearly won everything.<\/p>\n
What I saw was disturbing. Blessing\u2019s legs from the front didn\u2019t look like that of a top pro. I think guys like Chris Aceto would make the point that there\u2019s a difference between being at the show and watching it online, but lighting and tan don\u2019t make or break legs. The front wheels on Awodibu look like he hasn\u2019t been doing the business of bodybuilding in a long time. Perhaps he can hide his shortcomings on Instagram, but that\u2019s why shows aren\u2019t decided on social media or in front of goon lights. It\u2019s also highly upsetting that the only guy representing the United States placed 3rd at a contest like this. And there were other, arguably more deserving, guys who could have taken a spot in the Top 3. If politics did play any kind of role here, it was to spare Awodibu a more embarrassing finishing spot than what he could have gotten.<\/p>\n
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