2013 New York Pro Judging Report by Ron Harris
2013 New York Pro Judging Report
by Ron Harris
Panthera Labs presents coverage of the New York Pro 2013
212's - a two man battle!
If it hadn't been for an odd twist of fate, last year's runner up Sami Al Haddad would have had such an easy win here today, of that I am certain. Defending champion Kevin English, for reasons unknown at this time, decided at the last minute not to compete. Meanwhile, the third-place finisher, Jose Raymond, was literally an eleventh hour entry. After learning only yesterday that the contest he was to appear at tonight in Albany, NY was not an NPC event, he faced two choices. Go to it and face a fine and suspension from the IFBB, or head down to NYC and jump into the NY Pro. Unfortunately for Sami and the others, he drove down from Boston just this morning.
Sami was definitely bigger and fuller than last year and was in great condition,just not quite the insane condition he had last year. Jose was surprisingly hard considering he wasn't able to dry out over a couple days as he normally would. From the front, they were virtually evenly matched. Sami has smaller joints and waist and simply prettier shape, but Jose out muscles him and brings a grainy look that Sami lacks. From the back, Jose was clearly the thicker man. the outcome still remains to be seen, as these two were called back out one last time at the very end, as the judges needed one more series of comparisons to make their decisions.
Aaron Clark did not disappoint in his pro debut. The 23-year-old was thick and shredded, with that grainy condition you don't see too often, especially on one so young. I see him possibly as high as third.
Al Auguste brought amazing shape and symmetry, plenty of size and fullness, and great condition. He will also be in the mix for one of the 3-5 spots. That goes for Mark Dugdale too. Mark was sliced and diced, and his only real weakness is that his arms don't quite measure up to his fantastic legs.
Hometown favorite Marco Rivera looked damn good too. With a little more overall mass I see him doing better.
The biggest letdown of this class, for me at least, was Branden Ray. With his mass, structure, and round muscle shapes, all he needed to be a serious pain in the ass to Sami and Jose was condition, and he simply didn't have it.
Open Men: can Victor slay the mass monster?
Even though the entire top six were all great in their own way, this also seems to be a showdown between two very different physiques. This was Victor Martinez's first contest since the 2011 Arnold Classic in Spain, which he won, and expectations on him were high. The only questions surrounding him leading up to this show were, would he be in shape, and how would his broken arm suffered late last summer affect him, if at all? It turned out condition wasn't an issue. This was the best shape I've seen him in since the 2011 Sheru Classic. His trademark shape and structure were intact. The only issue I saw to pick apart was that Victor was smaller today than I ever recall seeing him. That could be a factor when you consider who he was up against.
Today was the highly anticipated pro debut of Marndough Elsbiay, aka Big Ramy. Let me just say that "big" is an understatement. This guy has mass on par with past freaks like Markus Ruhl, Nasser, and dare I even say! Ronnie. Surprisingly, his waist isn't big at all. He made Victor appear small when they were side by side. But, what Ramy lacks is muscle separation and detail, qualities Martinez has in abundance. He's essentially an enormous diamond in the rough. Could Ramy still pull off a win against the veteran Victor? I've been to enough of these things to know that anything is possible. We'll just have to see whether the judges prefer Beauty or the Beast!
Fighting for the other three spots in the top five are three New Yorkers: Jonathan Delarosa, Juan Morel, and a surprise in the form of Anthoneil Champagne, the latest client of Oscar Ardon. Jonathan is bigger than last year, as is Morel, and both are in great shape. Anthoneil is a massive man all around. The same can be said about Clarence Deviis, who had round, full, thick muscle for days.
I hate to single out disappointments, but it's part of my job. Cedric McMillan was a shadow of himself today, flat and smooth. It looks to me like he just needs a break from contest prep, as he's been dieting since December. At his best, he would have been giving Victor and Ramy pure hell. Another letdown was Antoine Vaillant, who I know could have and should have been much better. Antoine spent much of his prep on the road for his sponsor Universal, meeting fans all the way from Ohio to Germany. I am sure he did the best he could with his training and eating while logging thousands of miles driving and flying, but when it comes to preparing for a contest, Dorothy's line from The Wizard of Oz comes to mind: "There's no place like home!"
Talk to you all again in a few hours after we see how it all turns out in the end.