Dex Takes the Czech Check - Contest Report | IFBB EVLS Prague Pro 2015
Dex Takes the Czech Check
And Big Ramy Beats Wolf & Rhoden
In my native UK we have a saying, “After The Lord Mayor’s Ball”, which is used when describing an anti-climactic event that really couldn’t live up to a more spectacular event held just before it. There was that anti-climactic feeling about the EVLS Prague Pro held in the capital of the Czech Republic today (October 3), when it is compared to the machinations of the Olympia that took place two weeks ago. In the countdown to the 2015 staging of Joe Weider’s contest brainchild we had many twists and turns in the long run up to the Vegas contest. The assorted Sin City plotlines included: Can Phil Heath be beaten? Will Kai Greene enter or not? Can a bigger Dexter Jackson add a second Sandow to the one he won in 2008? Would Shawn Rhoden, another with added size, upset the apple cart? After a year of prep would Dennis Wolf at last howl? And what would Big Ramy bring to the stage?
In reality all those questions were answered in Vegas and then rubber stamped a week ago in Madrid, Spain, where, in the absence of Olympia champ Phil Heath, those finishing second through fifth at the Big O (i.e. Jackson, Rhoden, Wolf and Big Ramy) just moved up a notch. And that quartet filled the first four spots today although Big Ramy leapfrogged ahead of Rhoden and Wolf.
END OF TERM REPORT
With this being the last big pro show of the year there was an end of term atmosphere pervading the event. For winner Dexter Jackson what has been very noticeable this past few weeks is the seven-pound gain he accumulated since the 238-pound look that took the Arnold Classic last March. In particular his back is much thicker which enhanced his standard separation and detail. With that level of detail and completeness he is able to constantly out muscle guys much bigger than him. This was the Jacksonville native’s 77th pro show and his 24th win, leaving him now one short of Ronnie Coleman’s record 25 victories.
With Big Ramy we’ve been waiting for him to explode into another dimension, and today he did cause a major upset by beating Rhoden and Wolf for the first time. But the bottom line during the prejudging and finals is that not many saw him as runner up. In truth he was a tad harder today than in Vegas, and looked a little smaller (if that term can be said about a 300 plus pounds guy) but his back did seem to have more detail. This could be the start of something big, as in Big Ramy big.
Third place finisher Shawn Rhoden has made improvements this year, particularly in attaining more width, which makes his shoulder to waist differential even more impressive. Add that to his show stopping frame (wide shoulder girdle, narrow waist, flared and cut thighs) and his silhouette is something an artist would map out as an ideal physique. Still third was a head scratcher.
Fourth place at the Olympia was a very disappointing outcome for Dennis Wolf and his many fans, and in Prague he faced even more frustration. In Vegas he lacked his signature Wow factor in the size department, and after a year free of contest prep he looked like maybe he had done too much and was somewhat depleted. Today he was a little bigger and harder but for three straight weekends Rhoden took the honors in their private duel.
JOSE TAKES 212 DIVISIONS
This class turned out to be a shootout between Jose Raymond, the runner-up at the 212 showdown two weeks ago, and David Henry (202 champ in 2008) who was fourth in Vegas.
In the final analysis Raymond’s fullness and hardness won the day for him, and although now 40 years of age The Boston Mass continues to improve. For instance he has been marked down in the past for not having an ideal structure, but this year he improved his front shots to look much more symmetrical.
With his crazy striations and roundness runner-up David Henry is almost the Phil Heath of the 212 division. The detail in his back (Xmas tree, rhomboids, the whole area) is just ridiculous. He seemed a little bigger today than he was two weeks ago, particularly in the quads but that improvement was not enough to propel him in front of Raymond.
It was pleasing to see Ahmad Ahmad nail down third spot after his eighth place finish at the 212 Showdown in Vegas. Two weeks ago I commented that he deserved a much better placing and today he got it. He has great flowing lines, an impactful V-taper, outstanding condition, and has improved his quads since last year. Look for him to move into the top five in 2016.
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