William The Conqueror This Former 212 B-Lister Is Now Slaying in Open
William The Conqueror
This Former 212 B-Lister Is Now Slaying in Open
By Ron Harris
Nearly a thousand years ago, William I, aka William The Conqueror, invaded England and became the first Norman king of the islands after defeating the Brits at the Battle of Hastings. A millennium later, and we have a new William the Conqueror in the form of William Kwaku Bonac. Hailing originally from Ghana, a nation on the west coast of Africa roughly the size of Oregon, his invasions and battles take the form of flexing on bodybuilding contest stages. And though he has yet to usurp the throne of reigning seven-time Mr. Olympia Phil Heath, he has been steadily – and stealthily – encroaching on that prized title. To be specific, Heath is the only man on the Mr. Olympia stage who Bonac has not beaten yet on at least one occasion.
The Early Years
When William, who had emigrated to Amsterdam, began competing in natural federations in Europe back in 2008, his idol was the man who won his only Mr. Olympia title that year, Dexter Jackson. Though he held equal admiration for eight-time champ Ronnie Coleman, Bonac felt that aspiring to Big Ron’s physique was pointless. Ronnie was close to 6 feet tall and a massive 270-300 pounds on stage. The Blade was the same height Bonac was, 5-foot-6. William was nowhere near the 225-235 pounds of sliced perfection that Dexter showcased in competition, but he felt it was a more realistic goal, at least. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that less than a decade later, they would in fact be equally matched, and Dexter would be one of his fiercest rivals on the posing platform.
2012, and the 212 Experiment
Bonac earned his IFBB pro status in 2011. Since he was roughly 215 pounds in shape, it made more sense to him to drop down to 212 rather than attempt to stand next to the freaks who were dominating the open class at the time: Heath, Kai, Cutler, Wolf, Branch and Victor – all of whom were 240-270 pounds. He hit three 212 shows in his rookie year, and certainly scored respectable placings: sixth at the British Grand Prix, third at the Europa Super Show and fourth at the Prague Pro. Those events were won respectively by James “Flex” Lewis, David Henry, and Lewis again. The sensible course of action would have been to persevere in the 212 division, work hard and improve, and eventually dominate the lighter weight division.
Change of Plans
At that Prague show, Flex introduced William to his longtime coach and mentor, Neil “Yoda” Hill of Y3T Training fame. The two immediately hit it off, and a partnership was forged. Bonac was very receptive to the idea of switching up his training style and nutrition program to Hill’s methods, and what followed can best be summed up in the phrase, “Let the gains begin.” Leading into the same EVLS Prague Pro show in 2013, some thought there had been a mistake in the competitor rosters. That Bonac guy was listed in the open lineup, when we all knew he was a 212. Hopefully he wasn’t planning on jumping into the open, was he? He was, and his package of round muscles, dense muscularity and sharp, clear separation and detail landed him in fifth place behind winner Kai Greene, Dexter Jackson, Branch Warren and Fred Smalls. That was William’s singular competitive outing for 2013, but it proved the gamble to advance into the open division had been the right move.
2014 to Present – Climbing to the Top
2014 would be the year Bonac cemented his status as a more than legitimate open competitor, scoring dual wins at the Golden State Pro and Russian Grand Prix. His Mr. Olympia debut that year resulted in an unceremonious 15th place, meaning he only beat two other men in the lineup. But at each successive Mr. O, he has consistently moved up the ranks: eighth place in 2015, fifth the next year, and third place at the 2017 rendition of the Mr. Olympia behind only Heath and Big Ramy. The Prague show has played an eerily significant role so far in Bonac’s career. In 2016, he not only netted his sixth pro win over in the Czech Republic, but in doing so, he beat most of the elite men of the open class: Big Ramy, Dexter, Shawn Rhoden and Roelly Winklaar.
2018 would turn out to be another great season for William. It began at the Arnold Classic in Columbus, where he edged out a living legend, Dexter Jackson, and prevented The Blade from breaking his own record of five Arnold Classic wins. Two weeks later, he was stopped from winning the Australian rendition of the show by Roelly Winklaar, who had sharpened up dramatically since Columbus. Bonac capped the season off at the Mr. Olympia, placing fourth behind new champ Shawn Rhoden, Phil Heath and Roelly, who was once again in top form. In 2019, William returned to the Arnold Classic looking to defend his title, and it almost happened. Unfortunately, Brandon Curry returned from his training camp in Kuwait bigger and more ripped than ever before, edging Bonac out by mere points. The same scenario played out again that September in Las Vegas, as William continued his climb up the Mr. Olympia ladder, placing runner-up to Brandon again.
Now, we are just days away from the 2020 Arnold Classic, where William will attempt to get his title back. He’ll have his hands full with powerful challengers like Big Ramy, Dexter Jackson, Cedric McMilllan and Sergio Oliva Jr. But fans of the man they call “The Conqueror” are confident he will triumph in battle, just as that other William did in Europe in days of yore. With his stunning package of dense, detailed muscle, anyone storming his castle to take his title away had better be ready for the fight of their lives!
Training Split
Monday: Back width and triceps
Tuesday: Chest and biceps
Wednesday: Legs
Thursday: Shoulders
Friday: Back thickness, biceps, and triceps
Saturday: OFF
Sunday: Shoulders
Contest History
2008 IBFA European Championships
Fourth, Short
2008 IBFA Universe
Fourth, Short
2008 NAC Universe
Fifth, Medium
2009 Pro Battle of Giants
Fourth Place
2009 IBFA Universe
Short and Overall Champion
2011 IFBB Arnold Amateur
Third, Heavyweight
2012 IFBB British Grand Prix
Sixth, 212
2012 IFBB Europa Supershow
Third, 212
2012 IFBB Prague Pro
Fourth, 212
2013 IFBB Prague Pro
Fifth Place
2014 IFBB Arnold Classic Brazil
Seventh Place
2014 IFBB Arnold Classic Europe
Sixth Place
2014 IFBB Golden State Pro
Winner
2014 IFBB Australia Pro
Second Place
2014 IFBB Russian Grand Prix
Winner
2014 IFBB Mr. Olympia
15th Place
2014 IFBB Prague Pro
Eighth Place
2014 IFBB San Marino Pro
11th Place
2014 IFBB Tampa Pro
Second Place
2015 IFBB Arnold Classic Europe
Sixth Place
2015 IFBB Dayana Cadeau Pro
Winner
2015 IFBB Nordic Pro Finland
Winner
2015 IFBB Mr. Olympia
Eighth Place
2015 IFBB Prague Pro
Fifth Place
2015 IFBB San Marino Pro
Second Place
2016 IFBB Arnold Classic Europe
Third Place
2016 IFBB Kuwait Pro
Fifth Place
2016 IFBB Mr. Olympia
Fifth Place
2016 IFBB Mr. Olympia Europe
Third Place
2016 IFBB Prague Pro
Winner
2017 IFBB Arnold Classic Europe
Second Place
2017 IFBB Mr. Olympia
Third Place
2017 IFBB Prague Pro
Second Place
2018 Arnold Classic
Winner
2018 Arnold Classic Australia
Second Place
2018 Mr. Olympia
Fourth Place
2019 Arnold Classic
Second Place
2019 Arnold Classic Australia
Winner
2019 Mr. Olympia
Second Place
Ron Harris got his start in the bodybuilding industry during the eight years he worked in Los Angeles as Associate Producer for ESPN’s “American Muscle Magazine” show in the 1990s. Since 1992 he has published nearly 5,000 articles in bodybuilding and fitness magazines, making him the most prolific bodybuilding writer ever. Ron has been training since the age of 14 and competing as a bodybuilder since 1989. He lives with his wife and two children in the Boston area. Facebook Instagram
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