Written by Ron Harris
26 February 2020

 

William-the-Conqueror-slider

 

 

 

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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