The second leg of the 2008 IFBB Pro season is to get under way this coming August 9th in none other than the sunshine state of Florida, Tampa Bay on the Gulf of Mexico to be exact, a fabulous setting for an event of this magnitude to say the least.
The second leg of the 2008 IFBB Pro season is to get under way this coming August 9th in none other than the sunshine state of Florida, Tampa Bay on the Gulf of Mexico to be exact, a fabulous setting for an event of this magnitude to say the least. A mere 7 weeks out from the 43rd Mr. Olympia and a chance for those IFBB superstars who have not yet qualified for the big one to battle it out for those 3 coveted spots.
Also on the schedule of events for the Tampa Pro is the latest ingenious idea from the IFBB that is the 202lbs show, where the lighter pro's can showcase their physiques, while having a huge light, that is the 202 Olympia Showdown, at the end of the tunnel.
In the men's open class there are more than 30 competitors in the lineup all vying for that Olympia qualification. The big names in this show include, Mark Dugdale, Darrem Charles, The X Man Toney Freeman, Quincy Taylor and Dennis James, providing everyone brings their A game should also make the Top 5 on Saturday, which is of course assuming that there is not some dark horse waiting in the trenches to take some scalps and surprise everyone.
One such dark horse is England's Elvis Brown, the man is a mountain of muscle, but has serious issues with his midsection, should he bring that under control, I think we would all be in for a big shock!!
Let's take a look at my predicted top 5 finalists, and where exactly in the top 5 they may place, and let's remember that, this is going on past performance, and not taking into account improvements each athlete may have made in their off season.
In 5th I have David Henry, the giant killer, Henry had been hot and cold with his conditioning, and as of late has been more cold than hot, but if he brings the conditioning we know he can, then expect him to place even higher.
4th Mark Dugdale, always in pristine condition and stands out lick a diamond in the lineup, but does he have the mass to beat the likes of Dennis James or Toney Freeman, I feel he will be in a fight with Darrem Charles for the 3rd place spot and if he can replicate his showing from his 2nd place finish at the Ironman I feel he will move into 3rd and relegate Darrem Charles to 4th.
Darrem Charles the man who was dubbed the King of the $10,000 shows I will assume be at the his all time best, especially since this is his back yard, he will want to do damage and show his home crowd just what he's made of.
However, I don't feel he will have what it takes to beat Dennis James or Toney Freeman who I would see placing 2nd and 1st respectively. Although his symmetry and conditioning are world class, I don't feel he will have the mass to compete with an in shape Dennis James or Toney Freeman.
Of course these predictions are going on the assumption that everyone is in shape and ready for battle, will it be tank top Dennis we have all seen on the net weeks out from the show, or will he come in looking a little watery? Will Toney Freeman show us the physique that dominated the early shows of 2007 or the one that took a nose dive at the Olympia?
Men's Open Competitor List
- Anthony Finocchiaro
- Bob Weatherill
- Bola Ojex
- Carlos Majid Rabiei
- Clarence Devis
- Daniele Seccarecci
- Daron Lytle
- Darrem Charles
- David Henry
- Dennis James
- Elvis Brown
- Evgeny Mishin
- Fedel Clarke
- Frederic Sauvage
- Gian Enrico Pica
- Guy Ducasse
- James Hampton
- Jeffrey Long
- Jerry Nicholls
- Khalid Almohsinawi
- Lyndon Belgrave
- Marcos Chacon
- Marcus Becht
- Mark Dugdale
- Omar Borrelli
- Paul Baker
- Quincy Taylor
- Raul Carrasco
- Roland Huff
- Tarek Elsetouhi
- Toney Freeman
- Tricky Jackson
- Yildirim Mehmet
The 202 show sees the IFBB professional debut of Wales' Flex Lewis, will he or won't he have what it takes to climb the ranks? I think that this class is ideal for the likes of Flex, he will shine here in this class, but I feel he will not have the maturity to stop the likes of David Henry or Jaroslav Horvath to take the title.
That being said this is bodybuilding and it all boils down to who turns up ready on the day, and anyone can be beaten. But my top 3 predictions for this class are 3rd Flex Lewis, 2nd Jaroslav Horvath and 1st David Henry. Names to look out for to round out the top 5, Roc Shabazz and Tricky Jackson.
I can't wait to see the webcast and judge for myself who turns up contest ready! It's actually going to be an awesome show, more so than I had thought it earlier in the year, it has an awesome lineup with some serious contenders.
Only time will tell and we can only judge on who is ready on the day, will there be some surprises or upsets? I sure hope so, that's what makes sports fun, roll on Saturday night.
Men's 202lbs Class
- Clifton Torres
- David Henry*
- Fouad Abiad
- James Flex Lewis*
- Jaroslav Horvath*
- Jose Alves-Jorge*
- Ken Jones
- Mike Valentino
- Nathan Wonsley
- Omar Borrelli*
- Pablo Arevalo
- Roc Shabazz
- Steve Namat
- Tricky Jackson*
- Vincent Liu*
- Vonne Francis
*Are scheduled to compete in the men's open show also.
brianthebull@gmail.com
Visitor Reviews Of This Article!
Read Visitor Reviews - Write Your Own Review
 Back To Brian Bullman's Main Page
Back To The Articles Main Page.
Related Articles
IFBB Southwest Women's Pro Cup: Women's Fitness Preview & Predictions.
The Arnold Fitness Girls: Fitness International Preview & Predictions.
The Shawn Ray Colorado Pro Am Classic - A Preview.
|
Discounts & Deals - Sign Up!
SHARE
Click Image To Enlarge.
(5 characters minimum)