Bodybuilding.com - Flex September 2008 Excerpt: Jay Cutler And Dexter Jackson Interview!

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Flex September 2008 Excerpt: Jay Cutler And Dexter Jackson Interview!

Jay Cutler and Dexter Jackson go face-to-face in a raw, no-holds-barred interview that signals the gloves are off in the fight for the Mr. Olympia title on September 26-27! Check it out before it leaves newsstands!

Jay Cutler and Dexter Jackson go face-to-face in a raw, no-holds-barred interview that signals the gloves are off in the fight for the Mr. Olympia title on September 26-27!

Eyes On The Prize

In one corner, the two-time and reigning Mr. Olympia, hungry to prove himself worthy of bodybuilding's ultimate title once again after narrowly holding on to it a year ago. In the other, the reigning Arnold Classic champ, who took a giant step forward with his best-ever showing in March of this year, when he won not one, but three contests in a span of three weeks in dominating fashion.

Now, with the retirement of Ronnie Coleman and the uncertainty of Victor Martinez's status, the two are on a collision course for Las Vegas at the 2008 Olympia, presented by MuscleTech, in what is shaping up to be a classic battle of size versus symmetry.

On June 11, just over 15 weeks out from the Olympia, both Cutler and Jackson converged at Weider headquarters for a photo shoot and combined interview that ranged from playful and friendly to testy and confrontational, but with one constant theme: neither man is willing to back down in his quest for bodybuilding's Holy Grail.

Click To Enlarge.
Jay And Dexter At The 2007 Olympia.

[ Peter McGough ] Dexter, at this year's Arnold Classic, everybody said that you were the best you've ever been. Do you agree, and if so what was the reason?

Dexter Jackson I do agree. Me and my trainer, Joe McNeal, came up with a game plan. We changed everything up this year and it made the difference. Now we know what we need to do to put on the extra size, so now we're looking to come in a couple pounds heavier for the Olympia.

[ PM ] If Victor Martinez had competed at this year's Arnold, do you think that would have changed the result?

Dexter Jackson I think I would still win if Victor competed.

[ Allan Donnelly ] Jay, what do you think about that? Would Dexter have won if Victor were in the show?

Jay Cutler I think that Victor would have won, because he was the reigning champion.

[ PM ] Dexter, what's your ambition level like this year compared to previous years?

Dexter Jackson I feel that if I'm ever going to win this show, this would be the year. I won the Arnold, I got my title back and I look the best I've ever looked. And I know that I can come in even better. If I don't win this year, I'm never going to win. That's the way I see it. That's why the ambition and the dedication are through the roof right now.

[ PM ] So you feel there's an opening here you can take advantage of?

Dexter Jackson I feel that way because I don't think Jay can come in conditioned the way he used to. I don't think he knows how to make the proper adjustments to do it. With me, you can't look back and say, "Dexter, back in 2004, was way harder than he is now." But you can look back with Jay and say that in 2001, that was his best.

[ AD ] Jay, what do you say to that?

Jay Cutler See, Dexter is kind of kidding himself, because I don't even need to look like that to beat the people I'm up against now.