Tag: Predictions
Lee Priest Predicts ‘Beef Stu’ and Tonio Burton Will Battle for 1st at 2023 New York Pro This Weekend
The bodybuilding season marches on as competitors prepare for another busy weekend. In a recent Rx Muscle interview, Lee Priest predicted which bodybuilders are most likely to walk away with gold at the 2023 New York Pro.
Over the last six months, the Men’s Open division has changed dramatically. At the 2022 Mr. Olympia contest, mass monster Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay failed to repeat as champion. Instead, Iranian-born Hadi Choopan claimed the title after outlasting contenders Derek Lunsford and Nick Walker in the finals.
Nick Walker and Hadi Choopan at The Mr. Olympia 2021
With a new Mr. Olympia champion looking over the category, fans’ attention turned to Columbus, Ohio for the 35th annual Arnold Classic. Once again, Walker was in the running to win but was narrowly defeated by Samson Dauda.
Considering Choopan, a former 212 bodybuilder, was able to win the Open title at Mr. Olympia, some in the sport believe the division is shifting to favor shape and conditioning over freak factor. And while the season has remained somewhat quiet since Dauda’s victory, that is about to change at the sport’s third most prestigious contest this weekend.
Lee Priest Names Tonio Burton & ‘Beef’ Stu Sutherland As 2023 New York Pro Favorites
Having assessed Tonio Burton‘s physique, Lee Priest shared that he was impressed with the athlete’s shape, muscularity, and conditioning, adding that he could ‘definitely win it.’
“Yeah, I think I just saw some photos, he’s the one that has the tattoos on him doesn’t he? Yeah, I’ve always been impressed when I’ve seen him with his shape, muscularity, and conditioning I’ve sometimes seen him in.
I think he popped up on Instagram this morning he was doing a lat spread or something . Like I said, he looks great. Just the proportions and what he has, he has one of those physiques where he’s going to look so much better on stage, the illusion of the round muscles and the shape. He can definitely win it,” said Lee Priest.
Before looking at other contenders, Priest was taken aback by the lack of big names participating this weekend.
“Back in the day, remember the big names that would turn up at those shows, it was always the Olympia, the Arnold, and the Night of Champions, now the New York Pro, those were good shows and if you wanted them, they were a good win. Like I’ve said before, a lot of these pros sit out so many shows where they could fuc**ng win them if they turned up in great shape.”
Priest dubbed Maxx Charles as a dark horse given his consistent ability to enter shows with great conditioning.
“The thing about Maxx, I like Maxx, I think I’ve seen him in a few shows,” said Priest. “There’s a few shows I’ve seen him in. Like last year, where I thought he should have placed higher than he should have than he did I mean. His conditioning is generally on point. He can, like I said, it’s going to be one of those things, you don’t know till the day.”
In addition to Burton, Priest anticipates ‘Beef’ Stu Sutherland fighting for gold. He explained that Stu managed to hold his own against Hunter Labrada during a guest-posing event earlier this year.
“I could see him being, he could win or be top three easy from the names so far,” Priest shared. “Wasn’t there a guest posing a while ago where he was posing next to Hunter Labrada and he held his own.”
While some in the community had hoped for bigger names in the 2023 New York Pro, Priest believes it’s exciting because there’s no clear winner leading up to the contest.
“We don’t a lot them but that still makes it exciting like I said, because there is no clear winner. Watching this show is going to be picking the winner as well with the judges. There’s nothing worse than you go, ‘Okay the judges are going to put him first he always wins.’ Make it exciting that way. Even for the competitors too, they must know.
It sounds bad when you say there’s no big names in it, like there’s no good bodybuilders, because these guys competing are great bodybuilders. You know what I mean, back in the day, it had to be like those names, like Kevin Levrone, it was like, ‘Oh, Kevin was going to win.’ Even for the guys competing in this show, they’re probably all going in it with the mindset, ‘Shit any of us can win this.’ There’s no standout person here. It probably makes them try harder.”
Before making his New York Pro debut, Stuart Sutherland joined Fouad Abiad on a recent Bro Chat episode. He was happy there wasn’t a ‘bunch of studs’ performing this weekend and said he was feeling confident about his chances of success.
The winner of this year’s 2023 New York Pro will earn an invitation to the Mr. Olympia contest November 2-5 in Orlando Florida, where they will have the chance to face off against the reigning champion Choopan.
RELATED: Sergio Oliva Jr. Aiming for 2023 New York & Cali Pro, Fires Back at ‘Instagram Bodybuilder’ Label
Watch the full video below from the Rx Muscle YouTube channel:
Published: 18 May, 2023 | 4:05 PM EDT
Eddie Hall Reveals His Top 3 Predictions For The 2023 World’s Strongest Man
As the 2023 World’s Strongest Man competition approaches, taking place in Myrtle Beach, SC from April 19-23, anticipation is high among fans who are busy making their predictions for the event. However, who better to predict this year’s WSM champion than a man who has already won this prestigious competition in the past. So, Eddie Hall went to YouTube in order to give his thoughts on what this year’s final leaderboards could look like. He gave his thoughts on the competitors, events, format and, most importantly, the potential podium finishers.
In the beginning of his YouTube video, Eddie Hall addressed the significance of the World’s Strongest Man titles. To win this competition was his biggest goal in Strongman, and he managed to win it in 2017. He holds the view that even individuals who are not enthusiasts of Strongman would aspire to be referred to as the World’s Strongest Man.
“To be the World’s Strongest Man is probably one of the most childhood dream titles that people dream of. If you ask a man if they want to be the World’s Strongest Man and they say no, they are lying.”
Continuing his thoughts on the 2023 World’s Strongest Man, Eddie Hall addressed the lineup, believing that the majority of the 30 competitors have the potential to make it into the finals. However, only ten men will make it into the final, with only two men progressing from each group. The six groups of the qualifying portion of the 2023 World’s Strongest Man have also been revealed recently.
“This is my dream final going in, my top ten: Tom Stoltman, Luke Stoltman, Pavlo Kordiyaka, Oleksii Novikov, Mitchell Hooper, Trey Mitchell, Aivars Smaukstelis, Kevin Faires, Adam Bishop, Evan Singleton, Brian Shaw. That is eleven, but whatever.”
Eddie Hall also reviewed all of the events for the 2023 World’s Strongest Man and shared his thoughts on the format of the competition. He believes that the events will be more beneficial towards bigger and heavier guys, but surprises still may happen.
“I think it is really leaning towards the heavier men this year… I think it is going to be a heavy, heavy final. I think that is going to suit the bigger, taller, heavier guys.”
Finally, the most important part of Eddie Hall’s video is the prediction. Eddie revealed that it is difficult to make an accurate prediction, seeing that the winner will have to be very consistent. However, he was able to round out his top three.
“I’m not going to say who is going to win, because I am friends with all these people. I don’t want to put anyone down. My top three are definitely Brian Shaw, Tom Stoltman, and Trey Mitchell. Just because of the sheer size and bodyweight of these guys… I think it is going to be a very tight final this year.”
Eddie Hall did not specify the exact order on the podium, so any of these three men will win the competition. Regardless, he did point out a few more names that could shake up the top three. Those are Oleksii Novikov, Pavlo Kordiyaka, Evan Singleton, Mateusz Kieliszkowski.
Eddie Hall also revealed that he will be the presenter for CBS America and Channel 5 UK, both of which will broadcast the 2023 World’s Strongest Man on TV later this summer. However, a live stream during the competition will not be available. So, you can keep track of results, records, news, and more right here on our website.
Watch Eddie Hall’s video here:
Related: Eddie Hall Reflects On Eating 20,000 Calories A Day And What It Costs To Be a Strongman
Eddie Hall was inactive in a professional sense since retiring from Strongman in 2017 until three years later when he announced a boxing match against Hafthor Bjornsson. After some prolonging, the match finally took place in 2022, with Bjornsson coming out victorious. However, Hall was gracious in defeat and decided to move on. He is currently preparing for a bodybuilding show that should take place in late 2024. In order to prepare to the best of his abilities, Hall partnered up with some of his bodybuilding friends like Jay Cutler, Jamie Christian-Johal, Larry Wheels, and others to learn more about the principles of training for this sport.
As a Strongman, Eddie Hall was one of the biggest freaks in the sport, even becoming the first man to deadlift 500 kilograms (1,102.3 pounds) in 2016. His stationary strength was off the charts and many believed that he could win more titles if he continued competing. However, Eddie realized that he was endangering his health and that there was no point in competing after becoming the World’s Strongest Man. He is now chasing other challenges and seems to be quite successful in achieving them.
Find complete coverage of the 2023 World’s Strongest Man, including exclusive interviews, event recaps, analysis, and results at our WSM coverage hub: FitnessVolt.com/wsm
Published: 18 April, 2023 | 5:30 PM EDT