The bodybuilding legend discussed what he expects in Columbus this March.
When James “Flex” Lewis speaks on the present state of bodybuilding, folks in the neighborhood are likely to hearken to the retired legend. Because the 2023 Arnold Classic (AC) nears this March — a contest that can now have a lucrative $300,000 money prize — the previous dynastic seven-time 212 Olympia champion (2012-2018) discussed a few of his perspectives on the Columbus, OH, event.
On Jan. 27, 2023, Lewis appeared in a podcast episode with Fouad Abiad Media to partially break down what might lie ahead within the 2023 AC on Mar. 2-5, 2023. The fitness icon seemingly spared few details, predicting his top 10 finishers for the most important competition.
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With the 2023 AC roughly five weeks away on the time of this writing, here is how Lewis sees the competition shaking out for a few of bodybuilding’s elite:
Flex Lewis’s 2023 Arnold Classic Top 10 Prediction
- Nick Walker | Champion
- Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay
- Andrew Jacked
- Samson Dauda
- William Bonac
- Shaun Clarida
- Akim Williams
- Justin Rodriguez
- Kamal Elgargni
- Patrick Moore
Lewis viewed Walker because the odds-on favorite to capture his second profession AC title within the last three years. Nonetheless, he did make clear a number of names — equivalent to former two-time Mr. Olympia (2020-2021) Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay and rising star Chinedu Andrew Obiekea, a.k.a. “Andrew Jacked” — that he thinks could push Walker and keep the athlete from standing on top of the rostrum.
“I can’t wait to see if Ramy [Elssbiay] is capable of bring a greater look next to Nick [Walker],” said Lewis. “Andrew [Jacked] is my dark horse. Samson [Dauda] needs one to 2 years of added muscle in the suitable areas, and maturity, and then you definitely’re talking about a very different monster. I feel like Samson [Dauda] might be a threat in any [expletive] show he steps foot in in the longer term.”
Notably, Lewis asserted that two-time 212 victor (2020, 2022) Shaun Clarida could make some noise. Nonetheless, it will appear to be a tall task for the 5’2″ athlete to topple lineup of Men’s Open competitors.
“In the event that they judge and have a look at Shaun [Clarida] with [blinders] on, he’s [expletive] Ronnie Coleman in a 212 size,” Lewis explained. “He [Clarida] never misses. He is available in on point each time … It’s a tough one for me to see any person who I actually have a vested interest in, as a 212 champion, but I just think that he’s going to be lost with the peak of what’s there.”
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Because the AC rises in prominence and prestige as a contest, it’s hard not to assume the highlight growing greater and getting more attention from established titans. Plus, if Lewis is giving Walker his blessing — the second former Olympia mainstay to accomplish that recently — it seems the superstar might use the approaching AC as one other launching-off point in his young profession.
Featured image: @nick_walker39 on Instagram