Lewis thinks Lunsford is on target toward history.
Derek Lunsford could possibly be the following heir apparent to true bodybuilding greatness. Already a former 212 Olympia champion (2021), Lunsford shined in his Men’s Open debut on the 2022 Olympia, ending because the runner-up to the titanic Hadi Choopan. With more seasoning under his belt, some members of the bodybuilding community think he’s on the precipice of a genuinely unique achievement.
On July 17, 2023, James “Flex” Lewis posted a video to his YouTube channel where he had a conversation with Lunsford about his current place in bodybuilding. With Lunsford now a full-time Men’s Open class member, Lewis endorsed his peer’s possibilities at becoming the primary bodybuilder ever to win in two separate Olympia divisions (212, Men’s Open).
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A seven-time 212 Olympia champion (2012-2018), Lewis enjoyed a friendly rivalry with Lunsford toward the tail end of his reign, most notably overcoming the young runner-up through the 2018 edition of the competition. That may make Lewis more equipped than most to grasp what Lunsford is able to at bodybuilding’s highest levels.
Lewis maintained he’d kept a detailed eye on Lunsford since his sole 212 title in 2021 and that he unquestionably sees him because the athlete to beat in November in Orlando, FL.
“Going into this 12 months’s Olympia [2023], I said to so many individuals, ‘Derek Lunsford is the one,’” Lewis explained. “That [2023] Pittsburgh Pro, that blew my mind and everybody else’s. I assumed to myself, ‘Thank god that guy’s not within the 212 [division] anymore.’ I also said to myself, ‘Thank god I’m not competing within the Open class against this guy.’ I also said, ‘whoever goes to be standing next to that guy is in for a handful.’”
Beyond talking about Lunsford’s physique, Lewis all but painted him because the inevitable first-ever “champ-champ” — the primary bodybuilder in history who could win a title in two major Olympia divisions.
With a victory on the 2023 Olympia, Lunsford thoroughly might live as much as this billing.
“What you’ve done for the reason that 212 is truthfully so inspiring,” Lewis told Lunsford. “You say that you just were never in a position to dethrone me, but you already know what I can say about you, is, I might need beaten you within the 212 class but now you’re going to be, in my eyes, the primary ever champ-champ.”
Lewis expressed that one among the goals of his competitive profession was to win an Olympia title in two divisions. The icon never competed in a division outside of the 212 on the tentpole bodybuilding contests. Now that those days are behind him, he’ll live vicariously through Lunsford’s exploits.
“It was my motivation to be the first-ever two-division champ-champ,” Lewis said. “You now, whether you considered it or not, it was consuming for me … I’ll never have the opportunity to attain that now that I’m retired. I would like to see you go to the moon and back.”
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Lewis isn’t the primary bodybuilding legend to place his faith in Lunsford on the 2023 Olympia. Eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman (1998-2005) and long-time trainer Miloš Šarčev have each previously expressed their belief within the young superstar’s possibilities at historic success.
Now Lunsford will just must live as much as the hype.
Featured image: @dereklunsford_ on Instagram