by Christian Duque
Blessing Awodibu aka A Force Of Nature is just the kind of Mr. Olympia the sport of bodybuilding needs. While he may not be quite there yet in 2022 a time may come when the Irish bodybuilder has moved up the ranks to the point where he’s in contention to be the #1 bodybuilder in the world. I mean he’s already a much heralded movie star known the world over. People know him from his commercials and the many skits he performs in. Whether he auditions for a part or ad libs it, Blessing has the kind of talent that supplement companies can’t get enough of. The young bodybuilder reminds me of Andy Haman & Mike O’Hearn, in that he’s very personable and well-liked by the fans.
And the fact is much like with those guys, Blessing’s work ethic is ironclad. There’s a time and place for jokes and then there’s a time and place for hard work. And when it comes to the muscle game, success can take years, sometimes decades. Look at guys like Jerome Ferguson, Bob Cicherillo, and Vinny Galanti. They never gave up but their road to pro took decades.
In this sport people tend to see where you are with your card, winning big shows, and living the life, but they don’t ever ask about paying your dues. Blessing was long overlooked and in fact he’s overlooked today. He’s won some big shows and has had rivalries with guys like Nick Walker, but I don’t think anyone’s really looking to him as a potential Mr. Olympia. I think a lot of people think his best would be Top 10 at the O, maybe Top 6 at the Arnold, and winning some small shows. That wouldn’t be a rough life by any means, but the fact is, I think Blessing could go a lot farther.
The fact is the guy is huge and the sport has really become a sport where big guys rule the stage. I mean just take a look at who our Mr. Olympia is. For ages people, myself included, would caution The Egyptian Phenom with being too big. We had had guys like Dexter, Phil, and Shawn Rhoden show us that the sport was changing gears. Even Brandon, to a certain extent, didn’t push the mass card. That didn’t last long.
There’s an undeniable segment of the muscle crowd that just wants freaks. Whether it’s the Ronnie, Jay, Markus or Ramy look. Size rules. In fact, if you were to poll most bodybuilding fans between Frank Zane and Lee Haney, they’d pick Haney. Chris Bumstead and Big Ramy? They’d pick Bumstead on personality and they’d say they want to look like him too, but in terms of who they’d want as Mr. O, the lion’s share of bodybuilding fans would say Ramy. Bumstead looks aesthetically perfect but he’s not a monster. For the real muscle heads, you need to look like an extraterrestrial juiced to the gills in order to freak them out. They want to be left wondering what the hell they’re looking at. They want their girlfriends to think it’s gross and they want their friends and coworkers to wonder why on Earth anyone would ever want to look like that. It’s rebellion – pure and simple.
Blessing embodies the rebellious vibe so many fans of muscle are into. No one would look at A Force of Nature and think he was natty. No one would ever think he did anything besides hunt for protein, lift, and sleep. And the fact he’s usually seen backed by huge companies and on movie sets around the world is a throwback to the days of Arnold and Lou. He’s living the lifestyle and people identify with him. I could easily see him winning the People’s Champion award and I especially could see him breaking into the Top 6 at the 2022 Mr. Olympia in Las Vegas, NV.
The fact is he’s a guy who’s very much on the periphery of the Top 6 in my opinion. Along with Akim Williams, I’d say Blessing presents a formidable threat to guys like Hunter, Nick, Hadi and Derek. Although the bodybuilding media may not see it, I do, and we’ve called some big contests before – here – at Iron Magazine. The difference between our publication and others, is that we don’t write based on who’s sponsoring us this month.
Back in the day, athletes made it into the magazines based on achievement. The only guys/gals who would get covers were the absolute best. Today, because print is largely dead and because publications no longer have stables of athletes under contract, covers are given to the sponsored athletes of top advertisers. Merit-based covers are a thing of the past. Nonetheless, there’s covers where the athlete truly does deserve to be on there. And that’s precisely the case when Blessing graced the cover of MD.
I own the edition and so do countless fans I know. I’m talking about people who don’t subscribe and who don’t buy magazines. But they made an exception and they searched high and low to find the copy that Awodibu was on. They did it because they hoped to get it autographed and until that day comes, they have it framed or in a plastic sheet to preserve it as best as possible. And you know what you call that, folks? You call that STAR POWER. Most bodybuilders don’t have it, but it’s Blessing’s calling card.
A Force of Nature has won key shows, has an army of fans, and from everything i’ve heard is coming guns blazing to the Super Bowl of Bodybuilding in just under two week’s time. Where do you see the Irish bodybuilder placing? Do you think he’ll break into the Top 6? Do you think he’ll place higher?
As always, I hope you enjoyed reading my article, here, at Iron Magazine. Be sure to share this article to your social media feeds. I assure you it’ll drum up some great conversation!!
