by Christian Duque
Everyone is saying that Andrew Jacked is the second coming!! Everyone is talking about the guy who dominated Texas! A couple weeks ago everyone was talking about how Kamal should have won Tampa. Before that there was talk about Michael Krizo officially crossing over and how well he’d do at the Olympia. Meanwhile there’s been plenty of talk at the water cooler about Derek Lunsford, how huge he is, and how he could possibly win the Olympia. Of course now the big talk is about GoodVito – who by the way isn’t even a pro with the Pro League yet – and how much damage he could do at the 2022 Olympia. The pundits are also tripping over themselves because Ramy is bigger than a house and shocked the world with his ONE post on social media just recently.
All that being said here we are again with the bodybuilding press overlooking 2019 Mr. Olympia Brandon “The Prodigy” Curry. It almost seems as if the media keeps forgetting he’s a Mr. Olympia and 2x Arnold Classic champion.
Sure, it could be argued that guys who win smaller shows will be the flavor of the week and these events keep the sport running in between the bigger contests. I totally get that and I’m by no means trying to downplay the fact that love has to be shown to new stars. It’s mind boggling how much Brandon gets ignored. In a very real way he’s taken the spot that was left by 2008 Mr. Olympia and 9x Arnold Classic champion Dexter “The Blade” Jackson. I mean really stop and think about that and you’ll see what I mean.
Dexter Jackson was the winningest male IFBB Pro. He was always in great shape, always posed hard, but was rarely given his just due. He was often overlooked by the pundits, ignored by the media, and when it came to promotions he usually got the cold shoulder. It was only as he neared retirement that he saw more love from the press. In a very real way Brandon has assumed his role. He’s always in shape, he continues to win big titles, but he’s just not talked about. People recognize him as a Mr. O but can’t seem to see him ever winning again. They have no issue contemplating possible wins with random people – just not Brandon!!
Interestingly, no one seems to deny the fact Curry beat Phil Heath when he made his impressive comeback and a great many people believe he beat Big Ramy at last year’s Olympia. Even still guys like Nick Walker, Hunter Labrada, and Hadi Choopan seem to steal the spotlight from him. And he’s beat all of them!!
Isn’t bodybuilding about building the best physique possible? Isn’t it about making gains and consistently improving? I mean when did the sport lose its way? Curry is not only a top contender for the 2022 Olympia but I happen to believe he was the uncrowned 2021 Mr. Olympia. When people talk about the alleged robbery that took place in Tampa just a couple weeks ago I’m like what the hell about last year in Orlando, FL? Was that not a travesty of far greater proportions?!?!
There you had a bloated defending champion with zero improvements from the prior year against a shredded, improved returning champion who wanted his title back. Although the scorecards didn’t reflect it, the prejudging was crystal clear. There should have been no doubt who won there and to even suggest that Ramy dominated the finals and sealed the deal is an absolute absurdity. But even if you disagree with me on that, the fact Brandon took 2nd makes him the #1 contender. Further to that is the fact he won the Arnold Classic. I mean what more does the guy have to do? It’s like the disservice they did to William Bonac a couple years ago. Coincidence? You be the judge!
Yet here we are again – we’re in August – just shy of five months from the biggest show in bodybuilding and Curry is getting no attention. I mean just the other day I brought up Brandon in conversation to some gym buddies and they thought I was talking about the Men’s Physique guy. That’s insane!! We were talking about OPEN BODYBUILDING but when I said the name BRANDON why would they think I suddenly changed topics to MPD? That’s not it though – it’s not their fault. It’s simply that Brandon Curry has been so wronged by the press and these Youtubers that many fans only see or hear about him during the Olympia weekend. It’s no fault of Brandon’s or his camp.
The fact is Curry is very active on social media and is seen all around the world. He’s someone who’s blue collar – again like Dexter Jackson – who is also very good to his fans. He doesn’t talk down to them nor does he act better than them. He’s very old school in his approach to growing the sport.
Guys like Brandon, Dexter, the late Shawn Rhoden and especially Jay Cutler knew the value of closeness with the people. Ronnie was and is very big on this as well. The best champions are those who are personable and can deal with all sorts.
You have to have thick skin and you have to be ready to answer the same question a million times. You can’t let haters bait you and you have to keep critics at bay. The bottom line is bodybuilding is still very much a niche sport and Mr. Olympia must be a people person. He needs to be out – front and center – and truly be the face of the sport.
No one should ever wonder where Mr. O is at or what he’s doing for more than a few days or a week – at most. When you hold that title it’s really a 24/7 kinda gig. Unfortunately there isn’t a How To manual that comes with the title – you just gotta hit the ground running and go from there.
Ramy has held the title for 2yrs and has been given outs for the pandemic, living in Egypt, not knowing great English, etc. At some point we have to come to grips with the fact we have reigning Mr. O who’s a ghost and a reigning 212 Mr. O who doesn’t even know what division he’s competing in come December. On the flipside we have a fantastic ambassador for bodybuilding and a super dangerous competitor in Brandon Curry and he’s getting totally ignored!!
I feel like I’ve said it a million times but Brandon is the kind of champion the sport of bodybuilding needs. Very much like Jay Cutler, Brandon isn’t the kind of guy who does things like everyone else. He doesn’t just sign to a supplement company – he owns one. He doesn’t just work with fitness sponsors, he’s out there making deals with companies that perhaps don’t know that much about the sport but who could benefit from an association with it in the future. He does CRAZY amounts of media and he always presents himself like a professional.
You won’t ever hear vulgarity, trash talk, or negativity coming from Curry’s mouth. He’s someone who’s a faithful husband, a loving father, and a strong family man. He’s active in the community – and most definitely not just the fitness community – but society as a whole. I always thought these were important qualities the judges, promoters, and the Federation valued. I used to think these attributes held significance relative to tight contests where such values break ties.
At this point, however, I honestly think the whole “ambassadorial” component to being Mr. O is a bunch of hot air. If it accounted for anything, we wouldn’t have who we have at the top of the sport. Something else I’ve said a million times is that while I like Ramy as a person and I think he’s a great bodybuilder he’s just not an ambassador. He never has been and by this stage of the game, it’s unlikely he ever will be.
Furthermore he can get to 330lbs and look great on IG but last year he looked like trash and the year he allegedly beat Brandon it was by no means an annihilation. Maybe that’s how The Egyptian Group would like to rewrite history but the Brandon Curry that stopped Phil Heath dead in his tracks was not annihilated by the likes Big Ramy who only was only able to compete because of a special invite. Let’s keep it real – at least for history’s sake!!
In any event, I wanted to remind whoever this article reaches that 2019 Mr. Olympia Brandon Curry is most definitely a force to be reckoned with and is my pick to win the 2022 Mr. Olympia in Las Vegas, NV!!
Make sure you don’t sleep on The Prodigy!
