Written by Ron Harris
14 May 2021

 Redcon-Blessing-Walker-Slider

 

 

Young Guns Showdown!

Blessing Awodibu vs. Nick Walker

 

By Ron Harris

A New Rivalry Begins!

 

We have certainly seen some epic rivalries in our sport over the years. In the 1970s and into 1980, we had Arnold and Franco, followed briefly by Arnold and Mike Mentzer. The great Lee Haney was dogged throughout his eight-year run as Mr. Olympia by two smaller men: Rich Gaspari, who routinely trumped him in condition, and Lee Labrada, whose shape and posing prowess were unparalleled. Perhaps the greatest rivalry we ever saw were the battles between Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler on the Olympia stage, though we did get another set of fierce battles between Phil Heath and Kai Greene. Things have certainly changed in the sport since the dawn of social media. It was there that a new rivalry emerged between two 20-somethings who have yet to face each other on stage. One is Nick Walker, a beast of a young man who hit the pro stage for the first time just weeks after earning his pro card at the IFBB North American Championships. I was there in Atlanta, site of the 2020 Chicago Pro, and bore witness to the astonishing potential of Walker. His goal of course was to win, but he had to concede fourth place to three seasoned competitors from New York: Akim Williams, Justin Rodriguez and Maxx Charles. Massive, balanced, and showing dry, grainy condition, few in the audience would have balked had the rookie placed a spot or two higher. Then there’s “The Boogieman,” Blessing Awodibu, an Irishman by way of his native Nigeria. Blessing earned his pro card back in 2017 but has taken the past three-plus years to grow and improve. Coached by Chad Nicholls, the same man who recently guided Big Ramy to a Mr. Olympia win, Blessing is planning to finally make his debut at all three contests being held in May of this year: the Indy Pro, the New York Pro and the California Pro. Earlier this year, Nick made it known that his next target was the 2021 New York Pro. It’s there that our story begins.

 

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Them’s Fightin’ Words – on Instagram

           

In the old days when magazines were the only access fans had to the pros, feuds often took many months to simmer before reaching a boiling point. That’s because one man would make a statement about the other, which his rival wouldn’t read until that issue came out. He would respond in the following issue, and so on – you get it. Information, and even shit-talking, traveled at a much more leisurely pace back then. In 2021, any two parties can go back and forth with each other in real time in comments, private messages, or in daily video posts if they so desire. Feuds can now escalate to a fever pitch in mere days, as this one did. It all began innocently enough on February 4, when Blessing made the following innocuous comment on a posing progress pic Nick had posted:

           

“Let’s go Nick, I will see you in 15 weeks!”

           

To which Walker replied, “Yes, you will!!!”

           

Perhaps the two would have been supportive of each other, but shortly afterward Generation Iron, which I liken to the TMZ of bodybuilding, posted an article setting up their rivalry as two new young pros targeting the New York Pro. Not long after, Blessing’s comments took on a far bolder tone as he posted, “Place your bet, I’mma smoke this dude. He’s got 13 weeks!”

           

Nick responded with a video on his Instagram where he said, “So Blessing thinks he’s gonna smoke me in 13 weeks? Blessing’s not gonna get a blessing at the New York Pro this year. Not with me in it.”

           

Not to be outdone, Blessing posted a video from the Redcon1 gym in Boca Raton where he and several others were seen listening to Nick’s statement before breaking into uproarious laughter. Soon after, Blessing posted this:

           

“A lot of these guys don’t truly know what bodybuilding is, SMH. They all think bullshit Rubik’s Cube looking ass mass is everything. (several laughter with tears emojis.) Bodybuilding is about class, a perfectly chiseled work of art, mass with class. But it’s all good though. #13weeks.”

           

The last response I will include was Nick’s response:

           

“C’mon @blessing_awodibu, if you’re gonna call me out at least tag me. I wouldn’t say you’re a perfectly chiseled work of art. It’s all good though, it’s okay to dream.”

 

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A Roundtable Critique

           

Since there was no Arnold Classic this March for industry discussion and predictions, the Blessing/Nick rivalry became a main talking point on social media and all over YouTube. Perhaps one of the best analyses took place in February on one of Fouad Abiad’s “Bro Chat” videos featuring IFBB Pro League judge Paul Lauzon and 212 pro veteran Guy Cisternino. They critiqued both men based on Instagram photos, which all acknowledged was far from ideal. Since Blessing hadn’t competed in years, they used his progress photos leading up to what would have been his pro debut, the Arnold Classic Australia in March of 2020, that was unfortunately canceled at the 11th hour as the pandemic took hold of the world and shut down life as we knew it. These were compared with recent progress pics posted by Walker.

           

Looking at both men in the front double biceps, this is what they had to say.

           

Paul: “Nick definitely has more leg size. Blessing seems to have more flare to his lats from the front. Nick’s arms are bigger, and he’s thicker for sure. I’ve never seen Blessing on stage, but I’ve seen Nick compete a couple of times. Nick has the advantage in thickness, especially in the lower body. Blessing has rounder muscles, and a pretty small waist for a big dude.

           

Fouad: “I see one guy with shape and another guy with muscularity. Blessing’s strength is his shape, Nick’s is his muscularity.”

           

As rear double biceps poses of both men were shown, they noted the following.

           

Paul: “Blessing’s hamstrings look underdeveloped. Nick is thicker in this shot. Blessing has nice attachments and roundness.”

           

Guy: “Blessing’s upper back is thicker, but Nick’s has way more detail. Nick’s V-taper is better, because his lats are thicker and longer, and Blessing’s lats attach higher.”

           

Paul: “That gives him the illusion of a smaller waist, but it could also take away in certain poses. I’d go with Nick.”

           

Fouad: “It’s going to be hard to beat the amount of muscularity that Nick has. Blessing does have very pretty shape, so it will come down to what the judges like: shape or muscularity.”

 

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Jose Raymond on Nick vs. Blessing

           

“At first, I thought they were joking around as friends, but apparently not. Blessing is a super entertaining guy. He’s got a couple million followers on social media and he’s very funny. I’ve yet to see him in a situation like Nick has already been in, which is a top-five posedown in a pro lineup. Nick handled himself very well, and he’s only getting better. I think some people write Nick off as a mass monster, but when you see him hit a front double biceps, he has a pretty physique. He’s got wide shoulders with a nice taper and big, flaring quads. His rear double biceps can stand next to anyone’s. I’m leaning heavily toward Nick if Nick is 100 percent. I think his shape is better, he’s bigger per square inch, and he’s significantly shorter than Blessing. I’d pick Nick. He’s only getting better. I’ve watched his training. It’s no wonder he’s growing at this rate, because he’s very focused. He’s not throwing weight around and slamming stuff. You can tell he’s got a great mind-muscle connection. Everything is smooth and controlled, and his body is responding. His physique is a lot better than people give him credit for. He’s not just a mass monster. There’s a nice shape to him too. Blessing is very impressive in his own right. He hasn’t competed since he turned pro back in 2017. He was very good then, but he wasn’t ready to do any damage at the pro level. He’s put on considerable size since then, which I think was his plan all along. Structurally, he’s a big man, so he’s got to fill that frame out.”

 

My Analysis

           

First off, even though this isn’t the WWE, some trash talk does create some serious buzz and excitement. As I noted earlier, the Blessing/Nick feud helped fill a sorely needed void when there was nothing going on in the sport to discuss. It’s also good to have some new colorful personalities in the sport, particularly young pros that the millennial fans can identify with. The two men have never stood on the same stage together, and attempting to accurately judge their physiques against each other based on progress pics is an imperfect scenario more suited to an online transformation contest rather than a tough event like the New York Pro, widely regarded as the third most competitive and prestigious competition in our sport after the Mr. Olympia and the Arnold Classic. Both of these rookies have excellent physiques as well as legions of loyal fans who feel their man will obliterate the other on show day. Keep in mind that at nearly two months away as of this writing, other heavy hitters like Justin Rodriguez and Hassan Mostafa have their sights set on that New York Pro win as well. Regardless of who else will be competing, it’s very safe to say that a good portion of people following the action on May 15 in Tampa will be most interested in who beats who – Blessing or Nick? MD will be there providing full coverage, so be sure to follow along on the No Bull Forum at www.musculardevelopment.com to see how it all goes down! And of course, may the best young gun win!

 

Tale of the Tape

 

Blessing Awodibu                                                                                           

Height: 5’10”                                                     

Weight: 265                                                                  

Age: 29                                                

Pro History: Third, 2021 Indy Pro                                                           

IG: @blessing_awodibu

1.7 million followers                  

 

Nick Walker

Height: 5’6”      

Weight: 250

Age: 26

Pro History: Fourth, 2020 Chicago Pro

IG: @nick_walker39

353K followers

 

Blessing’s Redcon1 Stack

Isotope

GI Juice®

Grunt®

Total War®

Big Noise®

Cluster Bomb®

MRE®

Fade Out®

For more information, visit redcon1.com

 

md 2 copy

 

 

Nick’s RAW Nutrition Contest Prep Stack

RAW EAA – 20 grams taken pre-training and post-training. 
RAW Burn – 17 grams taken fasted in the morning.
RAW PUMP – 20 grams taken 30 minutes prior to training. 
RAW Intra-Workout – 50 grams of carbs taken pre-workout on high days.

 

For more information, visit getrawnutrition.com

 

Ron Harris got his start in the bodybuilding industry during the eight years he worked in Los Angeles as Associate Producer for ESPN’s “American Muscle Magazine” show in the 1990s. Since 1992 he has published nearly 5,000 articles in bodybuilding and fitness magazines, making him the most prolific bodybuilding writer ever. Ron has been training since the age of 14 and competing as a bodybuilder since 1989. He lives with his wife and two children in the Boston area. Facebook Instagram

 

 

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