2008 NPC USA Mens Final Report
The 2008 NPC USA Championships are now in the record books and Brandon Curry has been crowned the newest Mr. USA!
Bantamweight:
Marty Burger dominated this class with great shape and superb conditioning and, as predicted, walked away with unannymous first place votes. Scott Foster finished 2nd and Rick Brewer 3rd.
Lightweight:
Joe Pearson was the hands down winner in this class with straight 1st place votes over Jimmy Nguyen (2nd) and Jabar Miles (3rd.
Welterweight:
Former bantamweight and lightweight USA champion, Shavis Higa, added the welterweight title to his 2 previous USA weightclass victories by scoring perfect 1st place votes over Victor Delcampo (2nd) and Rich Moran (3rd).
Middleweight:
Nathan Detracy, the 2007 Emerald Cup Overall Champ, decimated the class with pro-quality musclemass and conditioning. Nathan has future pro written all over him; however, bodybuilding fans will have to wait till next year to see the most shredded man in the show step onstage again. Nathan plans to get married the same weekend as the NPC Nationals.
Kam Gallman, a freak in his own right, was a close second, while Scott Turner finished in 3rd.
Light Heavyweight:
Curtis Bryant, a heavyweight in light heavyweight's clothes, showed why he was one of the most talked about precontest favorites by winning the class (with straight 1st place votes) and earning an IFBB Pro Card in the process.
Flex Wheeler's precontest pick for the overall, Branden Ray, proved that he was indeed a force to be reckoned by placing 2nd in his first pro-qualifying national show. In only his 3rd contest ever, the former Jr National light heavyweight champ brought a greatly improved package and proved that he will indeed be a future contender to watch out for.
The most shredded guy in the class, Troy Tate, had to settle for 3rd in this tough lineup; however, keep an eye out for this fierce competitor in the future. He's got pro card written all over him.
Heavyweight:
As predicted, the heavyweight class was a 3-man fight between Brandon Curry, Lee Banks, and Michael Liberatore. However, in the end the symmetrical Curry edged out the more ripped Liberatore by a single point. Lee Banks, a freak in his own right, took a solid third.
While many may debate the decision for months to come, the bottom line is that Curry placed 2nd in both the USA and Nationals last year and, on this night, more than proved that he's worthy to move on to the pro ranks. Similarly, 2nd place Liberatore showed the judges that he's also got "the right stuff" to take it to the next level.
Super Heavyweight:
While the super heavyweights weren't the most competitive group in the show, Sam Nunn emerged as a new potential star in a class that's been plagued with less than stellar competitors. Nunn's impressive symmetry and conditioning was just too much for the rest of the class to contend with on this night. If Sam can add about another 10lb of quality muscle, he'll be a dangerous competitor to encounter on any stage. Not far behind Nunn was Pittsburgh native, Kirk Defrancesco in 2nd and perrenial runner-up in this class, Grigori Atoyan (3rd).
Overall:
The real battle in this contest was between heavyweights Brandon Curry and Michael Liberatore. However, once Curry closed that deal, the rest was a walk in the park. While light heavyweight champ, Bryant, was an easy choice for the 2nd Pro Card, he never really challenged Curry for the overall spot. Curry's massive frame and imposing muscle bellies were just too much for the rest of the class winners to conted with. Congratulations to Brandon Curry and Curtis Bryant for earning the right to enter the pro ranks of the IFBB.