Bodybuilding’s Biggest Ever Enigma!
Victor Richards did not find bodybuilding; bodybuilding found him. Richards, the old school bodybuilder, has probably the best genetics ever seen in the history of bodybuilding. When he was 16 years old he looked like he had been lifting for decades. Bodybuilding was never his plan, but it allowed him the platform to teach others and help them reach their full potential.
He first comes onto the scene in 1987 through the pages of Muscle & Fitness when Editor Jeff Everson presented him as the biggest ever bodybuilder, carrying around 300 pounds on his 5’9” frame –which was unheard of at that time. His thighs were purported to be 34”. He was said to be 21 years old. (Like many aspects of Victor’s life, mystery surrounds his birth date. In an interview in 1994, he mentioned he was born in 1966, while other references have him being born in 1964 or 1967.)
His strength was said to be phenomenal. Over the years he has cited an ability to use 550 pounds on the incline bench and over 600 pounds when flat benching. He also said,
“I can do 200 pounds on dumbbell press. I’ve done shoulder presses in the range of 450 pounds; squatted nearly 900 pounds, and I’ve done barbell curls up to 315 pounds. And I never liked using a belt or knee wraps.”
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Watch The Uncrowned King Of Bodybuilding:
“My goal is not to win trophies or the Mr. Olympia. If I win Mr. Olympia, that’s fine. If I don’t, that is not going to decide my success.
My ambition is to be the best I can be and to leave my footprints in the history of the sport. Bodybuilding is a steppingstone for me to get my message across.
I feel I can change the world. The number one disease we have, especially in this nation, is racism. I’d like to travel the country teaching kids to judge people by their character, not their color.
If lions and donkeys and sheep can be trained to live together in the circus, why can’t we human beings learn to live together?”
Victor Richards win his Pro card in Nigeria, but he didn’t go on to compete in the Mr. Olympia as many hoped he would, there was a lot of mystery and uncertainty that surrounded his entry to the IFBB competitions.
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