Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay remains one of the sport’s biggest mysteries as the 2024 season unfolds. In a recent YouTube video, athlete rep Bob Cicherillo and bodybuilding veteran Shawn Ray discussed his future, and whether or not he will participate at the 2024 Mr. Olympia.
Boasting unparalleled mass and a lower body complimented by freak factor, Big Ramy has become a star of the IFBB Pro League Men’s Open class. He reached the pinnacle of his career in 2020, having dispatched Brandon Curry and Hadi Choopan en route to securing his first Mr. Olympia title.
The Egyptian native kept his head down and worked furiously into the next bodybuilding season. His efforts paid off as Ramy cemented himself as the Mr. Olympia winner in 2021. With names such as Ronnie Coleman suggesting Ramy would dominate for several years, fans expected the mass monster to extend his reign comfortably.
Shawn Ray and Bob Cicherillo Discuss Big Ramy & 2024 Mr. Olympia, ‘It’s Hard Sometimes The Older You Get’
However, at the stacked 2022 Mr. Olympia, Ramy came in off according to head judge Steve Weinberger, and lacked the detail needed to defend his title. Since Ramy’s reign, Choopan and Derek Lunsford have tasted gold. Prioritizing recovery and off time, Ramy is expected to guest pose at the nearing 2024 Pittsburgh Pro, prompting Bob Cicherillo and Ray to discuss his potential for the season.
“I could tell you a lot of guys when they take the time off they don’t come back looking better. I don’t know what that is but it’s a historical fact that you can actually see, guys that take a year off they kind of lose traction, they lose a bit of hardness, and Ramy is not young like he used to be.”
“Yeah he used to say that’s how old [40] he wanted to be when he retired and got out of the sport. He’s right there with Father Time and he’s going against young guys that are going into their prime. It’ll be interesting to see what he looks like. They have plenty of time to go until October. It’s really not a fair comparison. Nick is competing a week from now,” says Shawn Ray.
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Bob Cicherillo says this is Ramy’s make-it-or-break-it year where he either comes back with a vengeance or turns in his posing trunks for good.
“I know he was getting some stem cell, he was getting some other things and remedies to hopefully fix whatever was wrong but honestly, Shawn, to me, this is a make-it-or-break-it for Ramy.
I say you either see a guy that walks out and you go oh my God look at this he’s back! All those things are fixed, right? Or is it his early demise? Could this backfire and people just wipe him out after this?” wonders Cicherillo.
While Big Ramy will guest pose in Pittsburgh, Ray thinks it’s unfair to compare him to Nick Walker since the latter will step on stage much sooner on May 18.
“It’s half a year away from seeing the best of what he has to offer. I used to see Dorian Yates guest pose in March and thought no way he would win Olympia. I used to see Lee Priest in May, and would think there’s no way he’d do anything at Olympia.”
“We’re going to see Big Ramy, I don’t think it would be a fair comparison to have him stand next to Nick,” said Ray. “We’re going to find out if Big Ramy is serious about it. I think it’s hard sometimes the older you get to get a second wind. But we do know that Ronnie Coleman in the second half of his career was better than the first half.”
If Ray could see into the future, he would suspect that Ramy wouldn’t look all that different when he stepped back on stage.
“I don’t think he’ll look that much unfamiliar,” says Ray. “It’s very hard to fall all the way off especially when you’re in the process of rebuilding. We are catching him in the building phase, not the dietary phase. He could be as big as a house with zero detail.”
Cicherillo and 1990s Open standout Ray aren’t the only bodybuilding veterans taking a closer look at Big Ramy. Bodybuilding coach Chris Aceto believes Ramy ‘isn’t done yet’ and refused to count him out at the upcoming 2024 guest posing appearance in Pittsburgh. He expects Ramy to impress with his patented size and muscularity.
With the Pittsburgh Pro guest posing spectacle approaching, fans and the bodybuilding world will have a better idea of where Ramy stands among a cutthroat Men’s Open division. Ramy has a lifetime qualification for the 2024 Mr. Olympia, leaving fans in anticipation of his return to the big stage.
RELATED: Chris Aceto Says ‘It’s Useless’ for Big Ramy To Enter Any Show Other Than the 2024 Mr. Olympia
To watch the full video click the link below:
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