Controversy from the 2025 Pittsburgh Pro is spilling over into the bodybuilding community. On May 13, 2025, Bob Cicherillo stressed that Nick Walker wasn’t robbed of the title. He explained that Derek Lunsford had fewer weaknesses, which contributed to his victory.
The 2025 Pittsburgh Pro has become the most talked-about contest of the 2025 bodybuilding season. Derek Lunsford was the on-paper favorite thanks to his big win over Samson Dauda at the recent Arnold Classic. Question marks surrounded Nick Walker leading into the show. He missed the past two Mr. Olympias due to injury and prep problems.
While fans were beginning to believe Walker’s time at the top had come to an end, ‘The Mutant’ reminded everyone where he stands in the Men’s Open. He pushed Lunsford to the brink of defeat, securing silver in a tie-breaker round that left fans on the edge of their seats. Some in the sport called Lunsford’s triumph a robbery, arguing Walker was simply better. This has led Cicherillo to shed some light on how the judges arrived at their decision.
Bob Cicherillo Says Nick Walker Wasn’t Robbed in Pittsburgh: “Were Politics Involved? Absolutely Not”
In the recent YouTube video, Cicherillo recapped the contest.
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“Nick or Derek? Then, I’m seeing catchphrases like politics, he got screwed, he got robbed. This was Nick’s show. The fans were about split, maybe even favoring Nick. He’s got a lot of fans in attendance. He came at probably his all-time best. He was equally as good as when he took third place at the Olympia.”
“Derek was about the same from what I could see from the Arnold. If he lost anything, it was maybe one percent out of that. So both guys brought a formidable package to the stage. They end up in a tie. How does this happen? Half the judges had Nick, half the judges had Derek. Just a preference thing, apples and the proverbial oranges of comparison.”
In the event of a tie-breaker, Cicherillo explained that judges determine the winner by assessing who had fewer weaknesses onstage.
“How do you pick a winner when it’s a tie? I’ll tell you how you pick a winner. You go by a phrase I’ve used for many years. It’s not about who has the most amount of strengths. It’s about who has the least amount of weaknesses. If you use that formula, it becomes very easy to beat this tie-breaker.”
He believes Lunsford’s smaller waistline, x-frame, shape, symmetry, and posing gave him the edge over Walker.
“Derek has the least amount of weaknesses in comparison with these two guys. Nick’s build versus Derek’s build. Nick is clearly a bigger man. He’s got a lot of muscle, and he brings conditioning. Derek’s got a smaller waistline, he’s got the x-frame. His shape and symmetry is better. His posing presentation is more polished than Nick’s.
Nick was laboring in some of the poses in his midsection even though he has improved. That still becomes a distraction. The legs, the varicose veins in his legs, these aren’t things you can ignore. When it’s close, you’re nitpicking and you’re looking for reasons to put someone in first and somebody in second place,” Cicherillo shared.
Cicherillo underlined that Walker wasn’t screwed or robbed of the title. He also stated that politics did not play a role in who the judges awarded the victory to.
“Did he get screwed, did he get robbed or were poltics involved? Absolutely not. By preponderance of the judging, Derek ended up winning the show.”
Other bodybuilding experts have broken down the outcome. Six-time Olympia winner Dorian Yates and Rich Gaspari both agree that Walker was the rightful winner, citing his impressive density and conditioning levels.
Even with their contentious history, Cicherillo thought Walker appeared at his best. Fans look forward to seeing Walker compete this weekend at the New York Pro in a bid to secure his third victory at the prestigious event.
Watch the full video from the Voice of Bodybuilding YouTube channel below:
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