The 2025 Pittsburgh Pro Men’s Open lineup might be even deeper than we initially thought. On March 19, 2025, Bob Cicherillo shared a rumor that Derek Lunsford will compete in Pittsburgh. He believes in a match against Nick Walker at 100%, Lunsford wins.
Nick Walker is aiming to bounce back after pulling out of the last two Mr. Olympia contests. With Kyle Wilkes as his new head coach, ‘The Mutant’ plans to earn his qualification for the Las Vegas mega-event, slated for October 9-12.
The lineup in Pittsburgh is shaping up to be one of the season’s best. In addition to Walker’s entry, the bodybuilding community expects Michal Krizanek, Martin Fitzwater, Vitaliy ‘Good Vito’ Ugolnikov, and James Hollingshead to be in attendance. Now, with Lunsford considering the contest, it adds a new level of mystery surrounding who will come out on top.
Bob Cicherillo Hints Derek Lunsford Competing in Pittsburgh, Says at ‘100%’ Nick Walker Can’t Beat Him
In a recent YouTube video, industry expert Bob Cicherillo shared rumors that Lunsford will compete at the 2025 Pittsburgh Pro.
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“Here’s the biggest name, again this is just rumor. I do not have it confirmed but I’m hearing a whole lot of buzz out there that Derek Lunsford himself is throwing his hat into Pittsburgh and that’s going to ruffle a whole bunch of feathers.”
Shawn Ray chimed in, crediting Lunsford for his win over Dauda in Ohio. However, he warned that the same thing could happen to Lunsford if he enters Pittsburgh, adding that ‘he’s not invincible.’
“Samson, he just got bit by Derek. He thought he was going to walk in that show and walk off with that $500,000 as the reigning Mr. Olympia, it didn’t happen, Derek rained on his parade. The same thing can happen to Derek. He’s not invincible.”
If both come into Pittsburgh at 100%, Cicherillo believes there’s ‘no likelihood’ that Walker can defeat Lunsford.
“Listen, if Nick Walker beats Derek and I don’t know, we always got to give percentages, right? Assuming that they are both 100%, there’s no likelihood that he could beat Derek because Derek is a former Olympia champ and reigning Arnold Classic champ.”
“Derek would be the odds-on if he goes in one or both [Pittsburgh and New York],” adds Cicherillo.
Meanwhile, bodybuilding judge Terrick El Guindy expressed confidence in Walker’s chances at the Pittsburgh Pro.
“I have a little bit more of an optimistic approach to Nick Walker based on his history. The young man, he has won the New York Pro twice. That’s a fact. The young man is a North American champion, that’s a fact. The young man has won the Arnold Classic, that’s a fact,” he shared.
“Nick Walker is the first one to tell people, ‘Hey listen, my specialty has never been my lines. I’ll be the first one to say that my lines — I’m not Samson Dauda or Flex Wheeler or Shawn Ray but he has beaten plenty of guys that have beautiful lines that were in these shows. He has defeated Samson Dauda previously and he’s been third at the Mr. Olympia.”
He pointed to Walker’s side poses, describing them as his winning formula.
“When that young man hits a few poses, especially side chest and side triceps, which then you don’t get to see a little bit of the waist, he is very, very impressive. And that’s the winning formula for him.”
Not only will the Pittsburgh Pro from May 10-11 feature the Open class for the very first time, but the winner will earn $100,000. As history has shown us with other divisions, the champion of the Pittsburgh Pro always carries significant momentum going into the Mr. Olympia event.
Watch the full video from the OlympiaTV YouTube channel below:
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