Having narrowly missed out on Mr. Olympia gold against Jay Cutler in 2009, Branch Warren understands what it takes to stand out at the highest level. In a recent interview with Ron Harris, Warren revealed that Derek Lunsford and Hadi Choopan could face challenges at the 2024 Mr. Olympia if a taller athlete achieves peak conditioning.
Warren hasn’t been the first person to suggest that a bigger athlete could take out Lunsford. Bodybuilding great Shawn Ray mentioned that if Samson Dauda can push through with a new level of conditioning, he could be the next Mr. Olympia.
Other Pro bodybuilders who boast impressive stature and size have been backed to win the Sandow trophy too, such as Andrew Jacked and Quinton Eriya. In the past, Jay Cutler labeled both men as future Mr. Olympia champions. Sharing a similar sentiment, Warren opened up on why size could ultimately dictate who becomes the number one bodybuilder in the world this October.
Branch Warren Says Derek Lunsford’s/Hadi Choopan’s ‘Problem’ is Size: ‘A Big Guy Always Beats a Good Small Guy’
Warren, who fell short of Cutler due to size, believes that a ‘big guy always beats a good small guy.’
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“There are some guys out there that I think have the potential to be like that [a long-standing Mr. Olympia champion] but they are missing a part of the puzzle, one piece, or this or that.
The problem with Derek and Hadi is the size. They are short, right? So you take a guy like Samson, he comes in peeled… a big guy always beats a good small guy.”
Although the depth of the Open class was once shallow, Warren said that’s no longer the case.
“Jay beat me. I was harder than him but he was bigger. That’s bodybuilding guys. So, that’s a problem they are going to have is when one of these bigger guys brings it, they are going to have a hard time.
I think there’s a lot of young guys up and coming, we had a few years there where the depth was pretty shallow,” shares Branch Warren.
Besides the current crop of Open contenders competing for supremacy, Warren pointed out that the division might soon witness an influx of Classic Physique talent.
“Now we’re starting to get some depth in the Open class and I wouldn’t be surprised to if we don’t see some of these Classic guys move up. Take somebody like Urs. I saw him at the New York Pro, he was 238 pounds or something, looking just as hard as he did at 212 or whatever he competed. He says ‘You think I could do Open?’ I said, ‘You already are.'”
“I think you may see some of those guys step up too. Those guys have–structurally, they are great. Will it happen? Yeah, somebody will come along that’s going to be super dominant.”
Reigning Mr. Olympia Derek Lunsford has also given his thoughts on taller bodybuilders versus those with shorter statures. Although height plays a role in how a physique appears, Lunsford stressed that it’s a bodybuilding competition.
“This is a bodybuilding show and look I don’t want to say it is a tall versus short competition. It is a bodybuilding competition and the most complete guy, the guy that comes out and wows the crowd, wows that judges, and brings something special to the stage, that’s Mr. Olympia to me.”
With tall competitors like Andrew Jacked and Samson Dauda aiming to move up on the 2024 Olympia stage, time will tell if Warren’s premonition comes to fruition. Don’t miss the show’s 60th anniversary on October 10-13 later this year.
RELATED: Branch Warren Names His Fav Bodybuilders, Reflects on Training: “I Wouldn’t Change Nothing”
Watch the full video from the Ron Harris Muscle YouTube channel:
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