Nick Walker talks about Labrada, Krizo, Awodibu, Big Ramy and more.
Nick Walker has just finished traveling around Canada, with his main sponsor, HD Muscle.
Walker is 100% focused on winning the 2023 Mr. Olympia title, as he will be one of Hadi Choopan’s biggest threats, this November.
During the tour, Nick talked about the sport of bodybuilding in general, and he did not hold back when he spoke about a number of his fellow competitors.
Even though Walker criticized some of his fellow competitors, at the same time, he emphasized that they are all great friends, and criticism is part of the sport.
When speaking about the 2023 Mr. Olympia, Walker is confident that the battle for the top prize will be between himself, Hadi Choopan, Derek Lunsford, Samson Dauda and finally Hunter Labrada.
Nick believes that Hunter Labrada is showing great progress, and he believes that he will qualify for the 2023 Mr. Olympia, and return to the top five.
The subject turned to the back development of Samson Dauda and Hunter Labrada. Nick believes that Hunter has a slight edge, over Samson, in regards to back development.
Nick went on to say that “Samson is flat as a board,” when asked about his back development. At the same time, Nick admitted that Samson is very dangerous when he performs all the poses from the front.
When asked if Andrew Jacked can place in the top five, Nick quickly squashed that comment, and predicts that Andrew will place between sixth and eighth at the Mr. Olympia.
Nick Walker is not a fan of Michal Krizo, and regardless of how big and impressive he is, Nick still believes that the best Michal can do is tenth at the 2023 Mr. Olympia.
The subject then turned to who would win the 2023 Mr. Olympia, with Nick predicting that the battle will be between him and Derek Lunsford.
Nick said that “Hadi Choopan is a one hit wonder”, believing that he will lose the title this year.
Walker does not feel that Hadi Choopan has the dominance of 7X Mr. Olympia Phil Heath, or 8X winner Ronnie Coleman.
A bold statement from Nick was that even if he wins the Mr. Olympia title, it might be his first and last, due to the fierce competition of the younger athletes.
When asked about who he believes is the best up-and-coming pro bodybuilder, without any hesitation, Nick picked Justin Shier. Justin is just weeks away from making his pro debut at the 2023 Chicago Pro. Justin might not be the biggest bodybuilder, but he can move ahead with his great condition and balance.
Keeping on the subject of the 2023 Chicago Pro, when Blessing Awodibu was mentioned, Nick smirked and said that Justin should have no problem defeating him. Nick suggested that Blessing still has to work on his leg development.
Nick also revealed that Blessing never asks for help. Nick said that he and some of his friends, tried to help Blessing in regards to contest prep and training, but he refused to listen. Nick then said that is one of the reasons Blessing Awodibu is always in the third callout.
Moving to another subject, Nick gave his honest opinion about the new format of the Olympia Press Conference.
Nick was quick to say that he does not like it, and that it should go back to the old format, with all the competitors having the opportunity to talk smack, and just have a good time.
Nick suggested that instead of the Olympia instigating the conversations, they should let the athletes take control.
The conversation then turned to 212 bodybuilding, with Nick Walker predicting that Shaun Clarida will defend his title. Nick believes only Keone Pearson can challenge Shaun for the title. The only problem that Keone has is arriving at the big event in his best condition.
Regan Grimes was the next bodybuilder to be discussed. With a smile on his face, Nick said that Regan should stick to social media, rather than being a professional bodybuilder.
But on a serious note, Nick believes that Regan does not have the right mindset to compete at the highest level, such as the Mr. Olympia.
Finally, the subject turned to Big Ramy, with Nick Walker saying that even though Ramy has the greatest character, and is a great friend, he believes that Ramy needs to take some time off.
Nick went on to say that even though Big Ramy is one of the older athletes, he still has time to come back and win some more titles.
Interview starts at 13:32
