by Matt Weik
If you’ve never heard of Blessing Awodibu, where have you been? This man could hands down be the funniest dude in bodybuilding. His antics, social media skits, and posts should have you laughing so hard, your sides hurt. They call him “The Boogieman” and while his appearance could be intimidating, there’s not a mean bone in this man’s body.
Blessing Awodibu turned pro back in 2017 and we’ve been waiting for him to make a splash in the IFBB for years. Well, the wait may be over and we will get to see the long-awaited physique of Blessing Awodibu on the Arnold Classic Australia stage this year and I, personally, can’t wait.
The Boogieman, Blessing Awodibu is Walking Out of the Shadows
Many bodybuilders seem to be afraid of the camera these days and don’t like sharing their true personalities through social media, Blessing Awodibu is not one of them. Social media is extremely important for both businesses and personal brands. Blessing has grasped social media and truly made a name for himself without even winning a major IFBB show to date. That’s not to say he doesn’t have a winning physique, it’s just that he hasn’t jumped in any of those shows just yet.
Outside of bodybuilding competitions, Blessing has made a huge name for himself. In fact, with his personality and marketability, he could make one heck of a living for himself. His acting ability is great and almost natural. I can absolutely see him getting into film and television and making a fantastic living from that.
Speaking of movies, all the tales of the Boogieman have this persona of a monster that lurks in the darkness and scares the hell out of those he comes in contact with. However, this particular Boogieman is walking out of the shadows to do some serious damage on an IFBB stage in 2020. And competitors should be afraid.
The 2020 Arnold Classic Australia is going to really be the first show where we get a good look at what Blessing Awodibu has been doing in the gym – outside of his craziness on social media. Which, if you’re not following him on Instagram, you need to. But with the news of Blessing Awodibu putting his name on the list of competitors heading to Australia, what are the chances he can win the show?
BIG Lineup for Arnold Classic Australia
Recently, Blessing Awodibu posted some update pictures on his Instagram account of where he is sitting around eight weeks out from the show and I’m impressed. Blessing is a big dude, but with all big bodybuilders, you wonder how he will look as he diets down for a competition. Looking at his photos, I feel that he could be a contender in Australia and shock a lot of people who may not be familiar with him.
Blessing is bringing some crazy size to the stage, but how will he look next to guys like Big Ramy, Steve Kuclo, and Josh Lenartowicz? He also has to make his way through Dexter and Victor Martinez as well who have years upon years of experience in the industry and always bring that classic look to the stage. The conditioning we see at the eight-week-out mark is pretty impressive and from the look of it, Blessing’s midsection and tiny waist could provide a more appealing look when next to someone like Ramy.
When you look to dissect Blessing’s physique, sure, you could nitpick things, but his physique is pretty solid. Is it better than say a Ramy or Dexter? That’s tough to say at this point when we’ve never seen them side-by-side. You can do all the evaluating you want from photos, but it’s a completely different ballgame when you line everyone up. However, I will say this… Dexter always brings the conditioning and no matter the show he’s in, is always a threat to win. Period. Then you have Ramy who has placed better than Dexter several times but with Ramy, you never know what version he’s brining into a show. Will he miss his mark? Will he come in too big and without conditioning? It’s a coinflip.
Do I think Blessing Awodibu can step on the 2020 Arnold Classic Australia stage and place in the top five? I don’t think it’s out of the question – and that’s saying something since the lineup is stacked.
While size will only get you so far, it’s the conditioning that worries me about Blessing. At only 28 years of age, Blessing Awodibu carries around some insane thickness. His legs are solid, upper body is thick, but can he get that grainy look to separate him from the pack?
Looking at previous content pics, Blessing can attain some great separation in his quads. His midsection looks good as do his arms. And from previous years, Blessing has definitely made some improvements.
A Realistic Placing
A personality will only get you so far, and in the sport of bodybuilding, while you can show your personality through your posing and routine, his physique needs to do all the talking. I expect to see a great routine from Blessing Awodibu along with a little bit of his humor during the group posedown.
But if you want my early prediction looking at the current list of competitors, I see Blessing Awodibu placing fifth (at best). Knowing how many of the competitors in the lineup come into shows, I can see Ramy, Dexter, Kuclo, and Lenartowicz all placing better than Blessing. That’s not to say some of them may come in “off” or that Blessing nails it, but that’s just how I see things right now.
