After nearly 1,000 miles and six days, it’s highly likely that Toney Freeman and Dennis James are still separated by the slimmest of margins after Friday’s prejudging at the Europa Super Show in Dallas, Texas.
A week ago in Tampa, Freeman trailed James by two points after the morning prejudging only to storm back to a three-point win after the finals to win the Pro Bodybuilding Weekly Championships. In Dallas, their battle will undoubtedly carry over to tomorrow’s finals.
Freeman came to Dallas in much the same condition that saw him overtake James in last week’s finals. James, meanwhile, accomplished his goal over coming to Dallas fuller and harder without sacrificing any of last week’s condition. Tomorrow’s final decision should come down to this: Freeman’s shape, or James’ hardness and conditioning.
The fight for third through sixth should be just as competitive as the battle for top honors. Canada’s Fouad Abiad, a second-year pro seeking his first Olympia qualification, appears to have the inside track. Will Harris, Tarek Elsetouchi and Johnnie Jackson will also be in the mix.
202-Pound Class With most of the competitors making the trip to both Tampa and Dallas – save for eventual winner David Henry, who is sitting this one out – the likely top five in 202-Pound Class at the Europa should include most of the same names. At the top of that list, once again, are Flex Lewis and Roc Shabazz.
Both improved upon their condition from a week ago, which should make for an interesting battle at the top. Lewis, for his part, came in fuller than he did a week ago and is slightly sharper than Shabazz from the back. Shabazz is the thicker of the two, which is evident in the side shots. But a week ago the judges rewarded Lewis’ superior lines and shape over everyone in the class but Henry, so it would be hard to see them reverse that trend that weekend, which should put Lewis in the catbird’s seat heading into tomorrow’s finals.
Frederick Sauvage, George Farah and Jaroslav Horvath should round out the top five, with Sauvage the most likely to slip into the top two should Shabazz or Lewis falter tomorrow. Curtis Bryant and Brian Chamberlain as could also be in the mix for the top five.
FIGURE/FITNESS/WOMEN’S BODYBUILDING Jelena Abbou and Bernadette Galvan appear to be contending for the top spot here with Tayna Merryman and Shannon Meteraud also in the running for the top three.
In fitness, Tracey Greenwood is looking for her second win of the 2008 season. Greenwood won the sixth contest of her career last month in Houston and is the front-runner heading into tomorrow’s finals, where she will be looking for lucky No. 7.
In women’s lightweight bodybuilding, Nicole Ball and Jennifer Sedia are 1-2 after the prejudging. Ball, who won the Pro Bodybuilding Weekly Championships, is looking for her second win in the last two weeks. In the heavyweight division, Kim Perez, Annie Riveccio and Sherry Smith are contending for top honors.
