New Detroit Pro 2024 competition dominated by Martin Fitzwater

There's always something going on in Jim Manion's professional league. And although some of the races are very prestigious, others are more local, giving space to lesser known racers. Occasionally, however, there are events that are not so easy to pigeonhole. For example, the Detroit Pro, the first edition of which took place this weekend. Canadian bodybuilding veteran Fouad "Hoss" Abiad, among others, took the competitions under his patronage, and although there was only one category to watch, there was certainly a lot to see.

Why Detroit Pro?

Since Fouad was a very successful competitor in the open category during his days among the elite, it's probably no surprise that this category was the crux of the event. And the competitors could be motivated by above-average financial bonuses and bonuses for best posing, great preparation and so on. And of course, the winner could qualify for Olympia, where only 5 fighters had a certain participation before these competitions.

Who showed up at the competitions?

Despite the fact that the races offered a very nice financial reward and, let's face it, also a relatively easy qualification for Olympia for the winners, in the end they didn't attract who knows what kind of response among the competitors who entered. On the contrary. The starting list of the pros consisted of only 6 competitors and for some reason the show in Detroit, USA, was avoided by the competitors who had been active since the beginning of the season. However, the whole situation was saved by a successful Expo with an intimate atmosphere and a packed amateur competition. There was a healthy rivalry between the six pros who finally appeared on the stand, and this somewhat economical competition turned out well for the spectators. And now let's take a look at the whole course.

How did the competition go?

The competition itself, given the aforementioned low number of competitors, was ready in no time and it was clear from the beginning what direction it would take. In the starting field there was a pair of Martin Fitzwater and Vitaliy Ugolnikov. The Russian bodybuilder, currently living in Brazil, left nothing to chance and it was obvious that he had the upper hand in terms of volume. He posed well, came well prepared and his musculature was a joy to behold. But Martin Fitzwater didn't want to give up this unique chance to qualify for the Olympics either.

He came a bit better prepared and you could see that he even dominated in some of the poses. The fight between these two fighters, who by the way were not even thirty years old yet, had to be decided by the finals. In parallel, the fight for the third place was also taking place, with Luis Rodriguez as one of the favourites of the whole competition. Although he came with impressive muscularity, he was not at his best in terms of readiness. And Ronald Gordon was going to take advantage of that, who, given his above-average height for bodybuilders, gave the impression of a thin but well-prepared athlete. Even here, it was probably not clear. The last pair was Gabriel Gariepy and Harry Harris, who were visibly lagging behind the other competitors.

The final ranking had to be decided in the end. And even though it was preceded by only a few hours break, at times it felt like a completely different competition. Martin Fitzwater seemed suddenly even better prepared and came with sharp and full muscles, which Vitaliy's form made it hard to catch. It was so clear that the American pro was on his way to his first professional win of his career. Similarly, in the fight for third place, it looked like Ronald Gordon's aesthetic physique combined with his great posing would be given the edge over Luis Rodriguez's massiveness.

So the final standings were as follows:

• Martin Fitzwater
• Vitaliy Ugolnikov
• Ronald Gordon
• Luis Rodriguez
• Gabriel Gariepy
• Harry Harris

And not to make anyone feel sorry, Vitaliy at least took the prize for the most powerful competitor and the prize for the best preparedness went to the bronze medalist Ronald Gordon. And thanks to the $2,500 prize money associated with each of these awards, racers will be able to cover at least some of the costs of participating in these events.