This upcoming Mr. Olympia will definitely be a highly contested event. Not only do you have reigning champ Phil Heath going for his sixth straight Sandow but IFBB Hall of Fame pro Kevin Levrone is making a comeback at the age of 52 after being away from the stage for some 13 years. And of course, we can not forget about the ageless one, Dexter Jackson, who at age 47 and the #2 bodybuilder in the world, is aiming to dethrone Heath and nab his second Mr. Olympia title. With so many exceptional champions looking to work their way to the #1 spot, this year's "Super Bowl of bodybuilding" will be one for the books!
With Kevin Levrone and Dexter Jackson being the "elders" of the Mr. O contest, there are two youngsters that are secretly battling one another as they rise to the top. Kentucky's Justin Compton (age 28) and Tennessee's Dallas McCarver (age 25) are both three-time and two-time pro champions and each young man has a physique that makes him a formidable challenger in any contest he enters. On paper Justin and Dallas stack up evenly and a good ol' fashioned coin toss could decide which one finishes ahead of the other.
Let's dissect a few stats to give you an idea of how closely these two relate. Justin Compton earned his professional status by winning overall honors at the 2012 NPC National Championships. He stands 5'-9" and weighs about 260 lbs. Since turning pro, he has won three professional contests, including the 2016 Golden State Pro and 2016 Arnold Classic Asia. It should be noted that even though Compton has never competed at the Mr. Olympia, he has competed twice at the original Arnold Classic (held in Columbus, Ohio) in 2015 and 2016 and placed 3rd and 4th respectively. Justin's strengths are his muscularity, symmetry, and conditioning. Like reigning Mr. O Phil Heath, Justin has cartoonish muscle bellies that just flare and pop out from every angle giving him the illusion of looking much larger than he actually is. From neck to ankle and front to back, the guy is put together very well and he has done it the right way, adding about five pounds of evenly distributed muscle each year since turning professional some four years ago.
Now,
Dallas McCarver is about 6' tall and weighs around 275 lbs. At the ripe age of 21, his professional status was granted to him after nabbing the overall title at the
2012 IFBB North Americans Championships. After three years in the trenches, McCarver made his pro debut at the
2015 California State Championships and won! His rookie appearance at the Mr. Olympia saw him land in 13th place-ten places from dead last, so it was a respectable showing. Returning to the stage about five pounds heavier than his
2015 Mr. O showing, Dallas stormed into the 2016
Wings of Strength Chicago Pro and grabbed his second professional title securing his Mr. Olympia spot. While McCarver is a big boy, there is honestly nothing really "jaw-dropping" about his physique. Outside of having a pair of enormous calves, his overall potential will take a few more years to be realized. Does he have the size? Yes! Does he have the shape? Yes! Does he have the conditioning? Yes! Does he have the muscle maturity? No! It is this lack of muscle maturity that will keep the young McCarver out of the top-10 of the Mr. O for at least the next year. However, with youth on his side, he will definitely hit his stride within the next five years; then everyone should be watching their backs because this kid is going to be rolling up heavy and fast with plenty of steam under his feet.
When the dust settles this Saturday night at the
Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, let's see where the young Justin Compton and younger Dallas McCarver will end up! In the words of
Kai Greene, "It will be a great event...".
(Photos below are from Justin's win at the 2016 Golden State Pro and Dallas' win at the 2016 Wings of Strength Chicago Pro.)
Justin Compton
Dallas McCarver
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