Page 191 - Muscle & Fitness (December 2019)
P. 191
newest heroine—“Fearless Girl.”
It was a fitting welcome to
the city for the champion, who
is looking pretty bullish as he
preps for his Olympia open
division debut in a loaded field of
prominent contenders.
“No disrespect to anybody, but
in the seven years I’ve been the
titleholder, there’s been several
athletes that have come to take
me out,” Lewis says. “There’s
somebody who’s being praised
each year as the man to beat
me, the first year, second, third,
fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh.
There’s always been an athlete
who was going to take my title.
It never happened—those are
just facts. When you’ve had the
title for so long, fans like to see
a change. That’s one of the rea-
sons why I reinvented myself.”
SAFE TRAVELS
While riding uptown en route
to lunch, Lewis discussed the
trials and tribulations of Hadi
Choopan, the Iranian bodybuilder
who, after battling visa issues
for years, was finally approved
two weeks prior to the Olympia.
Lewis admitted to lending his
support to Choopan’s effort to
make it to the Olympia—even
penning a letter on his behalf.
“It’s a horrible situation to be in.
STOCK RISING Again, [Choopan] was caught in
Lewis began his day on Wall the crosshairs, and I tried to be
Street, touring the trading as supportive as I could over the
floor of the New York Stock last couple of years.”
Exchange. Over the course of Lewis had initially hoped
an hour, it was common to see Choopan would’ve chosen to
traders stare at the seven-time compete in 212. “It would have
212 Olympia winner, who often made a great story, seeing him
stopped for selfies and even come out and possibly winning
removed his shirt on occasion 212,” he says. “Then he and I
before appearances on several could’ve faced each other in the
national financial shows. 2020 open, which would’ve been
From there, tourists got a another great story.” But after
jaw-dropping peek at the Welsh witnessing Choopan’s physique
Dragon as he stood next to Wall up close and personal, Lewis
Street’s Charging Bull. Then he knew the Persian Wolf had made
paid his respects to the city’s the right decision to join the open.
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