Dennis James gives his critique of Chris Bumstead vs Breon Ansley at the Classic Physique Olympia 2020.
Going into the Classic Physique Olympia 2020, most fans were eyeing the rivalry between Chris Bumstead and Breon Ansley. Bumstead was the defending champion. Ansley was the former champion looking for revenge. Ultimately in a shocking moment, Ansley landed third with Bumstead earning a repeat victory. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Dennis James reacts to the results and predicts that Breon Ansley’s best future might be in the Men’s 212.
There was a lot of hype and trash talk between Breon Ansley and Chris Bumstead leading up to the Classic Physique Olympia 2020. Ansley made it very clear that he was looking to bring the best physique of his career. He believed that Bumstead had weaknesses undeserving of an Olympia champion. Ansley was ready to exploit those weaknesses by presenting an unbeatable package.
This ultimately didn’t happen. Instead, Breon Ansley not only lost to Chris Bumstead but also fell behind Terrence Ruffin for a third place finish. During our conversation with Dennis James, we asked for his critique of the physiques and the ultimate results.
Dennis James was all in for Breon Ansley to return as a champion at Olympia 2020. But even James had to admit that Chris Bumstead brought an improved package all around. His back was improved, his conditioning was on point, and he was the clear frontrunner to win.
Dennis James also points out that Breon Ansley didn’t necessarily decline in his physique quality either. In fact, James believes that Ansley brought the same maxed out physique he always does. Perhaps his best package just can’t compete with Bumstead’s best package.
In fact, Dennis James believes that Breon Ansley might have more success by moving up to the Men’s 212 division. “It’s probably harder for him to get better. So I don’t know what’s going to happen with him but I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes up to 212,” Dennis James states in our interview. He continues:
“I think so because he almost has to lose extra weight just to make weight. And if you got to lose muscle, ‘Oh I don’t want to even do that.’ And then if you can’t win, you know? Why would you lose muscle dieting and dieting and suffer? Go on to the 212 because I know he’ll do well in the 212. Keone did. So did George Peterson. So why wouldn’t he do it?”
Of course, this is all just speculation on Dennis James part. But it seems that his speculation is based somewhat on his analysis of the situation. It seems to imply perhaps that if Dennis James were in Breon Ansley’s shoes – that he would think Men’s 212 is the right tactical move.
Breon Ansley had previously stated to us, before his loss at the Olympia 2020, that he wants to stick around a while in the Classic Physique before making any moves. But he did admit that Men’s 212 was potentially in the cards. Could his recent performance change his timeline a bit? Until he confirms there’s no way of knowing.
You can watch Dennis James’ full critique of Breon Ansley and Chris Bumstead at the Olympia 2020 in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.
