Nick Walker previews the 2024 Arnold Classic while making comments on Hadi Choopan’s production.
Nick Walker might not be competing in Columbus come March but he will have eyes on the competition. The former Arnold Classic champion shared his predictions for the 2024 version of the show while breaking down some of the competition.
Walker has been working his way back from a hamstring injury that kept him off the 2023 Olympia stage. He shared previously that he would not compete in the Arnold to continue to rehab his injury and eventually qualify for the Olympia in 2024.
During a recent interview, Walker shared his top three for the Arnold Classic and it included some familiar faces with one newcomer.
“My top three is going to be Hadi, Samson, and Chris’ guy [Rubiel Mosquera].”
Walker continued on to comment on each of his selections.
Nick Walker Speaks On Top 3 Prediction In Arnold Classic
Hadi Choopan finished as the runner-up during the Olympia after winning the show in 2022. Following the loss, he will return to the stage quickly during the Arnold Classic.
Nick Walker picked Choopan as the winner but believes that Samson Dauda could make a run for his second consecutive title.
“I don’t think anyone is unbeatable on any given day. The thing with Hadi, and I’m probably going to get attacked for this now. I feel like the past two years, Hadi has not progressed. I don’t feel like he improved much from last year.”
View this post on Instagram
Dauda defeated Walker during the 2023 Arnold Classic and jumped into the top three at the Olympia. Despite finishing behind Choopan on the biggest stage, there is belief that Dauda could jump him in March.
“I feel Samson’s conditioning, his is improving show to show. So whatever Milos has him doing, I would obviously continue that and I think Samson would have a shot at winning.
If Hadi can come in with Hadi’s signature conditioning, then no. I think Hadi will continue to stay on top. If he looks remotely the same as the Olympia and Samson has better conditioning than he did at the Olympia, which he already did at the Prague show and gets better and better from here on out, I think he will overtake Hadi.”
The final competitor in Walker’s top three is Rubiel Mosquera, known as Neckzilla.
Mosquera earned his pro card in Prague and competed the next day against some of the best in the world, including Dauda. He finished third in the show and opened eyes with his potential.
“The kid is new. The kid is freaky…I know Chris is very smart with training. I know Chris is very smart with posing and when the kid finally starts to dial in that training, like with me, he’s going to change very fast and very quickly.
I told Chris, all he needs is deep separation in those quads, improve his back a little bit, especially from ihefront, have that more lat illusion.”
View this post on Instagram
Finally, Walker advised Neckzilla to put neck training on hold and focus elsewhere.
“Stop training his neck. He doesn’t need it. Honestly, just keep improving the condition. The kid will be phenomenal. The kid is as freaky as it is. He doesn’t need anymore freakiness per se. He just now needs to get better.”
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
