by Christian Duque
There’s something to be said about a repeat champion. Tonio has won this title before and we all knew that he would win it again in 2025. This was his proverbial line in the sand. He marked his territory and he defended it with tremendous energy and vigor. What I like about repeat champions is how much respect they show for the contest. Reno may not be the first place you think about when looking at doing a bodybuilding show, but I believe that Burton really has helped put it on the map. By returning to its stage to get his Olympia qualification, he has helped it raise the bar. And raising the bar is something the promoters have nailed. They had six pro divisions competing, a full amateur show, AND they also had what has become a quickly growing expo.
That really says a lot about a competition when vendors scramble to buy booths. It means they’re selling products. It means that they’re selling tickets to the expo. It also means that they can get a pretty good sense of how their products are received by the supplement-buying public. A lot of times supplement companies will go to an expo without any intention of making a profit. In fact they may have set aside money specifically for losses. Going to a massive expo and handing out thousands of samples might be a great way to write off some ad money. It’s well worth it when you think about it. It gets a one or two serving sample of a pre-workout powder, a protein powder, or maybe an N.O. booster into the hands of somebody that would normally not buy the product; they may not even know if the company exists. What better way to “lose” money than to earn new customers? Those are the kinds of losses that make sense. And it’s not just me saying so, but the proof’s in the pudding. A great way to measure an expo’s success is whether or not it boasts of repeat-vendors. And the Reno Sports Fest most definitely does. Once an expo is viewed as being cutting-edge, now you have the big boy supplement companies signing up for years in advance. They want to ensure they get the best bang for their buck. They want to be featured prominently and they want to be seen. Because you can easily fade into the background at some of the giant expos (e.g. Olympia, ASC, FIBO). It makes a lot of sense from a business standpoint to corner the market at shows such as this.
So with regard to the placings, there’s a lot to say. I’m not going to talk about all the guys who competed. I’d like to weigh in on placings 6th – 10th, but not only would that make this article five or six pages long, I want to focus on the Top 6 because those are the guys that are being looked at more closely by the judges and those are the guys who will more than likely be seen and heard of again in 2025.
Now one clear plus about smaller shows is that there’s less politics. At least, one would think so. I don’t know that politics didn’t play any role in this contest, but let’s just say the Olympia qualification went to the right person – TONIO BURTON. The other placings don’t really matter as much, but I’m still going to weigh in – on principle. I think placings are important because it’s the only surefire way to gauge what the judges are looking for. There’s judge’s feedback and then there’s placings. All athletes – the winner included – should get that feedback. That said, the win is the most important feature of the show. Even the most glowing judges’ remarks won’t amount to getting you a spot at the Superbowl of Bodybuilding.
At 6th place we have Blessing Awodibu. The fact Blessing was doing the show was news to me. He’s been out of the mix for quite some time and I can’t say that I actively follow the Irish bodybuilder on a real basis. To me, he’s very entertaining and I enjoy seeing him in commercials and ad campaigns, but that’s about it. He briefly had a rivalry with Nick Walker and as much as I dislike Nick for his two-facedness and utter immaturity, The Mutant destroys Awodibu. It’s one of those rivalries that was made for tv, meaning that nobody took it seriously. It’s primary purpose was to sell tickets, get clicks, but no one (at least not yours truly) ever thought that these guys were on the same level. That said, Blessing is entertaining and personable. He landed a good contract with Muscletech and was able to bring a decent physique to the stage. That’s past tense. For the 2025 Legion it looked like he was holding a ton of water, his lower body was lagging, and just looked off, overall. If this was his “comeback,” he should have stayed away. Don’t call a contest a comeback, when you clearly haven’t done the work. Sorry, not sorry.
In 5th place was Kennedy Anyanwu. Ken looked very good. The North American champion brought in great condition and has a really good stage presence. I enjoy how he poses and I like that he’s not easily dwarfed. Again, this is open bodybuilding. I think he clearly bested Blessing. I would have liked to have seen him as high as 4th, but I can live with 5th. It’s a good spot for this up and comer and with only being pro a couple of years, I think he’s going to do some serious climbing up the competitive ladder in the next 1-2 years. I could see Ken winning a show like Reno in 2026.
In 4th place was Florian Poirson. Florian has a massive French-based following and he’s got a very distinctive grainy look that many fans like. I think he’s got potential. Some argue his back needs work. I don’t know that I’d agree. I think he’s got a pretty decent structure as-is and I think he did a good job presenting the muscle. I don’t think he did enough to place ahead of Ken, but again, these placings don’t amount to an Olympia qualification so I don’t really want to split too many hairs. Florian took 4th, maybe should have been 5th, but que sera sera.
At 3rd place was Bruno Santos of Brazil. While Florian has a massive following in France, Bruno’s following in Brazil is almost like a religious experience. He gets mobbed wherever he goes there. Fans want autographs, selfies, and/or they want high-fives. The fact is, the guy is a workhorse. He’s a pro bodybuilder, a coach, a nutritionist. He lives and breathes this. And he’s just a really solid competitor. For Reno, Santos struck the perfect balance of size and condition. He came in big, but he also came in hard. He had good separation and he didn’t fade throughout the prejudging or finals. I really like Santos’ structure as well. Some argue he needs more wheels, but I’d disagree. His only real problem is that he’s an international athlete. Is that bad? Well, it’s not as good as being from the good ole USA. And being an international athlete is why I think Bruno took 3rd and not 2nd. Was he robbed? Well, let’s put it this way: the judges didn’t do him any favors. Bruno also competed at last year’s Mr O, taking 13th. So if the judges didn’t do him any favors, who did they help?
In 2nd place was Patrick Moore from THE USA… Patrick took a pitiful 10th place last weekend at the Cali Pro, competing against many guys he beat in Reno. How much can a guy improve in a week? I don’t think much, but ole Patrick told Nick Miller of Nick’s Strength And Power (the most popular YouTuber) on a phone call that he did “32 sessions in the gym” during this mythical week. He told Miller he lost 15lbs through hard work … and was able to bring this dramatically tighter look to Reno. I don’t buy 32 sessions any more than I buy that a guy can lose 15 lbs through hard work. However he lost the weight, he did look tighter, but he certainly was not pushing the winner and I don’t think he had any business beating Bruno Santos, either. In any event, Patrick gets the silver, and promises the fans he will be back. Will Moore qualify for the O? Who cares? I know I don’t. Again, sorry not sorry.
At 1st place was Tonio Burton of the USA. This guy deserved the win all day!! Burton brought winning condition coupled with winning size. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Tonio didn’t rest on his laurels. He could have come to this contest, with this lineup, and easily won at 90%. Why didn’t he? He didn’t because he has history with the contest and he respects the title. I wish more guys were like this. In reality, a pro should always strive to bring 100% to whatever show he/she competes in. There used to be a lot more honor when it came to that mentality. Nowadays, some competitors opt to do the bare minimum to win. They don’t realize that this may be the one and only time the fans see them. They also don’t know what it is to really love your craft and do right by your legacy. Tonio didn’t just win the show, he bested the competition in pose after pose. His proportions were perfect! His win wasn’t a mere better placing than the rest.. Tonio dominated the 2025 Reno Sports Fest and he qualified in top form. Again, it’s not just about winning. It’s WHERE you win and HOW you win. Kudos to the champ!
Overall, this was a great contest. Were politics involved with Patrick? I don’t know for sure, but it seems fishy to me. What really matters is that the right guy won and the right guy will be going to the 2025 Mr Olympia. What say you? Do you agree with the placings? As always, thank you for reading my article, here, at IronMag. I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments. Please be sure to copy and paste a link to this article on all your social media feeds. It will definitely generate some lively conversations!