May 19, 2001 | New York City | Promoter: Wayne DeMilia

I have been judging as an IFBB pro for three years now. I have decided to give my input as a judge of the various shows I’m judging. May 19th 2001 was the IFBB Night of the Champions in New York City. This is one of the important pro shows for new comers and those trying to qualify for the Mr. Olympia. I competed in the Night of the Champions as my first pro début and got second place. This show made an impact for me as a pro. Coming from being an amateur, it established me as a top pro.

The 2001 IFBB Night of the Champions went down in quality. There were no top Olympia competitors in this show, but still some good pros that have potential. The first place competitor was Orville Burke. He has been around for quite some time and hearing that he was thirty-nine really impressed me. Considering that I’m two years younger and not competing anymore, I give the guy a lot of credit.

Dexter Jackson came in second. Dexter is not as big as the other top competitors, but he is impressive because he is dense, sharp, and is always in shape. His torso is a bit long, but I think he makes a great pro.

I did not think Tom Prince stood out in the first round. This round is the relaxed quarter-turns where symmetry is evaluated. It may have been because of his stance or not keeping his stomach in. The second round is the mandatory round, with compulsory poses. Muscularity is evaluated in this round. This is where Tom came out shining. He started looking better and better. By the time the second round was done, Tom moved into third place. The guy’s hamstrings are freaky!

Fourth place went to Pavol Jablonicky. This guy has been competing since I was competing. He definitely has longevity! He seemed not as dense like he usually is. Especially in the leg department. He also needs more width compared to the other top guys. I still give him credit because he looked that good.

Fifth place went to Mike Matarazzo. I’ve seen him better in other shows. He seemed a little soft but still very good.

Sixth place went to Tommi Thorvildsen. This guy was very thick. He even had striated glutes. I was quite impressed with him. He is a bit blocky, but I feel he can make a good pro with improvement.

The disappointment of the show was Greg Kovacs. I definitely thought he would be the biggest, but he did not even seem together. He did drop out of the show later. He possibly could have been sick.

Victor Martinez has potential if he can gain another 20 lbs of muscle.