It isn’t very common for someone as young as 11 to become interested in weight training. As a matter of fact, most kids that age are still getting their feet wet with team sports such as baseball and football. But for William Neco, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

In the old days, the sport of bodybuilding was known as ‘physical culture’ and was represented by strong men such as The Mighty Atom. Now at 49, Neco marvels at the long list of champions he has had the pleasure of meeting, and that of course includes the aforementioned, whose given name was Joseph Greenstein. The 5’4″, 140-pound Atom was able to perform feats of strength that men twice his size could only imagine doing. This was the type of role model that Neco has used to enjoy what has become a lifelong dedication to fitness.

“I started out with a 110-pound weight set,” the Brooklyn native said, “and by the age of 13, I won my first competition – going against grown men.”

Neco weighed a mere 145 pounds “soaking wet” when he took home the first place trophy at an open powerlifting event held in Bensonhurst. He competed in powerlifting for four more years before an injured knee put him on the shelf. The year was 1981 and Neco found himself rehabbing the injury at the famous Ritchie’s Gym in Sunset Park.

“Bodybuilding became my new passion but because I had little knowledge of the sport, I grew discouraged after about two years,” said Neco, who eventually gave up the long hours at the gym. By 1998, he gained weight and suffered a herniated disc through an unfortunate accident when a 30-pound piece of a roof fell 13 floors onto him.

Where lesser men would stayed on the sideline, Neco decided to return to the site of his previous accomplishments and was once again a member at Ritchie’s. He needed to deal with the pain and discomfort in his back and find exercises that would not aggravate the injury any further, while also strengthening his core.

That was 13 years ago and Neco can still be found at his favorite gym. “Ritchie’s has always been my inspiration” he said with a smile, but said that he also trains at Spartan Gym. He has had success on the stage, winning Muscle Mania on three separate occasions and Mr. New York, but is still hoping to earn his pro card. “It’s my ultimate goal,” Neco concluded.

After persevering through so much, who would doubt him?

‘This is Your Magazine’ is merely one of the reasons why MuscleSport Mag is far and wide better than any other publication out there. What other media outlet features the up and coming athlete, the same as if he or she was a professional in their industry? This is the place to get your face and story out there, and who knows what opportunities may arise from that type of exposure?

Last September, Greene had a bloated midsection and fell out of the top six. He then decided to not defend his Arnold title and use the New York Pro as a warm up for the Olympia. When asked by emcee Bob Cicherillo if he can in fact unseat Jay Cutler in Las Vegas, Greene was coy and joked with an ambiguous answer. “I’d like to thank my entire team,” he said with a laugh and a smile. But come September, this will be anything but funny.

Cutler has won four of the last five Olympias and will be a tough out. Phil Heath was a close second to Greene at the 2010 Arnold and gave his buddy Cutler a run for his money six months later. ‘The Gift’ is not going anywhere and has had a full year – like Cutler – to prepare for the O. Branch Warren won the Arnold and has finished in the top three two years in a row in Vegas.

What all of that means is that Greene will need to be in his best shape just to break into the top three. Sure, he can accomplish that but may need to wait until Cutler hangs up the posing trunks before adding a Sandow to his trophy case.

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Greene stated in the report that due to competing at least three times every year since 2006, his body needed a rest for him to be in top condition once the 2011 Mr. Olympia arrives. He will in fact compete before September to qualify for the O, so bodybuilding fans will get to see what Greene looks like after a decent break.

Considering that he seems to peak once a year, going all out for the Sandow may seem like a good strategy on the outside. If Greene can harness his conditioning in the Fall instead of earlier in the calendar year, then this seems like a smart strategic move. But if he puts all his eggs in one basket and fails to make at least the top three, then the critics will have a field day.

Greene has taken a lot of criticism since finishing seventh in the 2010 Mr. Olympia. He was probably lucky to have placed as high as he did and could have easily fell out of the top 10. His abdominal area was far from sharp and was definitely one of his weaker points and Greene needs to concentrate on improving that if he hopes to have any shot at unseating Jay Cutler.

It will be a much different Arnold without Greene and Phil Heath, last year’s runner-up who previously announced that he was taking the show off. That opens the door for someone like Dennis Wolf or Branch Warren, or even a wild card such as Evan Centopani.

Known in boxing circles simply as “Super Judah,” the 32-year old Brooklyn native has given a whole new meaning to the word “Super” in recent weeks. “I’ve been running Mt. Charleston every other day since I heard that Matthysse is coming to fight me on HBO in front of my hometown crowd,” Judah enthused. “I am so excited about this fight. I have never been in better shape in my life. I could fight this kid right now!”

Formally named Charleston Peak and located 35 miles west of Las Vegas, Mt. Charleston reaches 11,918 feet (3,615 meters) at its highest elevation. An average of 20 to 30 degrees cooler than Las Vegas, the mountain is a popular year round destination for hiking, skiing, picnicking and horse-back riding.

Guided by his father, Yoel Judah and former Light Heavyweight Kingpin Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, Judah has taken advantage of the resort’s solitude and challenging runs as he prepares to take on his young South American challenger. According to Zab’s partner in Super Judah Promotions, Bill Halkias, “Zab isn’t taking any shortcuts. He is taking his training very seriously and never complains. As a matter of fact, I think he really likes pushing himself to new limits. He likes going through the pain because he knows it will pay off in the ring. After 10 to 12 rounds of sparring, followed by his daily gym workout, his breathing is very calm and he is not tired.”

Matthysse has followed in the footsteps of his fellow countrymen and savage punchers, Luis Firpo and Carlos Monzon, to become a major star in his native Argentina. His tremendous knock out power has earned him 27 of his 28 wins by KO. Matthysse has only once heard the bell ring to signal the start of the fifth round, as he scored all of his 27 KO’s inside of four.

“I have all respect for him because he is coming here on my home turf to fight me,” Judah said. “But he is stepping up to the big time now.”

Tickets for the 12 round NABO Championship bout, promoted by Main Events, Super Judah and Golden Boy, are on sale now. The winner of the bout also will be designated the #2 contender in the IBF Junior Welterweight ratings.

Priced at $253, $103, $78 and $53, tickets may be purchased at the Prudential Center Box Office, through Ticketmaster, or by logging on to www.prucenter.com.

Source: Main Events

For media information please contact:
Ellen Haley, Main Events, ehaley@mainevents.com
Anne Sciaino, Prudential Center, ASciaino@prucenter.com
Monica Sears, Golden Boy Promotions, monica@goldenboypromotions.com
Kevin Flaherty, HBO Sports, kevin.flaherty@hbo.com

Kai Greene came into the show as the defending champion and favorite, but was actually trailing Phil Heath, 10-7. Both men looked good enough to win, but Heath’s conditioning appeared to be a little sharper than Greene’s.

As the day turned into night, the winner hung in the balance. There were four men who had a legitimate shot, including Dexter Jackson (16) and Branch Warren (19) also close enough to have something to say. When the six names were announced after the posing routines for all 13 participants concluded, Toney Freeman and Ronny Rockel were also added to the mix.

Since the IFBB no longer counts the posing round towards the final scores, the judges may have made up their minds following the pose down. Rockel and Freeman finished sixth and fifth, respectively, and a case could be made that they could have been flip-flopped. The first surprise of the night came when Jackson – in a very important show for him – dropped out of the top three.

No argument here, but the fans in attendance let out a collective “oh” when The Blade’s name was called. Then they booed when Warren was next, but this was the proper placing for him. A huge fan favorite, the Texas resident came in looking awesome (particularly his legs) but not better than the two who remained on stage.

As Heath’s name was announced by emcee Lonnie Tepper, the audience (or at least a good portion of it) made their feelings known that they disagreed with the decision. That lasted for a short period of time and they gave Greene his due. The Brooklyn native became the fourth to win consecutive Arnold Classics, adding his name to a prestigious list that includes Flex Wheeler (1997, 1998), Jay Cutler (2002-2004) and Jackson (2005, 2006).

The obvious fan favorite was Connecticut’s P.J. Braun, who brings a mixture of confidence and insanity to the stage. He definitely had his guns loaded and won the heavyweight class. Lithuanian Audrius Jegelevicius, who won the NPC Metropolitan overall in this very same building in April, was named the super heavyweight winner.

A good showing was also made by Paul Sousa, who won the Masters 35+ Heavyweight and Masters Overall. He finished as the runner-up to Braun in the open heavyweight category.

Perhaps the most impressive of all the competitors was Nick Medici, who was named the champion in the Teen B, Teen Overall, Novice Light Heavyweight and Novice Overall divisions. This young man definitely has a future and it would not be a surprise to see him gracing the pages of the muscle magazines very shortly. Definitely the earner of a future pro card.

In women’s bodybuilding, Andrea Giacomi won the overall over Myra Adams and Maria Rita Penteado.Ava Cowan won the overall figure while Sue Dent took the fitness and Monica Eiler the bikini.

Kai Greene, the 2009 Arnold Classic winner, really blew things up with an excellent guest posing appearance. The Brooklyn native possessed an incredible set of wheels and a lat spread that could gather frequent flier miles.