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“The Boogieman” will step back onstage in 2023.
IFBB Pro League men’s open bodybuilder Blessing Awodibu has announced his intentions to compete in the 2023 Chicago Pro contest, scheduled for the weekend of July 21-22, 2023 in Chicago, IL. Awodibu shared the news on Instagram by posting a throwback photo of his first win at the 2022 Indy Pro contest.
“We’re locked in on Chicago [right now]. 7 weeks.”
Awodibu will be making his first contest appearance of the 2023 season. He’s coming off of a breakthrough 2022 campaign that saw him score his first two wins in the Indy Pro and New York Pro on back-to-back shows. He also qualified for the 2022 Mr. Olympia contest as a result of those wins.
His last appearance onstage was at that Mr. Olympia show in Las Vegas, NV on Dec. 14-16, 2022, which was his debut in the sport’s most prestigious contest. Awodibu finished that show outside of the top 15. The champion of that show was Hadi Choopan. All competitors placed below 15th are simply marked as tied for 16th.
Away from the stage, Awodibu has developed a large international fanbase thanks to his videos, training, confidence, and charisma when he’s at shows or posting on social media.
He garnered a lot of that attention when he was promoting himself for the 2021 New York Pro at the expense of fellow rising star Nick Walker, who was also competing in that contest. Walker would win the show, while Awodibu placed sixth. After taking an extended offseason, he returned in 2022 with a bigger physique and better posing, which helped him score his two victories that season.
He was expected to compete at the 2023 Arnold Classic in Columbus, OH in early March, but Awodibu withdrew from the contest shortly after he was announced, citing a need to rest from the 2022 competitive schedule.
As of this writing, it’s unknown which other athletes will be competing in the Chicago Pro. If Awodibu doesn’t win the show, he will have to compete again if he wishes to qualify for the 2023 Olympia in Orlando, FL on the weekend of Nov. 2-5, 2023. Only show winners can qualify for the Olympia in the 2023 season. The deadline for qualifying is Oct. 9, 2023.
Featured Image: @blessing_awodibu on Instagram