Sitting down with the hosts of the Menace Podcast, Derek Lunsford received much-needed support from Dennis James, who stated that Derek is mature enough to ignore the loud criticism because, at the end of the day, all the titles sit firmly in his trophy cabinet.

James further compared his position to Phil Heath, who, despite winning back-to-back Mr. Olympia titles, had to endure a ton of criticism from the community.

"Ask Phil Heath how much s*** he had to go through. Every year, year after year, when he lost, people started, because this is how it is: when somebody wins a couple of times, people just can't wait to see him lose," said Dennis.

He added, “I don't know why this is in our nature. This is just human beings; they just want to see someone else beat that person and be on top. It's just normal, and you have to have a thick skin. You have got to have a thick skin.”

Phil Heath drew criticism for several reasons: his “bubble gut,” high-profile losses, and, most notably, his confidence and dominant stage posture, which cast him as a villain in the eyes of fans who saw Kai Greene as the true hero in the arc of their rivalry.

The same can be said for Derek Lunsford, but for a very different reason. Regardless, Dennis James isn’t the only one who extended a hand of support to Derek.

Lee Hany Calls Derek Lunsford's Criticism “Unfair”

While bodybuilding legends Lee Priest and Shawn Ray suggested that Hadi Choopan could have won the battle, 8x Mr. Olympia Lee Haney backed Derek Lunsford, stating he deserved the win. In a social media post, Haney also called out the backlash, adding that people were “dragging Derek through the mud.”

"I feel it's unfair that Derek is being crucified for winning this year's Mr. Olympia. Whether we agree with his physique or not, Derek didn't judge the show. The call was made solely by the judges. So why should he be dragged through the mud?” said Haney.

Haney expressed that bodybuilding is a sport rooted in brotherhood, and having the community call out Derek Lunsford for something he has no control over is quite unfortunate.

Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Joyita Das