Greg Deferro. Remember him?

[Figo]

When I sat through my first personal training class Greg was there.  It was back in 1991 I think?  I had no idea who he was, but he did have some big arms.  He sat there eating hard boiled eggs that stunk up the entire room on break.  He looked really old for a guy of his age at that time.  My friend who was also in the class told me who he was.  He wasn't very friendly at all.
A couple of years later he came over to the Cherry Hill Golds Gym in which I was the night time head trainer at the time and started prepping for the Master's O.  He had a gym at one point in which he sold discounted paid in full memberships right up until the night before the bank and landlord locked his front doors.  He took quite a few folks money and is real lucky he didn't get his ass beat.  Another friend worked the front desk at Greg's gym and went weeks without getting paid.  He got wind of what was about to happen and had "blue light" special on anything that he could carry out of the joint.
His training was kind of sloppy as far as technique and form goes.  He did look like Rocky a little in person.  More so in his younger days from certain angles.  Later he reminded more of a juiced up Mel the cook from the 70's sitcom Alice.  He had a side-kick that trained with him that was really a nice, but really lost guy.  He had zero genetics and his training was even worse than Greg's, plus he was already old and still hadn't competed in anything yet.  Greg milked him for all kinds of drugs and keep promising him that after he won the Master's O. that he would get him all set up with Uncle Joe Weider.  Well, that never happened and the guy was heart broken and just gave the hell up and we never saw him again.
My workout partner at the time and I went to the 94 Mr. O and Master's O.  We had a great time but wandered what happened to Greg as we also attended the pre-judging?  They never really said, but they did let him guest pose that night.  He didn't look very good at all.  Especially with the likes of Robby and Lou.  Well, a week later back at the Golds Gym in Cherry Hill, NJ things got really strange.  Greg was telling everyone that he placed 3rd right behind big Lou.  Me and my buddy couldn't stop laughing.  What an ass.
My friend then bought the gym and had to throw the loser out as he was violating a restraining order from his soon to be ex-wife, which was a state trooper.  I remember showing him the door........

hectic stuff. thank-you for sharing.

unfortunately, sounds just like many of the other guys in the industry

milk the wife, squeeze their "friends", take peoples cash, lie...

[Figo]

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[hazbin]

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i remember this issue. Zane cover no?  had all the contest reports with amazing photography.

[arce1988]

  Rocky

[Slik]

Any current members remember this guy? I remember him st the Atlantic City Pro getting pissed that makawwy beat him at that show. Deferro was 2nd and Haney was third I think. It may have been haneys first pro show? Funk?

[Mr Anabolic]

Attended a "seminar" with Rocky in Philly around the same time as the Cherry Hill, NJ (1991) one mentioned above.  He was an arrogant prick... seemed angry and self-tortured.  He looked a lot older than he was.  He hated Arnold and the Weider's and was very candid about it.  I remember the seminar basically being a joke and a money grab... he didn't say or teach me anything I already knew.  He did talk openly about drugs though. 

[Fortress]

Of course I remember this guy.

For some reason, this thread is cracking me up. 

"Rocky" sounds like a real piece of work.

[Slik]

Crazy. He died of a heart attack at my current age. Guessing he had a pre-existing undetected problem...

[funk51]

Any current members remember this guy? I remember him st the Atlantic City Pro getting pissed that makawwy beat him at that show. Deferro was 2nd and Haney was third I think. It may have been haneys first pro show? Funk?

              not sure would have to check the mags of the time. i know haney beat deferro in the 1983 night of the champions deferro second. the contest you refer to were the world pro championships not sure which contest was first.

[Never1AShow]

Poor man's Mike Quinn?

[jwb]

Greg's affair in 1983 was even captured on film at the 1983 Swedish Grand Prix right after the Olympia.

His actual wife at the time was a dark haired Italian gal.

[beakdoctor]

Poor man's Mike Quinn?

Honestly I think Greg looks better. More complete, more balanced. For a guy who did reasonably well and seemed to be treated good by the judges why did he just drop out of the scene just when he was peaking?

[Mr Anabolic]

Honestly I think Greg looks better. More complete, more balanced. For a guy who did reasonably well and seemed to be treated good by the judges why did he just drop out of the scene just when he was peaking?

Personally, I think he couldn't handle the politics and/or the drug regime.  Probably had high BP and other health issues.  He seemed very aggravated, annoyed and short tempered when I met him in 1990/91.   

[Slik]

Greg's affair in 1983 was even captured on film at the 1983 Swedish Grand Prix right after the Olympia.

His actual wife at the time was a dark haired Italian gal.

how did u find this obscure photo?

[Simple Simon]

how did u find this obscure photo?

jwb stands for jilted wife (of) bodybuilder...

[Natural_O]

When I sat through my first personal training class Greg was there.  It was back in 1991 I think?  I had no idea who he was, but he did have some big arms.  He sat there eating hard boiled eggs that stunk up the entire room on break.  He looked really old for a guy of his age at that time.  My friend who was also in the class told me who he was.  He wasn't very friendly at all.

A couple of years later he came over to the Cherry Hill Golds Gym in which I was the night time head trainer at the time and started prepping for the Master's O.  He had a gym at one point in which he sold discounted paid in full memberships right up until the night before the bank and landlord locked his front doors.  He took quite a few folks money and is real lucky he didn't get his ass beat.  Another friend worked the front desk at Greg's gym and went weeks without getting paid.  He got wind of what was about to happen and had "blue light" special on anything that he could carry out of the joint.

His training was kind of sloppy as far as technique and form goes.  He did look like Rocky a little in person.  More so in his younger days from certain angles.  Later he reminded more of a juiced up Mel the cook from the 70's sitcom Alice.  He had a side-kick that trained with him that was really a nice, but really lost guy.  He had zero genetics and his training was even worse than Greg's, plus he was already old and still hadn't competed in anything yet.  Greg milked him for all kinds of drugs and keep promising him that after he won the Master's O. that he would get him all set up with Uncle Joe Weider.  Well, that never happened and the guy was heart broken and just gave the hell up and we never saw him again.

My workout partner at the time and I went to the 94 Mr. O and Master's O.  We had a great time but wandered what happened to Greg as we also attended the pre-judging?  They never really said, but they did let him guest pose that night.  He didn't look very good at all.  Especially with the likes of Robby and Lou.  Well, a week later back at the Golds Gym in Cherry Hill, NJ things got really strange.  Greg was telling everyone that he placed 3rd right behind big Lou.  Me and my buddy couldn't stop laughing.  What an ass.

My friend then bought the gym and had to throw the loser out as he was violating a restraining order from his soon to be ex-wife, which was a state trooper.  I remember showing him the door........

Wow, sad story. You never really know what a lot of the bodybuilders back then were like because all we had was the magazines.

[Natural_O]

Any current members remember this guy? I remember him st the Atlantic City Pro getting pissed that makawwy beat him at that show. Deferro was 2nd and Haney was third I think. It may have been haneys first pro show? Funk?

That was Haney's first pro show. Haney beat Greg at the Night of the Champions a couple months later.

[Slik]

That was Haney's first pro show. Haney beat Greg at the Night of the Champions a couple months later.

wow. John one ups Funk in the history dept. didn't think that was possible. But yeah I thought so.

[Slik]

Funk once u go to the dark side your thinking will be much clearer.

[Disgusted]

Sad to hear. When You look up to these guys as a kid it really makes you realize these guys are just like everyone else. Ran into someone last week who knew Mike Mentzer, said the guy was a chain smoker even back in the 70's. I always figured it was a habit he developed later in life. Mike really had no sense at all when it came to taking care of his body or mind.