The plain truth is that I beat Ronnie last year [2000] and Jay Cutler beat Ronnie this year. You should not win the Mr. Olympia if your stomach is hanging out -- period. Last year, I patted Ronnie's stomach during the posedown to draw attention to the fact that he was bloated. That tactic obviously didn't work, and Ronnie beat me in the posedown to successfully defend his title for a third straight Mr. O triumph.
So now the show rolls around and Jay Cutler beats Ronnie in both prejudging rounds: symmetry and muscularity. Ronnie was spilling over with too much water during the muscularity round, and Cutler took it to him in many of the poses that Coleman usually dominates.
How can Cutler lose this contest if he wins in both symmetry and muscularity? How can Ronnie retain his title if his midsection is bloated and distended? Why should the fans get behind a champion who can't present an aesthetic image of what bodybuilding is supposed to be all about?
I'm talking about classical proportions, perfect symmetry and ideal conditioning. Based on that ideal, I should have won the Sandow in 2000, and Cutler should have taken it in 2001.
The fans deserve better than what they are getting. I'm already working hard to ensure that, in 2002, a true peoples' champ can strip the title away from Ronnie Coleman.
