its a simple case of evolution. Dorian RETIRED nearly 9 years ago, Ronnie has since taken over and gone onto develop a back which is atleast as good as Dorians. Had Dorian continued to compete who knows how good he would have become?
Its like comparing Linford Christie to Asafa Powell. Linford was number 1 with a PB of 9.87 for the 100m sprint. 10 years later, Asafa is now number 1 with a PB of 9.78 (?) but would he have been able to compete against Linfords mystique? who knows..........
Exactly. What's the point in comparing Ronnie to Dorian circa 97 or before? Sure Ronnie was quite developed and even won some 3rd Tier shows like the Canada Pro cup etc. BUT, after the 98 olympia, he put on so much more mass that it pushed him into a league of his own. So, to compare his pre-98 versions to Dorian is not really comparing them at their respective best.
During his reign, Dorian was in a league of his own. But after ronnie started winning especially from 1999 on (except for his shape and size in 2002), he improved so much that there is no doubt he is better / freakier. Dorian may have been better conditioned, but Ronnie has so much mass, volume and density that AT THEIR PEAKS, Dorian does take a second to Ronnie.
It's like comparing Arnold and Frank Zane. Sure Arnold won the Mr. Universe (like Ronnie winning the Canada Pro cup) - he still got beaten by Frank Zane. Which means, Zane was better AT THAT TIME. As everyone knows, once Arnie improved by leaps and bounds, Zane couldnt touch him onstage. Same with Ronnie and Dorian.
Plus, when asked post 93 Olympia if he could have beaten Haney at his best, Dorian replied along the lines of ' I was heavier than him by about 15 pounds and so, yes, I would have beaten him'. The same logic, when applied to Ronnie and Dorian prevails. JMO
