Akim Williams Will Win The Toronto Pro

by Christian Duque

The Brooklyn Beast Akim Williams looks like he is about to take it to a whole new level at the 2024 Toronto Pro. I have always been a fan of this bodybuilder from the day I met him at the 2014 Arnold Classic. I will never forget seeing the sheer size of this guy. I will never forget how wide he was but at the same time how conditioned he was as well.

Back in the day people didn’t know what to make of this phenomenal bodybuilder. They didn’t know where he would fit in with regards to the top placings because of the fact he was just so big. We have to remember that the sport of bodybuilding prizes mass at times and other times seems to reward smaller guys with good aesthetics. What’s interesting about Akim is that he has both. He has been able to develop a phenomenal back coupled with other strong body parts that create not only the illusion of a perfect physique but also that is very much the case when you see him up close.

Many bodybuilders are able to present only what they want you to see but when you look at them from different angles you don’t have that 3D look. Well Akim has it. Moreover, he does not seem to have missed a beat with his shoulder surgery. While this surgery could easily sideline a competitor if not treated in the appropriate amount of time he made sure to take his health and well-being as a top priority. It’s good to see him posting physique updates and also not leaving any speculation as to what competition he’ll be competing in. After all, this is a top six Olympian and he has created a very, very strong reputation for himself in the sport.

What’s interesting though is that Toronto may be a lot more than a simple Olympia qualification for the Brooklyn Beast. He will be up against hometown favorite Quinton Ariya who we actually wrote an article about just a few days ago here at Iron Magazine. Although Quinton’s got a phenomenal look that can be compared to that of Samson Dauda in many regards I think he will have his work cut out for him when it comes time to step on stage alongside the likes of Akim Williams.

It’s one thing to look impressive on paper but it’s quite another to battle with a real veteran of the stage. And that very much hits the nail on the head when talking about the Brooklyn Beast. He has stood with the very best in the world and held his own. This is not to say that young talent cannot best a seasoned competitor, it’s just to say that it is going to be extremely difficult and the Brooklyn Beast is not going to be conceding any ground anytime soon. His goal for Toronto is to earn a strong Olympic qualification. This is why he chose such a world-class production to compete in. He could have easily picked a show somewhere else in the world with a far weaker lineup and snagged an easy qualification.

That being said, as I often have said in many of my articles here at Iron Magazine and StrengthAddicts.com, that the top guys have a certain level of competitiveness that is not up for debate. They are not going to qualify for the biggest show in the sport by flying under the radar. They will make their presence known to the world so that anyone that wants a piece of them can sign up and walk on stage. But the reality of the matter is very few guys are going to want to go head to head with Akim Williams when Akim is 100%.

Something else needs to be said about the fact that Akim has posted progress photos 5 weeks out. He does look a little smooth in the chest and he is noticeably far out – but he is 5 weeks out. Why am I even bringing this up? It is because I believe it’s important that a bodybuilder on this level keeps his fans and the media well aware of his progress. Very few competitors, especially ones at this caliber of competition, feel comfortable sharing photos where they are anything less than say 75% from the time they hit the stage. That is an insecurity on their part and it’s also a pretty good litmus test of the fact that they perhaps do not want the added pressure on their shoulders of making the necessary changes to bring their best. However, Akim is a competitor that knows his body very well by this stage of the game and is comfortable with showing the fans the various stages of his prep. This again is because he’s a Top Six Olympian that has won major titles and has earned the respect and accolades of all bodybuilding fans. I think it also shows a certain degree of commitment as well. Because even though he may not look like much right now he is putting it out there as far as 5 weeks out that he is committed to hunkering down and doing what’s needed to be done in order to take the stage in Toronto in top form. So there is no guesswork and the fans can pretty much bank on the fact that the Brooklyn Beast will in fact be competing at this particular show.

I think that is also a benefit to the promoter and to the vendors that will be at the competition. When you have a competitor with this name value it is very important that he actually shows up. More often than not competitors will find ways to get out of a show if they find out the lineup will be too deep or if they rather go for low-hanging fruit somewhere else. And when that happens the promoter doesn’t really have much means of recourse, fans that bought tickets have egg on their face, and vendors that were banking on a huge crowd may be lucky to get just a few sales to break even. Again, the idea of having a booth at a show is not charity, it is to make money.

That being said I also think that Akim is sort of drawing a line in the sand. He is telling the world you can come to Toronto if you want but beware I will be here and I will win. So on the flipside it will create interest in the show but it may also keep guys looking for an easy qualification away. Since the rules have changed, taking second, third, fourth, and fifth no longer will help you in terms of getting to the Olympia stage. The points system is gone. So now competitors that do a competition must on some level believe they can win it. If you have a top six Olympian like Akim Williams in the mix and you can tell that he’s going at it 100% that’s enough to dissuade a lot of second and third call out guys from even considering doing the show. That also improves the quality of the competition because whoever does dare get on that stage is probably going to be a first call out or top 10 guy at the Olympia or the Arnold Classic. So it’s a win-win all around.

As much as I like Quinton Ariya and think that he is the next generation of top Olympian, I don’t know that he’s going to be able to edge out Akin. It’ll definitely be an interesting showdown between the two and who knows how the judges will score these guys. Because at the end of the day it doesn’t really matter what I have to say or even what the fans have to say, it comes down to that panel of judges are looking for on a given day. If you want my hunch, though, Akim wins this hands down and wipes the floor with absolutely everybody in his way. What say you?