by Christian Duque
As you guys know, I’ve always been a huge fan of William “The Conqueror” Bonac. He is one of the guys that traditionally gets overlooked by the bodybuilding media and many fans like to write him off because of any number of factors. The most glaring factor of all, is his age. That seems wrong on so many level, but it’s a very much a thing in physique-based sports. In bodybuilding a lot of the top guys don’t even like to say how old they are. Let’s look back to the recent controversy at the Master’s Mr Olympia and the fallout that ensued. In one of the many interviews that Masters Olympia runner-up Phil Clahar did, he talked about how age can be a huge detriment to a competitor. Even in the Masters, which are supposedly divisions created for older competitors, once you make your age known, people start to attach limitations to it.
For example, if you’re 50 years of age, no one is going to think you can get on an open bodybuilding stage and be competitive. What’s crazy is that Tony Freeman was doing that up until his late 40s, as was Al Beckles, and who can forget Dexter Jackson. The year that Dexter Jackson retired at the Olympia he had placed second at the Arnold Classic defeating Ramy. It’s pretty mind-boggling when you think about it because if these guys didn’t tell anyone how old they were, very few would be able to guess. But once the cat’s out of the bag, it seems like placings are not far behind.
William Bonac has been written off for ages by writers who thought his best days were past him. It’s funny how huge accomplishments can be all but forgotten in a matter of just a year or two. We’re talking about a guy that was runner up at the Olympia and won two Arnold Classic titles. I mean think about that. He was second in the world and then won the second biggest title – twice. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his resume. Nonetheless when his placings started to suffer people were all too eager to start hinting at his retirement. That’s the kind of crap older competitors have to endure all the time. And that’s why so few guys ever like to divulge their age.
Retirement is inevitable for all competitors. Some do it early, others do it midway through their peak, and some do it way too late. Anytime you see a Mr Olympia placing outside of the top 10 you know that that individual didn’t get the memo. You never want to see anyone that was the best in the world placing 11th or 12th at contests. The same goes for guys that have placed runner-up at the Olympia or guys that have won the Arnold Classic. When you win the Arnold Classic you’re in a very small pool of people. Most of the people who win the ASC are regulars in the Olympia Top 6, so to see a guy that has reached those heights all of a sudden not even getting second or third call-outs, that’s embarrassing. The rebuttal to that would be that a person is allowed to do what they love for however long they want to and that’s a good rebuttal, but the ultimate rebuttal to that would be legacy. Once you’ve been the best, you need to preserve your integrity and your name. Taking bad placings because you didn’t know when to quit hurts your legacy.
At the end of the day however people will point to retirement anytime an individual is faced with great adversity or what are seemingly countless obstacles. Instead of retiring, however, Bonac did the next best thing. He took a full year off. No insane supplement stacks, no insane training, just time to himself with his friends and family. He gave his body the opportunity to rest. And that’s an opportunity that most top-tier competitors would never even consider. In fact, most competitors no longer have an offseason. They can’t pass up any opportunity and that’s what leads them to totally burning out.
That’s pretty wild when you think about it because they’re blasting year-long. Traditionally the bodybuilding season started at the Arnold Classic and ended at the Olympia. Then the pandemic happened and all the contests were thrown out of whack. Even though the pandemic has largely been controlled and put to rest, the order of events has not. Everything is still a little bit out of whack and that has become the new normal. As a result there are shows that go way later than the Olympia and there are shows that start way sooner than the Arnold. Therefore there are shows year round. And in addition to shows, there are expos, seminars and filming opportunities year-round. As a result, most guys never come off. They might lighten it up a little bit but they never come off. So for William to take a full year off was absolutely critical and his body has shown tremendous gains. It’s like a reset for the muscle fibers, muscle bellies, receptors, the mindset. It was like a total reset across the boards.
The year he came back he did remarkably well. He won shows, took top honors, and last year at the Olympia placed 7th. Bonac accomplished these many incredible feats off of his hard work. It wasn’t the product of hype or ad campaigns. None of the big media platforms threw their weight behind him, either. He was ignored, overlooked, and he proved everyone wrong. That’s the product of hard work and an indomitable spirit.
2025 saw William take Top 5 at the Arnold Classic Columbus, he took runner-up at the NY Pro and Dubai Classic, he took 4th in Pittsburgh and won the Detroit Pro. Now he’s going to the Olympia with a tremendous amount of momentum behind him. For the first time in a long time the media is talking about him. People want to know what he’s eating, they want to know what he’s training, they want to know what he looks like. In fact, the most popular YouTuber in the world couldn’t stop talking about Bonac’s new hairstyle. A year or two ago, that same YouTuber all but ignored The Conqueror. How times have changed!
That only happens when you are on top of the world. What’s crazy though is that this is a competitor that many people had written off and ignored for years. He was runner-up at the Olympia in 2019 and pretty much since then he’s been ignored in Olympia promotions. I mean he’ll get his picture taken here or there, but he’s never been a top draw in terms of promos. They had never marketed him as such. He’s always been looked at as a workhorse and blue collar to the max, but the people have never really went nuts over him. Traditionally workhorses and underdogs have a tremendous affinity with the fans but for some reason William just never had that viral fanbase situation. I would largely attribute that to the fact that he’s not a trash talker. He’s not concerned with belittling competitors or trying to come out with outlandish statements. He does his work in the gym and he does his work on the stage. Some might call that boring – I call it bodybuilding.
With the O just five weeks away, a show that I will be at by the way, I look at this particular competitor that I have long considered a good friend with great interest. Not only do I think that he can go there and represent, but I think he can go there and potentially break into the Top 6 once again. I have always been of the belief that anyone in the top six has the potential to move up several placings. Even that sixth place finisher could do something between the prejudging and the finals and end up in third place or even higher. All that matters is that you be in the first call outs and that the judges scrutinize your physique, that they carefully study your muscles throughout each mandatory pose. If this happens, then William will be in a very good position to get an amazing placing. And who knows, he might actually walk away with a win.
How crazy would that be? How surprised would you be? I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised. My only thought would be – why did it take so long. This is a competitor that has always had the potential to be Mr Olympia and he’s a competitor that has come pretty damn close. When you take second place, you know that there were judges in the panel that thought you should have won and the improvements that you have to make are minimal. The hardest thing about being second place is that you can’t drastically change anything. It’s almost as if you have to come back with a blueprint, a carbon copy of what you brought the year prior and that is sometimes harder said than done. In any event, at the rate William is going, he’s coming to battle this October in Las Vegas!
