by Christian Duque
We all know how the 2025 EVLS Prague Pro went. It was a contest with a variety of interesting points of interest. For starters Martin Fitzwater was defending his 2024 title. It’s a cool thing when you have a champion that takes the title so seriously that he returns to the contest the next year in top form and ready to defend it at all costs. This was also a very big return for Martin because he placed Top 5 at the 2025 Mr Olympia. Not only was he the defending champion, but now he was a competitor knocking on the proverbial door at being the greatest bodybuilder on the planet. That distinction alone would normally have kept the competition away but not so fast!
2024 Mr. Olympia Samson Dauda, fresh off a disappointing 4th place finish, also threw his hat into the ring. Why on Earth would he do that? Who knows? But Prague marked the third show that he had competed in since winning the Olympia in 2024 that he came up short. I wrote an article about that a few days ago here at IronMag, but nonetheless no one knew he was going to come up short and everybody was flabbergasted that the recently defeated Mr Olympia would be gracing the stage at this contest.
Then of course, you had Keone Pearson crossing over after winning yet another 212 Olympia Showdown. Pearson looked to be in peak shape and firing on all cylinders. In fact, there were some who thought The Prodigy might pull off the upset defeating Martin and Samson. We all know how the placings went. Martin won, Samson took 2nd, and MICHAEL KRIZO placed higher than KEONE?!? That last point resulted in tremendous conversation all throughout the internet. But when Shawn Ray voiced his opinion, Michael Krizo just wasn’t having it. And so, here we are, talking about another feud that may not end anytime soon.
So what’s the tea? What’s the 411 on this tension between an IFBB Hall of Famer and an up-and-coming European pro bodybuilder? Well, it deals with opinions. We all have them, but Shawn’s is a little louder than most. He works closely with the Olympia, closely with Bob Cicherillo on the Voice of Bodybuilding podcast, and he’s also a sought-after pro when it comes to expos and other fitness events. Ray is also an accomplished sponsored athlete and contest promoter. When “Sugar” Shawn Ray talks about competitors, they all stop whatever they’re doing, and they pay attention. I know some guys like to discount what the critics say, but they care. And you know how I know they care? KRIZO. KRIZO CARED. If he didn’t, I wouldn’t have written this article, and you wouldn’t be reading it.
So who is Michael Krizo? He’s a European bodybuilder that at one point in time had a lot of promise. He’s a very large competitor and has an awful lot of mass on his physique. With regards to his posing, he leaves a little bit to be desired. He’s a hard worker in the gym and he works hard on stage which is very important. With regards to how competitive he is on the international stage, that’s another story.
Krizo is not a competitor that in my opinion is going to win the New York Pro, the Arnold Classic, or the Olympia. I think that’s very important because we are discussing this competitor standing next to one of the greatest bodybuilders in the 212 and who will more than likely be in line to win a Sandow in open bodybuilding in the next few years. I think that Shawn Ray was really taken aback by the fact that Krizo placed ahead of Keone because of the fact that Keone is a far more aesthetic bodybuilder, had WAY better condition, and is a far better poser.
And when I say KRIZO had better condition, I mean just that. Shawn was talking about the fact that Krizo’s posing trunks were literally buried in his physique. Like they disappeared before his very eyes. That is a very telling factor because you’re dealing with a competitor that is so large that he’s almost disproportionate to his frame. And he’s standing next to Keone, who is a very well put together bodybuilder who should beat him every single time. Those are just facts, bro.
When Shawn asks what “were the judges thinking?” It’s a very serious question. Because I have not found a single person that has agreed with that judging decision. And perhaps you may think it’s a good call, but I certainly don’t. The fact that Shawn spoke out about it so quickly is also very telling. This was not him being a bandwagon guy. Ray knows physiques. Hell, he had one of the best physiques in the history of the sport. We’re talking about the most photographed bodybuilder in FLEX Magazine history. That is a very very important distinction because this was during the heyday of the sport. I think Krizo gets it and the fact that such a well-respected bodybuilder rained on his parade probably set him off.
Before you go and throw the book at Shawn just realize one very important detail. As we pointed out at the beginning of the article, he is also a bodybuilding commentator. And this touches upon something that a lot of competitors need to hear, whether they want to or not. Competitors need to be able to accept criticism. I don’t think that Shawn was being overly negative; I think he was just making his case.
Bodybuilding is a subjective sport. I know that everybody knows that catchphrase but do they really know what it means? It means that your outward appearance is the most important thing, not how hard you train in the gym, not how clean your diet is. It’s all about what the judges can see on the day in question. Now I don’t know what the hell the judges were looking at in Prague when it came to placing Michael in front of Keone but I digress. Shawn knew what he saw, and he spoke out. My hope is that Michael will process that a little bit better moving forward and maybe do the big man thing, pun intended, and pick up a phone and apologize to Shawn. Because Shawn did absolutely nothing wrong. I can’t really say the same thing about Michael. And it’s not just Michael. Many competitors would have reacted this way. And that’s not the way to react in my humble opinion.
But what say you? Do you agree with the placings? As always, thank you for reading my article, here, at IronMag. I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments. Please be sure to copy and paste a link to this article on all your social media feeds. It is bound to generate lively conversation.