by Matt Weik
I think a question everyone will be thinking after seeing Kevin grace the stage at last year’s Olympia is, “Will we see Kevin win a pro show in 2017 now that he said he isn’t done?” If I had to take a guess, I would say yes. Will it be a BIG show in 2017? No. But a win is a win in the books no matter how you look at it.
What Kevin brought to the Olympia stage was indeed impressive at his age. While he was not where he wanted to be due to some injuries he later disclosed after the show, he still feels that there’s some gas left in the tank to give 2017 a go—which I’m excited about. And honestly, why not? He’s already proven to us and himself that he can get in decent shape in a very short amount of time at 50+ years of age, so tack on another few months under the bar and who knows what will happen. If his quads will allow him to start squatting heavy again and he can bring them up, who knows what he can bring to the stage this year. That being said, I think father time is also showing Kevin that the times have changed and that in order to compete, he’s going to need to bring his biggest package to the stage every time he decides to step on one.
Let’s not discount the other competitors out there. They themselves think 2017 is their year and that at the end of the day, they will be on top of the mountain looking down at everyone else. Kevin still needs to beat some of the best to even consider being the last man standing on an IFBB Pro stage in 2017. With guys like Winklaar, Ramy, Bonac, and even some of the newcomers like Josh, Nathan, and Dallas eyeing up 2017, Kevin will have quite a few familiar faces standing next to him. We can also probably expect to see Kai emerging once again in 2017, probably at the Arnold Classic’s to collect his checks. And if Kevin thinks he has a shot at beating Kai, he better buckle down for a wild ride as I don’t believe that is one Kevin will enjoy embarking on.
So the question is, where will we see Kevin shine? In my opinion, and this isn’t a knock on his physique as we will have to wait and see what he brings for this year, but we will only really see him shine in the smaller shows that really no big name competitor will be in. The lack of competition in some of the shows will open the door for Kevin to sneak in if he brings the goods. Could he rack up one, two, even three wins this year? It’s possible. Unlikely in my opinion, but possible. One is more realistic at the moment.
Overall, I admire what Kevin is doing for the sport of bodybuilding—I think we all do. What he has already done and continues to do shows the drive he has to not only talk the talk, but walk the walk as well. Everyone talks about Dexter and that any day now he could hang up his posing trunks and walk away into the sunset, but with the re-emergence of Kevin Levrone, we might see Dexter stick it out for a while longer and tell father time he’s not quite done yet. How long will we see Kevin last? Until the Olympia? Maybe? Will he step on stage yet again at the O? There’s a good possibility. Whether it be from points or invite is yet to be known, and that’s IF he even wants to be back on the Olympia stage. All we need now is for Jay, Ronnie, Dorian, and Arnold to don the trunks again and shock the world. Wouldn’t that be a sight to see!
