The first thing I noticed about Ben White when I saw him today at the Orleans Hotel, other than his white beard, was the fact that he has gained about 50 pounds since I last saw him a few weeks ago. I know Dave did a video with him that showed the added mass, but seeing him in person was something else. The guy is thicker than the smog over LA in August. And his banter about his presumed success at the upcoming lift off here at the Olympia exudes a confidence so inspiring one could assume he was taught smack talking by Mohammed Ali. Is Ben White the greatest? Is he the strongest? There is absolutely no question in Ben's mind. He already dismissed Jonnie Jackson from any thought of a challenge. In Ben's mind, he has already beaten Jonnie and is focused on lifting against Stan Efferding. Efferding recently totaled 2210 pounds raw to become one the world's strongest raw lifters and according to Stan, the strongest pro bodybuilder in the world. The night before the liftoff, Ben isn't talking about beating Jonnie Jackson; he's talking about beating Efferding in a match that isn't even set! Efferding isn't even on the card, yet Ben has a rhino horn around his neck talking about how he's going to get it to Stan because he left home without it. But Ben, don't you have to beat Jonnie first? The way Ben sees it, he already has, and Stan is an old man not strong enough to mess with the Show Stopper.
As we all know, nothing stays quiet in this business and all that smack talking was bound to get out. On our way down to the venue tonight, Stan and Ben ran into each other and Stan had heard some of what Ben was saying so he got in his face. They were good sports and it stayed playful, but in the end, Stan assured Ben that he had an extra $10,000 for their own duel. This new challenge can only happen if Ben beats Jonnie, which is done in Ben's mind only. I imagine Jonnie thinks differently tonight but so far, he has been quiet. This could be a sign that Jonnie is taking this contest pretty seriously and I'm sure he isn't amused about being summarily dismissed by Ben in favor of Efferding. All I can tell you is that all the talk has been talked and it's time to get some lifting done.
Ben Claims he is shooting for a 1350 total in the two lifts, pretty much splitting the lifts equally in half. Jonnie is not the best bencher, but his dead lifts are out of sight and his target tomorrow is set at 800 pounds. If he pulls that off the floor it's going to mean he's going to have to manage a 550 bench. That is not in Jonnie's realm right now. Can Ben manage a 650 bench and a 700 dead lift? Can Jonnie match it? If the talk is any indication of the contest to follow, this is going to be a hell of a show!
Check out the video of Stan and Ben as they get right in each other's face!
