ARNOLD
vs. SERGIO Chamberlain-Russell. Ali-Frazier. McEnroe-Connors. Yankees-Red Sox. Throughout the history of professional sports, great rivalries have captured the imagination of fans with the promise of an elite level of competition and almost magical aura. As cliche as it may sound, there is clearly "electricity" in the air prior to a competition featuring great, longstanding rivals. Bodybuilding has also
had its share of matchups that have had fans sitting on the edge
of their collective seats: Grimek-Reeves, Reeves-Park, Scott-Poole,
Arnold-Franco, Haney-Gaspari. But one rivalry was so heated that
it's combatant's supporters still argue to this day as to who was
the better man: Arnold
Schwarzenegger or Sergio Oliva. By 1967 he had ascended to the throne of Mr. Olympia with only a fraction of the physique that would characterize this man-mountain in years to come. By 1968 he had taken on such an air of dominance that he entered the Olympia unopposed. By this point no one even dreamed that they could touch the man dubbed "The Myth". Well, maybe one man... The
Oak The following year Arnold took the first of his five Universe titles and, after a career-changing loss to the much smaller Frank Zane at the '68 Universe, he found himself the top contender to dethrown the great Oliva from his seat atop the mighty Mount Olympia. Rivals
in the Making In Arnold he saw a sales tool like no other. Arnold, despite his lack of fluency in English, exuded a charisma that outshone that of any of Joe's other "pupils." While Sergio's grasp of English was no better or worse than Arnold's, Joe just couldn't find a way to market his top champion. Times being what they were, black athletes did not have the same market pull as white athletes, and the fact that Sergio was from a Communist country (despite the fact that he had defected from Cuba and was living in Chicago) made him that much less marketable. So Joe put Arnold on contract which essentially meant that he paid for his room and board in Venice, CA so he could train at Gold's Gym with the top American champions and his European skin could soak up the California sun. Round
1
But that afternoon, upon learning that he would not be competing against the much-hyped Oliva at the Universe, Arnold seeked, and got, last-minute permission to enter the Olympia to finally realize his dream of becoming the World's Greatest Bodybuilder. After easily taking the Universe title, Arnold grabbed his belongings and rushed over to the Brooklyn Academy of Music to challenge "The Myth" for bodybuilding's top accolade. Confident from his win earlier in the day, Arnold entered the dressing room ready to claim the spoils of victory again. But his confidence would soon be shaken. In a very big way. As Arnold himself put it in his 1977 autobiography, "ARNOLD: The Education of a Bodybuilder":
Sergio would go on to defeat Arnold in their first meeting, although his 4-3 margin of victory was closer than either expected. Round
2 But there were really just two at the top– Arnold and Sergio. Arnold was more prepared this year to face his nemesis. A year of dogged training and intense focus insured that. His first show of the year was the NABBA Mr. Universe in London. He won, beating Park and Draper in the heavyweight division. That night he and the other competitors boarded the plane to the U.S. to compete in the Mr. World contest, which was to be Arnold's final warmup before the 1970 Mr. Olympia, two weeks later. But, much to the surprise of Arnold, and the dismay of the other competitors, waiting there for them in Columbus, Ohio was none other than The Myth himself. Once an athlete won the Mr. Olympia they usually didn't enter other shows. After all, what was to be gained? Mr. Olympia was already considered the best bodybuilder on the planet. But enter the World Sergio did. And everyone else pretty much threw in the towel. Except Arnold. This time, upon inspection
in the pump room, Arnold was not blown away as he had been the year
before. Impressed, yes. There was much about Sergio to be But after a solid year of savage workouts with Franco and west coast-style dieting, Arnold realized that he was a much more complete bodybuilder than he had been a year earlier while Sergio brought pretty much the same, although amazing, assets to the table. And conditioning was the difference in the end as Arnold eked out his first victory over Sergio. While Sergio ultimately survived the loss, his myth was shattered. Round
3 Backstage Sergio and Reg Lewis (there were three contestants that year) had begun pumping up by the time Arnold entered the room. With a bit of the old confidence back Arnold decided to employ the mind games he would later describe in "Pumping Iron." Said Arnold:
When Reg Lewis took the stage he received a polite round of applause. When Arnold, and then Sergio, followed the Brooklyn Opera House rocked on its foundations. Screams of "Sergio!" resounded throughout the chamber. But chants of "Arnold!" soon overtook them. By this time Arnold was showing the winning lines and definition that a bodybuilder of the 1970's would need to be dominant. Sure, Sergio was still huge, with his wasp waist and flaring lats, but the details were missing. While Arnold's quads looked like snakes pushing up through veiny skin, Sergio's legs looked like tree trunks; huge and thick, but smooth. So, within a span of two weeks Arnold defeated Sergio twice. He was now the 1970 Mr. Olympia and the best bodybuilder on the planet. Round
4
In the two years since they had last met, Sergio made tremendous improvements while working with Arthur Jones in Deland, Florida. Arthur was an inventor and innovator in the world of bodybuilding and had some revolutionary ideas concerning bodybuilding training that Sergio was willing to try in his quest to regain the Mr. Olympia title. The exact nature of those workouts may forever be in dispute but the end result was a 5'10", 240-pound work of art. Sergio came out of Deland bigger and far more defined than ever before and was primed to take on the reigning champ. When Arnold caught sight of Sergio backstage at the Olympia, held that year in Essen, Germany, he felt chills similar to those he experienced the first time he encountered Oliva. Now, not only was Sergio as big as, if not bigger than, Arnold, but he was nearly as cut. His shoulders were broader than Arnold's, yet his waist was nearly six inches smaller. The story goes that Arnold realized on that day, as he had in 1969, that he may have been the second-best bodybuilder on that stage. Yet Arnold was crowned the 1972 Mr. Olympia. The
Aftermath As of 2002 Joe has sold a lot more than *3x* magazines, thanks to his most famous protege. In fact, the dynamic duo of Weider & Schwarzenegger can rightfully lay claim to much of the popularization of bodybuilding in the U.S., and, ultimately, the popularity of Arnold himself, as an international icon. So we all know what became of Arnold. But what of Sergio? Sergio, convinced after '72 that he could never get a fair shake from the IFBB, competed in just the IFBB '73 Mr. International uncontested and then turned his back on Weider & Co. For the next 10 years he competed mostly in the lower profile WBBG and WABBA organizations, routinely defeating a mixed bag of competitors. In 1984 he announced his return to the IFBB, to the waiting arms of Joe Weider. Just as George Foreman, by laying low and growing older, turned from boxing villain to hero, so had Sergio been redeemed in the eyes of the IFBB. Now, at 43, Oliva was the old warrior king, returning to claim his throne once again. After an 8th place finish in the '84 Olympia he would return the following year to take the same spot. Still impressive after nearly thirty years in the business, he did, however, lack the size of his earlier days and the definition that was now required of top pro competitors. After 1985 "The Myth" would become "The Legend," retiring from competitive bodybuilding with an unblemished legacy. To this very day the debate still rages as to who was the dominant bodybuilder, Arnold or Sergio. To the layman, Arnold is still king. But most bodybuilders are of the opinion that Sergio, by virtue of his superior natural structure, was the deserving winner of most, if not all, of their wars. While photos from the 1972 Olympia in Essen seem to indicate that Sergio was denied his title that night, it is important to note that that meeting did not feature the two champs at their peaks. Sergio, by most accounts, did reach his physical peak in 1972. He was also very close in 1978 at the WBBG Olympus. But 1972 is still seen as his standout year. Arnold, on the other hand, didn't peak until two years later. In fact, he was slightly better in '73 than in '72 and markedly better in 1974. At 235 lbs. he was considerably more defined than Sergio ever was and his posing was fluid and dramatic while Sergio's routine was wooden and jerky. So while Sergio may indeed have been the better bodybuilder in 1972 the real question that remains is: Who was better at their best, Arnold or Sergio? It may be too close to call, but we try...
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arms and a 57" chest he was.
It
looked as if Sergio would run unopposed, for the second straight
year. The morning of the shows he was registered as the only competitor
in the Olympia. 
impressed
with. 
But
1972 would prove to be the biggest threat to Arnold's supremacy
of the bodybuilding world to date. Because back from the shadows
would emerge a new Myth– bigger and more defined than ever
before.