“Ill Placed, Ill Timed, Unnecessary”: Voice of Bodybuilding Bob Cicherillo Breaks Silence on Chad Nicholls’ Son Threatening Shawn Ray at 2023 Arnold Classic

Though he never claimed the Mr. Olympia trophy, the 2006 Masters Pro World winner Bob Cicherillo has contributed to the sport in different ways. After retiring from competitive bodybuilding, Cicherillo didn’t stray far away from the sport and now works as a commentator. He also makes appearances in various interviews and podcasts and shares his meaningful insights about the bodybuilding world. In his recent appearance on The Menace Podcast, Bob Cicherillo shared his thoughts on the fiasco that took place during the 2023 Arnold Classic.

Reportedly, a fight broke out between former bodybuilder Shawn Ray and Chad Nicholl’s son Dominic Nicholls. While there was no physical altercation between the two, the verbal argument was one of the most talked about incidents from the event. As Cicherillo too was present at the venue, host Dennis James asked him for his thoughts on the matter.

Bob Cicherillo comments on the fight

On 20th March 2023, Dennis James released a new episode of “The Menace Podcast.” During this episode featuring Milos Sarcev, Bob Cicherillo, and Chris Cormier, James asked his guests for their thoughts on the recent incident. While the first alleged fight between the two on a Thursday wasn’t caught on camera, a clip from their argument on the following day has been making rounds on the internet. Unlike the rest who empathized with Nicholls, Cicherillo believes what he did “wasn’t cool.”

Commenting on the incident, he said, “ill-placed, ill-timed, unnecessary.” Furthermore, he believes the matter could’ve been squashed on Thursday itself. But the fact that Nicholls went back to Ray on Friday proved that it was not something that happened in the heat of the moment. He continued, “I mean that was not that wasn’t cool it wasn’t right I mean I know he’s a young kid and all that stuff but not the place for that it wasn’t cool.”

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As the bodybuilding world stands divided on this matter, the most important question is why the rift began in the first place.

Dominic Nicholas V/S Shawn Ray

While it is only now that the two have fought in person, there has been bad blood between the Nicholls and Shawn Ray for quite some time now. Over the years, Ray has made countless defamatory statements against Dominic’s father, bodybuilding coach Chad Nicholls. Because of the difference in their coaching styles, Ray claims Chad’s techniques have caused the death of many bodybuilders.

Ray has gone as far as giving him the nickname ‘Dr. Death Protocols.’ Fed up with the constant malicious accusations against his father, Dominic went to confront Shawn Ray. The viral clip shows, Dominic nearly invading Ray’s personal space while threatening him. Dominic Nicholls asked Ray to stop talking about his father.

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While many argue that Dominic was right to defend his father and the coaches in general, Bob Cicherillo believes that the 2023 Arnold Classic wasn’t the place to do it.