“Be Professional Mr. Gaspari” - Hadi Choopan claps back at Rich Gaspari for Yates comparison

Hadi Choopan dethroned Big Ramy to become the 2022 Mr. Olympia. The Iranian bodybuilder stood toe-to-toe with Ramy in size, and won over the two-time Mr. Olympia Men's Open champion.

Choopan was crowned Mr. Olympia owing to his powerful poses. However, American bodybuilder Rich Gaspari seems unhappy about the same. The bodybuilder came out to throw shade on the Mr. Olympia champion by comparing him to bodybuilding legend Dorian Yates. Gaspari’s comparison of the two bodybuilders didn’t sit well with Choopan, who quickly asked the American to “be professional".

The exchange between the two started when Rich Gaspari, who competed mostly in the 1980s and 1990s, compared an image of Hadi Choopan’s back with Dorian Yates. He claimed that the physiques of bodybuilders today lack detail. He discussed the 2022 Mr. Olympia outcome and criticized him.

In a recent Instagram post, Gaspari shared comparison images of Choopan and Yates and wrote:

“Here’s something interesting to see. This is a comparison of Dorian Yates when he won the Mr. Olympia in 1992 and next to him is Hadi Choopin who just won the Mr. Olympia. As you see over 30 years ago guys were much harder than today.

"I did feel from the Front Hadi had great conditioning. Better then all the other contestants. But back wise Derek was better. This was sent to me by a former Olympia competitor in the late 80's and early 90’s. What do you guys think?”

However, Choopan promptly responded by saying “Be Professional Mr. Gaspari.” The Iranian slammed the American and said that the comparison wasn’t fair.

The Iranian commented on Gaspari’s Instagram and noted that the comparison was made to Yates’ back, which was his best body part. Taking a jibe at the American, the Mr. Olympia winner said that it was like comparing Gaspari’s arm to Ronnie Coleman's.

He wrote:

“It's like comparing a picture of your arm with Ronnie Coleman's arm, do you think it's a correct comparison?”

Furthermore, Hadi Choopan went on to draw attention to the camera and lighting quality of the images as well.

He made two other comments which read:

“You always compare the dark spot with the bright spot. Let's compare the bright spot with the bright spot… Compare the colors? The light? The quality of the cameras??? And then the other view??? Be professional Mr. Gaspari.”

Hadi's responses to Gaspari (Image via Instagram)

Interestingly, Hadi Choopan wasn’t alone. Seven-time Mr. Olympia Phil Heath chimed in to support the bodybuilder under the post. Heath also drew attention to the lighting, tans, and technological changes since the 90s and said that the comparison was unfair. He noted that Choopan should be credited for his ripped body.

---

Hadi Choopan won 2022 Mr. Olympia

Hadi Choopan, famously known as the 'Persian Wolf', won the Mr. Olympia title on Sunday. The bodybuilder made a strong comeback from his third-place finish in 2021 to claim the title. He dethroned reigning champion Big Ramy for the win.

Choopan displayed a size, aesthetics, and conditioning masterclass to clinch the title. The Iranian bagged $400,000 for his efforts. Apart from Ramy, Choopan also outclassed Derek Lunsford, Nick Walker, and Brandon Curry at the event.