Guest poser arrested

Friday July 04 2003

by Neto Baptiste


Olympian poser, Mike Matarazzo, was arrested at the San Francisco Airport yesterday en routed to Antigua where he was slated to appear as a guest poser in tomorrow night's Mr. & Miss Antigua Bodybuilding Competition.

According to the President of the Antigua & Barbuda Bodybuilding & Weightlifting Association, Bert Kirchner, he received word of Matarazzo's misfortune on Wednesday but was not told under what circumstance the Olympian was arrested. He, however said that he did have his lawyers in Antigua verify the reports, which turned out to be true.

"I do not know much except that his (Matarazzo) lawyers in the States said that he was being detained on serious charges and that they were having trouble finding bail," Kirchner told the SUN.

"A number of bodybuilding fans and bodybuilders alike were looking forward to seeing Matarazzo or "Mr. Big Guns," as he is being dubbed in action so it is a bit disappointing," Kirchner said.

The former bodybuilder, however, said that he was able to book a new guest poser whom he thinks will be an even bigger attraction than Matarazzo.

"Through some hard work and a sleepless night, I managed to book bodybuilder Rodney St. Cloud who is a new rising star in the bodybuilding arena," he said.

"He (St. Cloud) placed second in the recently concluded Hungarian Pro Invitational Bodybuilding contest two weeks ago and totally took the world by storm by blowing away some of the top professionals in the business," Kirchner told the SUN.

"He is at least 20 pounds bigger that Matarazzo so if people are coming to the show to see size then this is definitely a step up where that is concerned," the President added.

Kirchner, however, said that plans for the show are still in motion and that it will be one of the best shows in the history of the sport here in Antigua.

"Plans are still in motion for the show and we are expecting a huge crowd. The bodybuilders are ready and waiting for the action to start," he said.

International Federation of Bodybuilding professional, Allison Williams, will join the new guest poser Rodney St. Cloud at the Cathedral Cultural Centre on 5 July, as the two guest posers on the night of the show.

Williams, who is Antiguan by birth, is currently placed 14th in the Jantana Pro Fitness Professional Competition in 2002 while accomplishing a host of other feats throughout her professional career thus far.

"We are looking at probably 20 to 25 contestants this year, which would be an improvement on last year," President of the Antigua & Barbuda Bodybuilding and Weightlifting Association, Kirchner told the SUN during an interview.

The show will be held at the Cathedral Cultural Centre at 8 p.m. sharp. There is a $40 fee at the doors. Tickets bought before the show would cost $35.