Evan Centopani won his IFBB pro card as the super-heavyweight and overall champion at the 2007 NPC National Bodybuilding Championships held on November 17, 2007 in Dallas, Texas. Adorthus Cherry (heavyweight), Charles Dixon (light-heavyweight), Jose Raymond (middleweight), Carlo Filippone (welterweight), Leonardo Ortiz (lightweight) and David Candy (bantamweight) also earned pro cards by winning their respective weight classes.

The 25-year old resident of Trumbull, Connecticut made significant improvements, particularly in his back and legs, from the previous year where he placed second behind IFBB Pro Desmond Miller at the 2006 NPC Nationals. Centopani lived up to the high expectations and predictions of a victory in Dallas. Meanwhile Grigori Atoyan was runner-up for the third time in NPC Pro Qualifier contests.

Brandon Curry was also a repeat runner-up in his weight class, barely missing his pro card for the second time this year. He was edged out by Adorthus Cherry whose passion for bodybuilding has advanced him to the professional level of the sport and more importantly has provided the personal discipline in his fight against alcohol addiction. Cherry's shoulder-to-waist ratio is among the best ever seen in bodybuilding. His waist is tiny!

Muscletime caught up with Brandon Curry at the BSN booth during the 2007 Olympia Weekend Expo in Las Vegas. We clearly feel this phenomenal bodybuilder will achieve pro status sooner rather than later. Keep an eye on him in 2008.

Perseverance paid off for Charles Dixon, who finally won his pro card as the winner of the light-heavyweight class after placing second at the 2005 and 2006 NPC Nationals.

(Courtesy of Flexonline.com)

2007 NPC National Championships Final Results (Top 5 in each class)*

* Winner in each class earns pro card.

Overall: Evan Centopan

Super-Heavyweight

1 Evan Centopani
2 Grigori Atoyan
3 Real Johnson
4 Stephen Frazier
5 Edward Nunn

Heavyweight

1 Adorthus Cherry
2 Brandon Curry
3 Lee Banks
4 Abbas Khatami
5 Darrell Terrell

Light-Heavyweight

1 Charles J. Dixon
2 Peter Putnam
3 Al Auguste
4 Monty Mabry
5 Manny Torres

Middleweight

1 Jose Raymond
2 Gaetano Cisternino
3 Alan Bailey
4 Devon Bender
5 Lorenzo Jones

Welterweight

1 Carlo Filippone
2 Stoil Stoilov
3 Tommie Robertson
4 Jocelyn Jean
5 Victor Delcampo

Lightweight

1 Leonardo Ortiz
2 Travis Rogers
3 Jeffrey Olcsvary
4 James Williams
5 Leonardo Pacheco

Bantamweight

1 Dave Candy
2 Fernando Abaco
3 John McKnight IV
4 Art Santellan
5 Andre Hill