You may know William Bonac as “The Conqueror.” He has conquered most stages that he’s stood on, including the Arnold Classic stage twice. He almost conquered the Olympia stage in 2019 when he finished second to Brandon Curry at the Mr. Olympia. His hard physique can be credited for overcoming a hard upbringing, as he shared on a recent episode of The Menace Podcast with hosts Dennis James as well as guest panelists Chris Cormier and Milos Sarcev.
At one point in his life, Bonac lived away from his mother because he was getting in trouble. He would eventually come back home, but he was kicked out of school within two weeks. He told the other three men it was because he got into a fight with the principal.
“I was kicked out again for beating up the principal,” he said. “He was the one convincing my mother that no other school would take me. So, I was like ‘ok, if no other school will take me, I might as well beat your ass as well.’ It was his fault no other school took me.”
Despite his troubled childhood, Bonac has become one of bodybuilding’s biggest stars in the last decade. He was last onstage at the 2023 Arnold Classic, where he finished seventh. The champion was Samson Dauda. Bonac shared his thoughts on that contest as compared to the 2022 edition, where he finished second.
“I did an offseason last year, and I never did an offseason before,” he said about the 2022 contest. He shared that was advised by his coach to not do the Arnold because of the two-month gap between the 2022 Olympia and the contest in Columbus. However, Bonac wanted to honor his commitment.
“I already gave them my word to do the Arnold.”
Bonac is now in his offseason, and he talks about that, his favorite wins, how he sees the sport today, and a lot more. Subscribe to the Muscle & Fitness YouTube channel to see this show in its entirety, and tune in to new shows every Sunday at 3 PM Eastern time.