The first major powerlifting event of 2023 will occur in the Sunshine State. The 2023 WRPF Ghost Clash II will occur on Friday, Feb. 18, and Saturday, Feb. 19, at the Tank Brewing Company in Miami, FL.
Amateur and professional lifters will take to the platform, and you can watch every lift live for free. The Ghost Clash promoters announced that both days of competition will be streamed live on the Professional Powerlifting Championships’ YouTube channel. Amateurs will lift on Friday, Feb. 18, 2023, while the pro competitors will lift off on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2023.
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Prize Purse & Lifters to Watch
There is over $50,000 in prize money up for grabs for the pros competing at this meet. The best lifters for male raw, male with wraps, female raw, and female with wraps will receive cash prizes. The breakdown will be as follows:
- First Place — $5,000
- Second Place — $2,500
- Third Place — $1,000
There’s always a chance an all-time world record will also be broken. If it happens, there’s a chance that one of the six competitors below will accomplish it.
Dan Bell
The all-time world record holder in the raw with wraps total set the mark with a total of 1,179 kilograms (2,607 pounds) at the 2021 Hybrid Showdown III meet in Miami. It’s worth noting that on Feb. 13, 2023, 2018 World’s Strongest Man champion Hafthor Björnsson announced his intention to break that record by the end of 2023.
This meet allows Bell to tack extra weight onto that record. He appears strong heading into the meet as he shared a video on Instagram of himself bench pressing 525 pounds for a triple in early February 2023.
John Haack
In his most recent contest, John Haack broke the all-time raw bench press and total records in the 100-kilogram class at the 2022 USPA Raw Pro in September 2022. Haack will enter the 2023 Ghost Clash II as a 90-kilogram competitor, where he is no stranger to holding world records.
According to Open Powerlifting, Haack is the current raw world record holder in the bench press, deadlift, and total as a 90-kilogram lifter. He set all three of those marks at the 2022 WRPF American Pro via the following stats:
2022 WRPF American Pro Results | John Haack (90KG, Raw)
- Squat — 345 kilograms (760.6 pounds)
- Bench Press — 267.5 kilograms (589.7 pounds)*
- Deadlift — 410 kilograms (903.9 pounds)*
- Total — 1,022.3 kilograms (2,254.2 pounds)*
*All-time world record
Hunter Henderson
Henderson is an elite powerlifter and IFBB Pro League women’s bodybuilder. Her last competition was in strongwoman competition, when she won the 2022 KC Strong Veteran’s Day Challenge.
Henderson last competed in powerlifting at the WRPF 2022 FQ Classic 2 in Las Vegas, NV. At that meet, she set the all-time world record in the squat with a lift of 305 kilograms (672 pounds) in the 82.5-kilogram raw with wraps class.
Henderson will enter this meet as a raw lifter — using knee sleeves instead of wraps. Henderson holds the 82.5-kilogram raw world record in that category. She squatted 250 kilograms (551 pounds) at the 2022 USPA Hybrid Showdown IV meet.
Kheycie Romero
Romero is a 90-kilogram competitor that has been competing since 2017. She’s a well-rounded lifter, but her best lift could be the deadlift. In August 2022, Romero pulled 238.1 kilograms (525 pounds) for five reps in training.
Romero’s best deadlift in competition was 584.2 pounds, which she pulled raw at the 2021 WRPF Bucked Up Showdown. That lift places her third all-time, according to Open Powerlifting. She has to pull more than the 275 kilograms (606.2 pounds) that Samantha Rice pulled at the 2022 USPA Pro Raw Championships to break the record.
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Featured image: @huntermhenderson on Instagram
