Simply “Marvelous” Anthony

Marvelous Melvin Anthony - Internationally Acclaimed Champion Bodybuilder and Winner of the Arnold Classic “Most Entertaining Posing Award” is a mass of pure muscle and a man who made it out of the streets.

Anthony’s inspirational story of overcoming adversity through self awareness and hard discipline had created his hard earned success.

I was dancing in the street by age 11. I was such a kid so I was kind of a mascot. I’d take on anyone. These were competitions. Sometimes they were held in the street, sometimes at a roller rink. Sometimes I’d win money, sometimes a jacket or a car.

My dad left when I was five. I knew it was tough and I saw lifting weights as a way of escaping.

I played street ball and I just walked on for college. I was a big kid and earned a football scholarship at San Bernardino Valley College. I played for 3-1/2 years. I went on to graduate from San Bernardino.

At age 13 I started lifting weights. A guy named Ted Williamson had a gym named the Spectrum Gym. A lot of national Champions were training there. I would ditch school so I could go lift weights. To keep me from ditching school Ted Williamson said he would allow me to lift in the gym. Ted was a very famous bodybuilder who went on to become a well known bodybuilding judge.

My grades were ok but I was still hanging with the boys in the streets. Eventually I got into a fight and at age 14, I had to go to the juvenile hall for five weeks.

I then met Troy Zuccolotto at age 15. Troy went on to become a Mr. USA and Mr. Universe and star of ESPN fitness shows. He now is the CEO of a large anti-aging clinic in Las Vegas, Youth Tech Longevity. Troy was by far a big influence on my life. He was a juvenile counselor at the time and a bodybuilder. I saw him grab some of my boys and put them down so everyone knew he couldn’t be messed with.

Troy made me go to my classes. He pulled me aside one day and said, “You aren’t like these guys you are hanging out with. You get real good grades, you lift weights and run. There is nothing wrong with being smart.” Troy was always telling me he knew I could do well. I promised him that when I got out I would somehow get a membership to a gym, go to school and get good grades. When I got out my mom bought me a membership to the Jack LaLanne gym on Magnolia Avenue. She said as long as I kept my grades up I could still have a membership. So there I was, now 14-1/2 walking to the gym every day passing by people on the street who were smoking dope and doing drugs but I kept training.

Troy Zuccolotto and I ran into each other years later. I saw him at a show in 1996. I walked up and tapped him on the back and said, “Give me all your money”. He turned around and looked at me and said “Anthony, is that you?” I weighed about 240 at the time. He said, “Well I told you you’d be big one day. Didn’t I tell you?”

I told Troy I was getting ready for the Orange County and the California. They were one week apart and I won both shows shortly after seeing him.