I was born in Puerto Rico on Aug. 24, 1942, to Francisco and Francisca Lopez. I have two brothers, Angelo and Robert as well as two sisters, Rachel and Lucy. We moved to Bronx, New York when I was 12 years old. I attended Public School 66, Intermediate School 98 - Herman Ridder School, and Columbus High School. My family was very poor and making ends meet was not easy for us. My parents did the best they could with what they had and a limited education. My mother was a devoted Christian. Her source of strength and hope was God. All of the children were raised to depend on God and understand that all things through Him were possible. My mother’s deep faith saw us through some very difficult times. Although I entered a phase in my life when I departed from my mother’s spiritual teaching, it never left my mind. Whenever I found myself in difficult times I reflected on her teaching and it always brought me comfort and a sense of stability.

Men of great muscular power with the ability to perform feats of strength fascinated me. I would read Tarzan magazines and watch Johnny Weissmuller play Tarzan in the movie. I was drawn to Superman and Hercules movies by Steve Reeves. Decades later I had the opportunity to meet Steve Reeves. Steve told me that he considered me to be one of his favorite bodybuilders!  I consider that compliment in intself to have made all my years of hard work in the gym worthwhile. The one moment when bodybuilding really got to me was when I saw Steve in the Hercules movie. I also loved watching gymnastics and eventually began participating in the sport myself, along with my brother Angelo, whom later became an accomplished gymnast.

Any account of my career would be incomplete without mentioning my cousins Raul Pacheco and Ray Jimenez the first two people that encouraged me to be a bodybuilder. They both are accomplished bodybuilders in their own right. Ray took me to see my first bodybuilding contest. The guest poser that night was Leroy Colbert, known as the first bodybuilder to build a twenty-inch bicep. He was another childhood hero that I later met and befriended.

Always conscious of, what I considered to be, my small size, I looked for ways to improve my strength and ability to “defend” myself.  Boxing was my first avenue of self-improvement. I became pretty good at it. Boxing gave me confidence and a change in attitude about my physical size.

My passion began to grow for both weightlifting and bodybuilding. I started training at home with a barbell, a pair of dumbbells that I ordered from a Weider magazine for $19.95 and a homemade bench made of wood. It took a long time to save the money to purchase that set of weights. I worked at a grocery store after school and saved my wages until I was able to order the equipment.  I remember ordering them specifically from Weider because I believed that they would build my body faster and better than other weights, just as his advertising had promised!

Living in the Bronx. 

We lived in the Throgs Neck Projects in the Bronx, where they opened a facility for youth to practice weight training, boxing, gymnastics and other sports.  Membership was free and the staff volunteered their time. I began training with weights and saw big changes in my bodies  muscle size and strength. It was here that I won my first trophy in weight lifting. This encouraged me to train harder and take better care of my body. I often reflect on all the volunteeres who dedicated their time to helping me and others.

Beginning of competition.

I joined the AAU and entered my first novice contest, “Mr. Wagner”, named for the Wagner Youth Center in Manhattan. To my surprise, I won the over-all title!  My next goal was to win the Mr. New York City title.  I felt that if I could win that contest I wouldn’t care if I ever won anything else. Not only did I win Mr. New York City but later that year I won the Mr. New York State title. There was no stoping me now! Well known bodybuilders were encouraging me to continue. I won several major titles in the AAU including 3rd place in the over all Jr. and Senior Mr. America against renouned competitors.  After two attempts, I realized I was not going to win the AAU Mr. America and decided to turn pro and make some money.

WBBG set the pace for the rest of my bodybuilding career.

I enter the 1978 WBBG Pro-Mr.America at the Lincoln center in New York City and on my second try I won the title. Not only did I win the Pro Mr. America but also Pro Mr. World and most of the body parts awards. This qualified me to travel to London to compete in the NABBA Mr. Universe contest where I placed 3rd in my division. From here the doors opened to traveling, performing posing exibitons, and appearences on TV and radio. I became a motivational speaker for academic institutions such as Stetson University in Florida and am still actively speaking and conducting seminars. In addition, I started a health food business and manufactured exercise equipment. Although I am now retired from competitive bodybuilding I continue to train myself as well as others. For me bodybuilding has never simply been a sport, it has always been a way of life, one that I will continue as long as I am physically able.

I am also very proud of my service to my country in the Armed Forces. I served in the Army with the 101st Airborne Division. I loved the challenge of jumping out of an aircraft in flight.  I later served in the reserve with the 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne). I was credited with over 100 jumps, including 10 night jumps all from different aircrafts. My life experiences have left me convinced that we can achieve everything we set out in our heart, no matter how difficult it seems, no matter how much work is involved and no matter how long it takes - so long as what you seek to accomplish is in harmony with our God given abilities and intellect, we will succeed. Not bad for a small guy with limited resources out of the projects from the Bronx.  I give God all the glory.                                 

My biggest pride however comes from my children Annette, Debbie, Danny, and Alex and my grandchildren Kaela, Bella, Xavier Anibal, Elena and Gavin.        Anibal's Beliefs.  Click Here