All the BB podcasts and judges are talking about small stomachs now. Thin waste lines, etc.
2024 bloated guts aren't going to win any competitions unless they can also pull off a good vacuum pose.
I don't think he means that his gut is bloated, just that he does not naturally have a tiny ballerina type waist even when very lean.
Of course, he did mention that he did not get as lean as he should have, so I would encourage him to get into proper contest shape before making that assessment. Shredded. Then see how the waist and body shape looks.
He guessed at maybe 200 instead of the 207, but he may not know.
When my experienced posing coach told me weeks out not to lose any more weight, as I was perfect, just keep this weight to the show, I called BS. Photos of my back poses lacked that "Christmas tree" look in the lower back.
I pushed hard on my cut
until I got that Christmas tree in the posing photos. That was another
12 pounds lower than an experienced NPC guy's advice. And I stepped on stage shredded and blew all the younger (and some larger) competitors away.
Get into proper conditioning, then make an assessment of body shape.
This also means he has
a lot of room left to grow some muscle and still compete in Classic Physique - at his best guess of 200 pounds at weigh in, he still has 9 pounds he can add. If he pushes even leaner, he may be able to add more than that, 10-15 pounds? That's an entire off season or two, and he can add it wherever it is most needed to look better in Classic Physique. Maybe an experienced coach who has won trophies in Classic Physique for his clients, maybe had some turn pro, could be very helpful in adding those pounds exactly where they are needed.
Still a lot of room to grow and improve in Classic Physique.