The Contender Thread (Spoilers)

At the request of Cocky Cockney, I started this thread for us to discuss all things Contender. The US is shown the Contender well before the British get it, so for the sake of them, let's keep all Contender talk in this thread so that we don't spoil anything for our UK brotheren.

Ok, so this is the thread to discuss everything. What you think of the show so far, who you think looks the most promising, upsets ect. Personally, I'm still bitter that they are doing this extravagent Hollywood production at the end of each show instead of showing us the actual fight. Every fight so far has been close on the cards and we haven't been able to judge whether or not the right fighter won the fight. I would have thought that the move from primetime network television to ESPN would make the Contender 2 a little more boxing oriented. No such luck. Very disappointing.

But I was interested in the first weeks' fight. The most anyone has ever seen from Cornelius Bundrage was that crazy fight of his with Sechew Powell on Shobox a while back. It ended quickly and we didn't see much of anything from him. Beating Michael Clark...I would have loved to have actually seen that fight. I'm looking forward to his next fight on the show. The fight with Powell was at 154 and the Contender 2 is at the welterweight limit of 147. He's a big guy who has even fought periodically at 168.

Anyways, what are your thoughts on the show thus far?

The Show is starting off a little bit the same way it did last season and it is still very entertaining, but I think Ebo is going to win the tournament. I can't wait till someone calls him out or he steps up I loved most of his fights. Then what is up with Michael Clark he said that he is done with boxing because he lost. That remind me when one of my boxing companions got his butt handed to him in a exhibition and started talking that nonsense like "I don't think I got it anymore"

Contender is off to a very good start and if you have not tuned in make sure you catch it next time.

I'm liking the season thus far. I'm liking how the fights have been close. It makes me a happy camper.

Steve Forbes will win the show hands down.

Dont get me wrong, i dont like the layout of the contender, i would like to see the whole fights, anyone else know the final 4?

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Originally Posted by Big_Deuce

Dont get me wrong, i dont like the layout of the contender, i would like to see the whole fights, anyone else know the final 4?

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That is the one thing I really hate about the show. Besides that I enjoy the show, I like seeing the "behind the scenes" type stuff with the fighters.

Anyone tell me why they ain't fighting 8 or even 10 rounds this 5 - 7 thing is sh*t. Also I would like to see the whole fights, not saying anything is going down but you can't really see who one a round if you can't see the whole thing.

Well the fighters don't have that long of a rest period. I think there's a fight everyday or at least everyother day from what I heard when they were talking about Bravo's rest period. It wouldn't make sense for fighters to go 8-10 rounds then have to fight less then 2 weeks later.

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Originally Posted by jayDOTcom

Well the fighters don't have that long of a rest period. I think there's a fight everyday or at least everyother day from what I heard when they were talking about Bravo's rest period. It wouldn't make sense for fighters to go 8-10 rounds then have to fight less then 2 weeks later.

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Why not? Their pro's aren't they? Just doesn't seem right to me, I mean most of these guys have fought 10 rounders, then to drop down to 5 that doesn't make sense.

It wouldn't make sense to ESPN. Why would they put fighters in the ring that are still hurt? They want to put the best fights and put up as many highlights as they can, it would make sense to have the fighters as fresh as possible.

All I'm saying is they should be fighting more rounds, 5 rounds is just like newbie starting out. If you win your fight you don't have to fight in two weeks do you? I remember contenders being brought back because of sickness & injury in the first season, what would be different? They could at least fight 7 rounds in the beginning & 9 in the semi's, & just imagine 10 or 12 for the final. Then they would enter boxing reality as real contenders

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Originally Posted by galaxy76

All I'm saying is they should be fighting more rounds, 5 rounds is just like newbie starting out. If you win your fight you don't have to fight in two weeks do you? I remember contenders being brought back because of sickness & injury in the first season, what would be different? They could at least fight 7 rounds in the beginning & 9 in the semi's, & just imagine 10 or 12 for the final. Then they would enter boxing reality as real contenders

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Boinxg reality? All these guys have fought more then 5+ rounds already, they already know what it's like. It's not like these guys are going to get a reality check when they step out of the Contender. Like I said before, it doesn't make sense for ESPN. No one from last season was bought back because of sickness. Bonsante and Brinkley were the only ones off the top of my head that got hurt from challenges. Honestly, it's a one hour show, making the fights longer would just take away the main part, and that's a look into the boxers lives(which is why casual watchers watch it). Honestly, if your going to make the show have more rounds, then you might as well call it Tuesday Night Fights.

Didn't Manfredo & Kaddour comeback? It wasn't just because they wanted too! & I said in my last post that they had already fought more than 5 rounds, so to me they're going backwards. A lot of the stuff in the show is just filling time, heaps of my friends who are not big boxing fans only watched the show to see the fights, sure they liked the rivalries & smack talk but thought the rest was just time wasting

steve forbes wins

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Originally Posted by GAME

steve forbes wins

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I only know the final two boxers, is that the winner or a perdiction?

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Originally Posted by IRON

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Originally Posted by GAME

steve forbes wins

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I only know the final two boxers, is that the winner or a perdiction?

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Sorry that was a prediction . I should have included "IMO" after it .

I take it you already know Forbes gets to the final then

I think this is a great show, I have no complaints whatsoever.

To the people grumbling about the fights only going 5 rounds I'm sure it's for safety reasons and to level the playing field. Not all of the boxers here are experiened pro's and so have never gone 10 rounds or so. This format forces the experienced stars to fight short brief fights that will possibly be to the benefit of the less experienced guys and therefore gives everybody a chance.

Remember how Amir Khan said he would love to fight Mayweather in a 6 rounder?! :P


Secondly, with these guys fighting again within a couple of weeks a long fight would just be out of the question. No broadcast network is going to put it's contestants at serious risk and fighting 10 or 12 rounders a couple weeks apart could really hurt someone.

5 rounds is an effective compromise all things considered.


Finally, regarding the edited version of the fights, I couldn't disagree more! The fights this series have been amazing! I can't think of anything I have ever seen of television that has given me more of an adrenaline rush then the Contender fights. To my mind they are up there with the Lord Of The Rings battles as the most sure way to make every hair on your body stand on end!

Ok so you can't properly judge the fights, who cares really? If this wasn't the Contender you wouldn't be interested in any of the fights anyhow. When you consider that every other boxing fight you will ever see is full and unedited, this little bit of variety is surely a welcome change.

Personally I can think of many fights I've watched over the past couple years that could have benefited greatly from some slow motion close ups and a bit of pumping opera music. Man they could even a make Bernard Hopkins fight look exciting!

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Originally Posted by GAME

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Originally Posted by IRON

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Originally Posted by GAME

steve forbes wins

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I only know the final two boxers, is that the winner or a perdiction?

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Sorry that was a prediction . I should have included "IMO" after it .

I take it you already know Forbes gets to the final then

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yes, i thought that was a perdiction, i think the final episode is live

Manfredo was bought back after Fraza got chicken poxs, and Kaddour got bought back because De La Rosa got hurt and quit. NO ONE came back because of an injury or sickness like you said.

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Originally Posted by jayDOTcom

Manfredo was bought back after Fraza got chicken poxs, and Kaddour got bought back because De La Rosa got hurt and quit. NO ONE came back because of an injury or sickness like you said.

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Bro correct me if I'm wrong but isn't chicken pox a sickness? & wasn't De La Rosa injured?

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Originally Posted by galaxy76

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Originally Posted by jayDOTcom

Manfredo was bought back after Fraza got chicken poxs, and Kaddour got bought back because De La Rosa got hurt and quit. NO ONE came back because of an injury or sickness like you said.

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Bro correct me if I'm wrong but isn't chicken pox a sickness? & wasn't De La Rosa injured?

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LoL yeah thats what i thought ;D

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I remember contenders being brought back because of sickness & injury in the first season

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Bro, get your story straight. I said they were bought back, NOT because THEY were sick and injured. Ain't a hard concept.

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Originally Posted by bilbo

Ok so you can't properly judge the fights, who cares really? If this wasn't the Contender you wouldn't be interested in any of the fights anyhow. When you consider that every other boxing fight you will ever see is full and unedited, this little bit of variety is surely a welcome change.

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I do. These fighters have a career past the show and I have no idea how these fighters are going to fare. It's quite annoying.

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Originally Posted by amat

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Originally Posted by bilbo

Ok so you can't properly judge the fights, who cares really? If this wasn't the Contender you wouldn't be interested in any of the fights anyhow. When you consider that every other boxing fight you will ever see is full and unedited, this little bit of variety is surely a welcome change.

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I do. These fighters have a career past the show and I have no idea how these fighters are going to fare. It's quite annoying.

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True bro, the show does more harn than good for fighters IMO

it is the decision of the fighters. It is great for boxing and has tried to bring it mainstream again... The show is not perfect... I'd love to see the whole fights but....hey... its reality TV :'(

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Originally Posted by galaxy76

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Originally Posted by amat

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Originally Posted by bilbo

Ok so you can't properly judge the fights, who cares really? If this wasn't the Contender you wouldn't be interested in any of the fights anyhow. When you consider that every other boxing fight you will ever see is full and unedited, this little bit of variety is surely a welcome change.

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I do. These fighters have a career past the show and I have no idea how these fighters are going to fare. It's quite annoying.

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True bro, the show does more harn than good for fighters IMO

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It depends on how you look at it. The show has done wonders for Alfonso Gomez, Manfredo, Mora, and Joey Gilbert. They are financially better off now than they ever were or would have been without the show. As far as their careers it hampered Ishe Smith a lot more than any of the others. He was on a better track to a title before the show than he is now. IMO.

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Originally Posted by TyBuff

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Originally Posted by galaxy76

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Originally Posted by amat

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Originally Posted by bilbo

Ok so you can't properly judge the fights, who cares really? If this wasn't the Contender you wouldn't be interested in any of the fights anyhow. When you consider that every other boxing fight you will ever see is full and unedited, this little bit of variety is surely a welcome change.

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I do. These fighters have a career past the show and I have no idea how these fighters are going to fare. It's quite annoying.

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True bro, the show does more harn than good for fighters IMO

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It depends on how you look at it. The show has done wonders for Alfonso Gomez, Manfredo, Mora, and Joey Gilbert. They are financially better off now than they ever were or would have been without the show. As far as their careers it hampered Ishe Smith a lot more than any of the others. He was on a better track to a title before the show than he is now. IMO.

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True bro, I'll agree with you about Mora, Gomez & Gilbert. But Smith & Manfredo were in better positions before the show!

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Originally Posted by galaxy76

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Originally Posted by TyBuff

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Originally Posted by galaxy76

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Originally Posted by amat

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Originally Posted by bilbo

Ok so you can't properly judge the fights, who cares really? If this wasn't the Contender you wouldn't be interested in any of the fights anyhow. When you consider that every other boxing fight you will ever see is full and unedited, this little bit of variety is surely a welcome change.

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I do. These fighters have a career past the show and I have no idea how these fighters are going to fare. It's quite annoying.

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True bro, the show does more harn than good for fighters IMO

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It depends on how you look at it. The show has done wonders for Alfonso Gomez, Manfredo, Mora, and Joey Gilbert. They are financially better off now than they ever were or would have been without the show. As far as their careers it hampered Ishe Smith a lot more than any of the others. He was on a better track to a title before the show than he is now. IMO.

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True bro, I'll agree with you about Mora, Gomez & Gilbert. But Smith & Manfredo were in better positions before the show!

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hep... ccs to both of u. I thought Manfredo was doing great prior to the show now he is more like a straight celeb....good for him but I liked the way it was and as far as Ishe it made him look soft. As far as records go it bruised Manfredo badly

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Originally Posted by galaxy76

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Originally Posted by TyBuff

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Originally Posted by galaxy76

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Originally Posted by amat

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Originally Posted by bilbo

Ok so you can't properly judge the fights, who cares really? If this wasn't the Contender you wouldn't be interested in any of the fights anyhow. When you consider that every other boxing fight you will ever see is full and unedited, this little bit of variety is surely a welcome change.

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I do. These fighters have a career past the show and I have no idea how these fighters are going to fare. It's quite annoying.

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True bro, the show does more harn than good for fighters IMO

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It depends on how you look at it. The show has done wonders for Alfonso Gomez, Manfredo, Mora, and Joey Gilbert. They are financially better off now than they ever were or would have been without the show. As far as their careers it hampered Ishe Smith a lot more than any of the others. He was on a better track to a title before the show than he is now. IMO.

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True bro, I'll agree with you about Mora, Gomez & Gilbert. But Smith & Manfredo were in better positions before the show!

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True about Manfredo, but he has benefitted financially more so than Ishe has. Ishe has benefitted the least from the show.

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Originally Posted by TyBuff

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Originally Posted by galaxy76

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Originally Posted by TyBuff

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Originally Posted by galaxy76

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Originally Posted by amat

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Originally Posted by bilbo

Ok so you can't properly judge the fights, who cares really? If this wasn't the Contender you wouldn't be interested in any of the fights anyhow. When you consider that every other boxing fight you will ever see is full and unedited, this little bit of variety is surely a welcome change.

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I do. These fighters have a career past the show and I have no idea how these fighters are going to fare. It's quite annoying.

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True bro, the show does more harn than good for fighters IMO

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It depends on how you look at it. The show has done wonders for Alfonso Gomez, Manfredo, Mora, and Joey Gilbert. They are financially better off now than they ever were or would have been without the show. As far as their careers it hampered Ishe Smith a lot more than any of the others. He was on a better track to a title before the show than he is now. IMO.

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True bro, I'll agree with you about Mora, Gomez & Gilbert. But Smith & Manfredo were in better positions before the show!

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True about Manfredo, but he has benefitted financially more so than Ishe has. Ishe has benefitted the least from the show.

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Your right on the button bro

i think it would have to be a prediction, since the finale is going to live.

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Originally Posted by Weebels

i think it would have to be a prediction, since the finale is going to live.

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I said i think it is, I'am not sure if it is going to be live like last season.

i think "for myself" that its too early to pick a favorite. I'm not familiar with most of the fighters. IMO the fights are too frequent to fight more rounds. You also have fighters that can go 8, 10, 12 rounds, and have them fight 5. more action, its TV.
And as far as being good or bad for the fighters. This is boxing and as so many on this sight love to preach about, its up to the fighter to win the fight, not the team. If you loose its your own fault, should of, could of, would of, still equals a loss. This is exposure, and if the fighter uses it right, its a good thing. Manfredo, Brinkly, & Gomez, were all the losers that took advantage of their situation. Ishi Smith, could of but didn't. (Id mention more but cant remember their names. That whole exposure thing.) But the show, shows that these fighters aren't machines, criminals, thugs, or most of the stereo typical beliefs of the casual fan has.
It is supposed to show that they don't just go fight. They have to train, stardigise, and get their head straight. On top of the fact they have families. This show is good for boxing, as a whole. I don't know the numbers, but I'm fairly confident that the weekly fight shows numbers have been up since.

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Originally Posted by IRON

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Originally Posted by Weebels

i think it would have to be a prediction, since the finale is going to live.

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I said i think it is, I'am not sure if it is going to be live like last season.

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sorry, it didnt show several responses untill after i posted.

stardigise ???

WTF does this word mean?

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Originally Posted by bilbo

stardigise ???

WTF does this word mean?

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Strategies. Sorry Mrs. Bilbo, would you lika an apple.

anyone think the boxers in this contender sucks compared to last times fighters? i mean mora manfredo smith gomez were all ace boxers but the only guy i recognise this yr is michael stuart just cos he got done in by hatton, n have you seen the guy with the ear piercings and a massive head....swooooaeeeee hah

well, the only reason you can like the guys last season more than this season is because you saw last season already...
why dont ya wait for this one to be over, then repost this thread.

Gary Balletto,
Vinroy barrett
Ebo Elder,
Steve Forbes
Jeff Fraza

are a great set of fighters...

ner it aint like that i knew what was what n who i routed for at the beginning last time im jus not sure now i mean im not dissin the guys on this season i mean i like fraza n k9 n that im jus sayin they jus dont seem to have the same personallity as the last lot, like i duno mayb its cos the last lot bitched alot n u got to know em early ?? but im liking the fact that the random tasks from lsat season have gone and its more just boxing this season.

you knew the personalities of all the guys before the 3 episode last season?
wow ;D

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Originally Posted by Big_Deuce

you knew the personalities of all the guys before the 3 episode last season?
wow ;D

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ahah everybody loves sarcasm, i got my opinions,you got yours but if you ask me the cast this year isnt the same n its not neccesarily episode 3 but was before the second round,n yeh u dont member kaddour? he was callin out ishe i didnt take much to see he was a wanker ...POINT