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"The Contender" - Bundrage and Bravo Move On, Clark and Cisneros Go Home

posted by Kathleen Holland on July 18, 2006, in The Contender

Sixteen men, a little unsure of what they are about to be faced with, yet ready and eager to embark on a journey they will never forget, have been given an opportunity of a lifetime. “The Contender” Season Two, a reality boxing series, which premiered Tuesday night on ESPN, and will be airing for the next ten weeks, goes into the lives of these dedicated welterweights, highlighting their training, their fight(s) and their feelings before and after the fight. The winner moves on to the next round and the loser goes home.

Legendary five time world champion, “Sugar” Ray Leonard, host of the series, guides the
fighters through their entire journey. First, Leonard asked for two volunteers. Michael Clark, and Nick Acevedo volunteered and then were instructed by Leonard to take a shirt, Clark a gold one and Acevedo a blue one They would then choose sides, Clark choosing for the gold team and Acevedo choosing for the blue team. They chose sides, just as if they were in a schoolyard. Once the teams were designated, they were instructed to choose a representative to fight in the first bout which would be the next night. It is important to the team, for their representative to win, as it gives that team the advantage of choosing both fighters for the next bout.

Each team chose their own member that would fight. They would be Michael Clark, (35-4, 16 KOs) of the blue team and Cornelius “K-9” Bundrage, (21-1, 13 KOs) of the gold team. The 5 round bout was very competitive with each fighter winning two of the first four rounds. With the fight on the line, both fighters gave it their all. Clark suffered a knock down in the fifth, and the majority decision went to Bundrage, who moved on to the second round, and a shocked and emotional Michael Clark was eliminated.

Because the blue team won the first bout, this gave them the right to choose both of the fighters for the next bout, one from the blue team and one from the gold team. The next two fighters to compete would be Norberto Bravo, (20-10-3, 12 KOs) of the gold team, and Rudy Cisneros, (8-2, 7 KOs) of the blue team. Both fighters showed a lot of heart and the bout was action packed. The winner by split decision was Bravo, who is now a member of the final eight contenders and Cisneros went home.

The show is unscripted, and the action-packed fights are very entertaining. There is something for everyone, from the drama that surrounds the lives of the fighters and their families to the “thrill of victory and the agony of defeat”.

Watch “The Contender” Tuesday nights on ESPN.

Story by Kathleen Holland
Images courtesy of ESPN

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