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"The Contender" - It Will Knock You Out

posted by Kathleen Holland on July 16, 2006, in The Contender

The Contender is a realty television series that gives talented professional boxers a chance to highlight their skills, desire and dedication while competing for the championship and a grand prize of $500,000.

The series, which will begin its second season with a special two hour premiere on Tuesday, July 18 at 10:00 P.M. ET on ESPN, will take you into the lives of 16 welterweight fighters. They will live together, train together and each week one fighter will move on and one fighter will be eliminated.

Here is the way the tournament works. It is very much like the NCAA tournament, in that, each round half of the field will be eliminated. The first round is eight bouts with eight contestants moving on to the quarter-final round and eight going home. The quarter final round consists of four fights, with four participants going on to the semifinals and four being eliminated. The Final four “Contenders” will meet to determine the two finalists, who will square off for the championship bout to be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on September 26 and will be telecast live on ESPN.

The competition is ferocious. These dedicated athletes realize that it is all or nothing and that you don’t get a second chance. If they lose, they go home and if they win, they face another formidable opponent on their way to the championship. They will take you on an emotional journey, highlighting their hopes, fears and dreams. The drama is unscripted and gives the viewer a true look at what boxers actually go through from training, to stepping in the ring, and the ups and downs that each fighter experiences. It will also highlight the feelings of their families and the sacrifices everyone has to make.

A legend in his own time, five time world champion, Sugar Ray Leonard, will host the series and will guide “The Contenders” through one of the most challenging events of their lives. Not only is he a mentor to these fierce competitors, but he is dedicated to the sport of boxing and committed to portraying boxing in a positive light.

“The Contenders” are trained by world class trainer, Tommy Gallagher and professional cruiserweight boxer, Jeremy “Half Man, Half Amazing” Williams.

Gallagher, of New York has been involved in boxing most of his life. In 1959 he won a Golden Gloves Championship, but due to medical reasons never boxed professionally. Instead he found his place in boxing by training, managing, promoting and owning and operating a gym. Some of the fighters on Gallahger’s resume include Doug DeWitt, Vito Antuofermo, Don Lalonde, Lou Savarese, Segundo Mercado and Merqui Sosa. He is married and has four children and nine grandchildren.

Williams, (45-5-1, 38 KOs) of Northridge, California, has been boxing since he was seven years old and is a member of the Golden Gloves Boxing Hall of Fame. On March 19, 1996 Williams scored the faster knockout in California history by knocking out his opponent Arthur “Stormy” Weathers at ten seconds of the first round. He is married and has three children.

“The Contender” is produced by ESPN, Inc., Mark Burnett Productions, and DreamWorks Television. Executive Producers are Mark Burnett, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Sylvester Stallone and Lisa Hennessy. Each 60 minute segment will air on eleven consecutive Tuesdays, beginning July 18, and will conclude with the Championship bout on September 26. “The Contender” has something for everyone. It is a drama that gets up close and personal with the participants and their families and it will show you the sacrifices these talented athletes have to make as well as the sacrifices of their families. You will see the effects it has on them and what they desire for their futures. Boxing is not just a hobby to these men, it is a career and they give it their all. Tune in on July 18. You will be knocked out. It is truly an amazing story.

Story by Kathleen Holland
Photos Courtesy of ESPN

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