MightyGloves.com

“The Contender” – And The Winner Is Grady Brewer

posted by Kathleen Holland on September 27, 2006, in The Contender

LOS ANGELES – Grady Brewer (22-11, 12 KOs) of Lawton, Oklahoma was crowned the champion of The Tournament of the Contender on Tuesday night at the Staples Center by defeating Steve Forbes (32-4, 9 KO’s) of Las Vegas by split decision in a ten round welterweight bout. Forbes, who moved up in weight class for the tournament, never seemed to figure out Brewer’s unorthodox style, and the bigger and more powerful Brewer was able to use his height and reach to propel him to victory.

In the most exciting bout of the evening, Cornelius “K-9” Bundrage (24-2, 14 KOs) stopped Norberto Bravo (22-13-2, 13 KOs) with a seventh round TKO. Both fighters showed an exciting display of athleticism and determination. K-9, who appeared to be tired toward the end of the fight, had a point deducted in round 6 for repeatedly pushing Bravo down. The bout was stopped in the seventh round after Bundrage bombarded Bravo with a barrage of blows that left Bravo stunned.

Freddy Curiel (16-6-2, 6 KOs) scored a unanimous decision over Aaron Torres ( 14-4, 6 KOs) in a highly competitive 6 round welterweight bout that thrilled the audience. Both fighters fought like true “Contenders” exchanging punches continually throughout every round. Curiel commented that the experience had been a real dream come true for him and he is looking forward to furthering his career. An emotional Torres believed he was unfairly penalized a point for holding which he feels cost him the fight. The 27 year old Torres indicated that he may retire from boxing, which would be a big loss to the sport.

Walter “Two Guns” Wright (12-2, 6 KOs) gave Vinroy “Slick” Barrett (21-6, 11 KOs) more than he could handle and scored a 5th round TKO in a six round super welterweight matchup. It seemed that Wright continually hurt Barrett and ultimately ended the fight after Barrett suffered a hurt shoulder.

In the first bout of the evening, Nick Acevedo (17-2-1, 9 KOs) scored a unanimous decision over Nurhan Suleymanoglu (16-5, 8 KOs) in a six round super welterweight bout. Suleymanoglu suffered a knockdown in the fifth and sixth rounds, but was able to recover and continue. Both fighters gave it the crowd a great competitive bout.

Story by Kathleen Holland
Photos by Chris McGee

Watch for our complete photo gallery to be posted on Thursday.

« Previous article: “The Contender” – Forbes and Brewer Will Meet in Finale

Next article: Photo Gallery - "The Contender" Season 2 Finale Brewer VS. Forbes »