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The Contender Special - Put Up or Shut Up

posted by mightygloves.com on October 16, 2006

Main Event – Super Middleweights
“The Pride of Providence” Peter Manfredo, Jr. (26-3, 12 KOs), Providence, RI
WTKO3 (1:01)
Joey “KO Kid” Spina (19-1-1, 14 KOS), Providence, RI

Co-Feature – Super Middleweights
Allan “Sweetness” Green (23-0, 16 KOs), Tulsa, OK
WTKO8 (2:24)
Jerson “SuperJerz” Ravelo (17-2, 12 KOs), Newark, NJ

Lightweights
‘Hammerin’” Hank Lundy (3-0, 2 KOs), Providence, RI
WTKO1 (1:12)
Mike Williams (3-3, 3 KOs), Tuscaloosa, AL

Featherweights
Jose Sanchez (1-0, 1 KO), Pawtucket, RI
WTKO4 (2:20)
Rasool Shakoor (0-2), Detroit, MI

Light Welterweights
“The Puerto Rican Sensation” Eddie Soto (6-0, 4 KOs), Pawtucket, RI
WDEC4 (40-35, 40-35, 40-35)
Felisberto “The Joker” Fernandes (4-5, 2 KOs), Boston, MA

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The Contender 2 Delivers Knockout Punch

posted by mightygloves.com on October 6, 2006

ESPN’s critically acclaimed boxing series The Contender, hosted by boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard and produced by Mark Burnett Productions and DreamWorks Television in association with Rogue Marble Entertainment, delivered its highest numbers for its second season to date and the highest rated ESPN boxing telecast in nine years, with its finale from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California last Tuesday night, September 26. The telecast drew a 1.9 rating and over 2.3 million viewers for the two hour finale. The ratings for Tuesday night’s season finale solidified the already strong season-to-date ratings, proving the switch to ESPN for season two was a successful one. In addition, STAPLES Center saw record numbers in tickets sales for a boxing event this year with over 12,000 in attendance.

“The Contender 2 was an incredible success for us with solid ratings throughout the entire season on ESPN,” said series executive producer and promoter Mark Burnett. “To cap off the season with the amazing crowd response we received, both with the overwhelming audience in attendance at STAPLES Center and the largest rating all season on ESPN, we couldn’t be more thrilled.”

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Tournament Of Contenders Picks of Season 2 Fighters

posted by mightygloves.com

Tournament of Contenders, LLC (TOC), the boxing promotional company for ESPN’s critically acclaimed boxing series The Contender, announced today the signing of season two fighters Grady “Bad Boy” Brewer (19-11), Steve “2 Pound” Forbes (32-4), Cornelius “K9” Bundrage (24-2), Norberto (Nito) “El Gallito” Bravo (24-13-3), “Furious” Freddy Curiel (16-6-2), Walter “2 Guns” Wright (12-2), and Nick Acevedo (17-2) to the Contender Boxing Team,. They will be joining season one Contender Champion Sergio “The Latin Snake” Mora (19-0), Peter “The Pride of Providence” Manfredo Jr. (25-3), Alfonso Gomez (15-3-2) and Jerson Revalo (17-1).

Since winning the Contender Season One Championship, Mora has maintained an undefeated record that includes his rematch against Manfredo Jr. at STAPLES Center in October 2005, his seventh round knockout of hard-hitting Archak "The Shark Attack" TerMeliksetian at the Aladdin in Las Vegas in May 2006, and a convincing ten round unanimous decision over International Boxing Association (IBA) Continental Middleweight Champion Eric Regan in Regan's hometown of Sacramento, California at the Arco Arena last August. Mora is currently ranked eighth in the world at 160 pounds by the International Boxing Organization (IBO) computerized ranking system. He hopes to fight again later this year before taking on a major opponent in the first half of 2007.

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"The Contender" Highest Rated Boxing Telecast In Nine Years

posted by mightygloves.com on September 29, 2006

ESPN’s top-rated ESPN Original Entertainment (EOE) series The Contender, produced in conjunction with Mark Burnett Productions and DreamWorks, posted its highest rating with Tuesday night’s live, two-hour finale from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles. The telecast, which saw Grady “Bad Boy” Brewer crowned Contender champion, earned a 1.9 rating representing more than 1.7 million homes and 2.3 million viewers P2+, and further solidified the series’ rating (1.4 for more than 1.2 million homes) over the same time slot in 2005 by 56% and all key demographics by more than 100%. Also, it was the highest-rated boxing telecast on ESPN in nine years dating back to a Jan. 1, 1997 (2.0 rating). Complementing the telecast, ESPN’s multi-media platforms offered live video on ESPN.com and ESPN360 on-demand where fans could view two undercard bouts from the event exclusively.

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“The Contender” Attracts New Group of Boxing Fans

posted by Kathleen Holland on September 28, 2006

Over the last eleven weeks boxing fans witnessed 16 welterweight fighters competing against each other for a shot at a half million dollars. The guys lived together, trained together and fought each other. After covering the entire season two series, I found one very interesting “reality” about this reality series. Since I was covering the show and the finale, I was especially inquisitive with people I would come into contact with if they followed the series. A substantial amount of people I talked to actually did follow the show and I would then ask if they were boxing fans. The response was the same most of the time. That answer would be “not really”. Then what was their attraction to the show. The response was that they liked to know about the fighters and their families. Most of “The Contender” fans that I talked to had developed a “relationship” with their favorite fighter or fighters and are looking forward to seeing where their careers take them.

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Photo Gallery - "The Contender" Season 2 Finale Weighin

posted by mightygloves.com

Photo Gallery - "The Contender" Season 2 Finale Postfight Press Conference

posted by mightygloves.com

"The Contender" Season 2 Finale Undercard Bouts

posted by mightygloves.com

Photo Gallery - "The Contender" Season 2 Finale Brewer VS. Forbes

posted by mightygloves.com

“The Contender” – And The Winner Is Grady Brewer

posted by Kathleen Holland on September 27, 2006

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.

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“The Contender” – Forbes and Brewer Will Meet in Finale

posted by Kathleen Holland on September 25, 2006

The Final is set for “The Contender” with both finalists, Steve Forbes and Grady Brewer weighing in at 149 pounds for the championship bout which will be held Tuesday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be televised live on ESPN beginning at 10:00 P.M. ET. The winner will receive a grand prize of $500,000.

The welterweight bout is scheduled for ten rounds and promises to be a battle from the start with both fighters predicting victory in this life changing event, as was evidenced by Grady Brewer, as he became very emotional during the press conference and promised that he would give the performance of his life.

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“The Contender” - Forbes Takes Bundrage and Brewer Beats Bravo.

posted by Kathleen Holland on September 20, 2006

Steve “Two Pound” Forbes scored a unanimous decision over Cornelius “K-9” Bundrage in a five round welterweight semi-final bout to become the first finalist in “The Contender” tournament, and Grady “Bad Boy” Brewer won by majority decision against Norberto Bravo in an extremely close five round welterweight match that could have gone either way. Forbes and Brewer will compete in the finale at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California next Tuesday, September 26 at 10:00 P.M. for the championship and a grand prize of $500,000.

The fight of the night and maybe even of the tournament was the bout between Brewer and Bravo. These two warriors gave it their all and exchanged constant barrages of punches, never letting up. The bout was so close and there was so much action that it was hard to score the fight. Brewer was the ultimate winner.

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“The Contender” - Steve Forbes First Member of Final Four

posted by Kathleen Holland on August 30, 2006

Steve “Two Pound” Forbes became the first member of “The Contender” final four when he beat Nick Acevedo by split decision in a five round welterweight bout, the first bout of the quarterfinals. The fight started out with action from both competitors and was back and forth through the third round.

Acevedo became very tired in the third round after he attacked Forbes with a barrage of punches that left Forbes stunned. Forbes took quite a bit of punishment in the third round, but was able to recover and controlled the fourth and fifth rounds to take the victory by split decision.

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“The Contender” - Forbes, Acevedo Score Unanimous Decisions in Double Header

posted by Kathleen Holland on August 24, 2006

Former IBF lightweight champion, Steve “two pound” Forbes won a unanimous decision over Freddy Curiel and Nick Acevedo scored a unanimous decision over Jeff Fraza on a special episode of “The Contender” to complete the first round and giving the blue team a 5 – 3 advantage over the gold team.

These two fights were everything that the fans could have hoped for. The grueling action and the determination and heart of all the fighters kept the fans on the edge of their seats.

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“The Contender” – Stewart TKO’s Ebo in the 4th

posted by Kathleen Holland on August 15, 2006

Respect was the name of the game in the sixth installment of “The Contender”, when Michael Stewart of the blue team stepped up to fight his choice, Ebo Elder of the gold team and scored a thrilling TKO over Ebo at 1:52 of round four.

Ebo came out strong throwing impressive combinations that obviously affected Stewart, even though Stewart hit Elder with some good body shots. Ebo kept throwing combinations and was winning the fight until Stewart stormed out in thunderous style in the 4th, and after throwing barrages of punches that dazed Ebo, hit him with a left hook that sent Ebo to the canvas at 1:52 and Stewart won the fight by TKO.

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"The Contender" - Brewer Sends Barrett Home

posted by Kathleen Holland on August 9, 2006

Grady “Bad Boy” Brewer (20-11, 12 KOs) of the blue team scored a unanimous decision over Vinroy “Slick” Barrett (21-6, 11 KOs) in the fifth installment of “The Contender” Tuesday night. The five round welterweight bout was dominated by Brewer, according to the Judges scorecards, which were 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47, even after a head butt caused a cut over his right eye in the third round. Barrett countered with some good shots, but he was unable to handle Brewer's style. The blue team now leads the gold team 3-2.

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"The Contender" - Wright Destroys Eason

posted by Kathleen Holland on August 1, 2006

Walter “Two Guns” Wright of the gold team scored a unanimous decision over Andre Eason Tuesday night on ESPN2’s“The Contender” series. All three judges gave Wright every round.

Eason was knocked down in the first round. He managed to get up, but his wild flailing style allowed Wright to hit him, pretty much, at will. Both teams have had two fighters eliminated and two moving on.

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"The Contender"- Gary Balletto Moves On

posted by Kathleen Holland on July 25, 2006

Aaron Torres of the Blue team squared off against Gary Balletto of the gold team for a chance to move on to the second round of “The Contender”, in the third fight of the tournament.

The way I saw it, the first round went to Torres, but Balletto came back to take the second round. The third round was closer, and even though Balletto threw wild flailing punches, was off balance and seemed very awkward, he still did enough to win the round. The fourth went to Torres, who dominated the round, attacking Balletto with a barrage of punches that left him dazed. The fifth and final round, again, would decide the bout. The final round could have gone either way, but the judges awarded the bout to the winner by split decision, Gary Balletto.

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

posted by Kathleen Holland on July 18, 2006

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.

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"The Contender" Season 2 Premiere

posted by mightygloves.com

Don’t miss the premiere of “The Contender” season 2 on Tuesday, July 18 at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN. The series showcases welterweight boxers as they compete for the Championship and a grand prize of $500,000. "The Contender" will run for eleven consecutive weeks with the Championship bout on September 26 LIVE from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Be sure to watch for Mightygloves.com coverage to be posted each Wednesday.

"The Contender" - It Will Knock You Out

posted by Kathleen Holland on July 16, 2006

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.

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Meet "The Contenders"

posted by mightygloves.com on July 13, 2006

The Contender: Season 2 is set to premiere July 18th at 10:00 PM ET on ESPN. Meet each of these 16 "Contenders" and get ready for some serious boxing as these men battle for the Belt of the Contender.

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The Contender: Season 2

posted by mightygloves.com

Have you ever stopped to think about what it takes to box professionally, or wondered what goes into a boxer’s training, or how it affects their lives and the lives of their families, their feelings and emotions that take control of them before they enter the ring? If you missed season one of “The Contender”, an unscripted reality series highlighting the lives of 16 boxers as they compete for a shot at the championship, then you are in luck. A special two hour premiere of season two will air on July 18 at 10 P.M. ET on ESPN. A new sixty minute episode will air each Tuesday and will run for 11 consecutive weeks. The network also plans to make additional content available across its multiple platforms, including ESPN.com, ESPN360, ESPN Motion and Mobile ESPN.

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Mora wins with 7th round TKO, remains undefeated

posted by mightygloves.com on May 4, 2006

LAS VEGAS - Latin Warriors genuinely describe the intensity and determination in each and every one of the "Contenders" who gave the crowd a real boxing treat, Thursday, May 4, 2006 at the Aladdin Theater for the Performing Arts. Sergio Mora, (17-0-0) current champion of the Contender series scored a technical knockout against Archak TerMeliksetian, (15-3-0) with 16 seconds left in the 7th round and remains undefeated.

The Light Middleweight fight, which was scheduled for ten rounds, was stopped by Referee Robert Byrd when Mora repeatedly hit TerMeliksetian. Byrd warned TerMeliksetian to "show me something" before calling an end to the bout after he failed to respond to the battering of punches. However, TerMeliksetian believed the stoppage was premature and was clearly upset. Mora suffered a flash knock down in the second round but remained in control of the fight.

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