The Contender 2
Encyclopedia
The Contender 2 is a reality television
show based on the sport of boxing
, but with an element of the (welterweight
) competitor's lives and relationships with each other within the show's living quarters, based in Pasadena, California
. Filmed in January and February 2006, the show began airing on July 18, 2006. The winner of The Contender Season 2 was decided in a bout at the Staples Center
, Los Angeles
, broadcast live on September 26, 2006, winning a purse of US$500,000. The Contender 2 was shown on ESPN
in the USA, in the UK on ITV4
, in Canada
on TSN
, in Australia
on FOX8
, on TV2 in New Zealand
and on AXN
in Asia.
The show took the format of a gameshow, with the boxers divided into two teams (blue and gold) in a "playground pick" on the first episode. These teams competed for the right to choose which of their team members fights that week, and who he fights against. The second half of the hour long episodes are mostly taken up with that fight: the loser is eliminated.
The program was hosted by Sugar Ray Leonard
, former champion boxer. Sylvester Stallone
, who famously portrayed the boxer Rocky Balboa in the Rocky
series of films, is the show's executive producer. It was also produced by Mark Burnett
. Unlike in season 1, Stallone does not appear on camera; at the time the series was taped, he was making Rocky Balboa
, the sixth installment in the Rocky
movie series. The movie premiered in December 2006.
Grady got ahead early with body shots. Steve then beat him inside in the 4th and 5th. There was slow fighting until the end of the bout, but Grady landed more punches in the final 5 rounds. Grady won in a split decision. The scores were: David Mendoza 93-97, Max DeLuca 96-94 and José Cobián 94-96.
For third place, Cornelius beat Norberto by TKO in the 7th round of 8. Cornelius knocked Norberto down in the 2nd, and was eventually penalized a point for shoving, but overall the match was one-sided, as Cornelius simply jabbed and set up straight rights to win.
As undercard bouts on the final, Walter beat Vinroy by TKO in the 4th of 6, Freddy beat Aaron by unanimous decision in 6, and Nick beat Nurhan Suleymanoglu
by unanimous decision in 6.
Storm Large
, who was a contestant on Burnett's Rock Star: Supernova, sang "The Star Spangled Banner" prior to the card.
(Numbers refer to the episode in which the fight took place.)
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
show based on the sport of boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, but with an element of the (welterweight
Welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...
) competitor's lives and relationships with each other within the show's living quarters, based in Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
. Filmed in January and February 2006, the show began airing on July 18, 2006. The winner of The Contender Season 2 was decided in a bout at the Staples Center
Staples Center
Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. Opening on October 17, 1999, it is one of the major sporting facilities in the Greater Los Angeles...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, broadcast live on September 26, 2006, winning a purse of US$500,000. The Contender 2 was shown on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
in the USA, in the UK on ITV4
ITV4
ITV4 is a British television station which was launched on 1 November 2005. It is owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc, and is part of the ITV network. The channel has a male-oriented line-up, including sport, cop shows and US comedies and dramas, as well as classic ITV action...
, in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on TSN
The Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
, in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
on FOX8
FOX8
Fox8 is an Australian cable and satellite channel available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television's subscription platforms...
, on TV2 in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and on AXN
AXN
AXN is a Pay television, cable and satellite television channel owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, which was first launched on May 22, 1997. The network is now spread across several regions in the world, including Japan, Europe, other parts of Asia and Latin America...
in Asia.
The show took the format of a gameshow, with the boxers divided into two teams (blue and gold) in a "playground pick" on the first episode. These teams competed for the right to choose which of their team members fights that week, and who he fights against. The second half of the hour long episodes are mostly taken up with that fight: the loser is eliminated.
The program was hosted by Sugar Ray Leonard
Sugar Ray Leonard
Sugar Ray Leonard is an American retired professional boxer and occasional actor. He was named Ray Charles Leonard, after his mother's favorite singer, Ray Charles...
, former champion boxer. Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone
Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...
, who famously portrayed the boxer Rocky Balboa in the Rocky
Rocky
Rocky is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and both written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It tells the rags to riches American Dream story of Rocky Balboa, an uneducated but kind-hearted debt collector for a loan shark in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
series of films, is the show's executive producer. It was also produced by Mark Burnett
Mark Burnett
Mark Burnett is a British television producer and executive producer, based in the United States. He currently is the executive producer of five network television series with seven hours of network programming. Works with which Burnett is associated have won multiple awards and recognition...
. Unlike in season 1, Stallone does not appear on camera; at the time the series was taped, he was making Rocky Balboa
Rocky Balboa (film)
Rocky Balboa is the sixth and final film in the Rocky franchise, directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone. The film, which was also written by Stallone who plays underdog boxer Rocky Balboa, is the sixth film in the Rocky series that began with the Academy Award-winning Rocky thirty years...
, the sixth installment in the Rocky
Rocky
Rocky is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and both written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It tells the rags to riches American Dream story of Rocky Balboa, an uneducated but kind-hearted debt collector for a loan shark in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
movie series. The movie premiered in December 2006.
Contestants
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| Nick Acevedo Nick Acevedo Nick Acevedo is a professional boxer. He has won the IBA Intercontinental Welterweight title.Acevedo became a professional boxer at age 19, and amassed a near-perfect 15–1–0 record in 17 fights before retiring in... |
Gary "Tiger" Balletto Gary Balletto Gary Balletto is a boxer. He has once won minor lightweight titles . Outside the ring, in his hometown of Providence, Rhode Island, Balletto is the New England representative for the Joint Association of Boxers , owns a boxing gym, and is married with three children.Balletto turned pro just 10... |
| Norberto "El Gallito" Bravo Norberto Bravo Norberto Bravo is a Mexican-American professional boxer, and is a contestant on the ESPN reality show "Contender Season 2". As was revealed on the show in a web clip, Bravo suffers from colorblindness... |
Vinroy "Slick" Barrett Vinroy Barrett Vinroy Barrett, , is a professional boxer. He is a former WBF Americas Welterweight titleholder.Before becoming a professional boxer, Barrett had a very successful amateur career, winning the Jamaican Amateur Championships four times, achieving an alternate spot on the Jamaican National Team and... |
| Grady "Bad Boy" Brewer Grady Brewer Grady Brewer, , is a professional boxer. A former IBA Light Middleweight titleholder, he is the 2006 winner of the ESPN reality show, The Contender. Outside the ring, he works at the Goodyear plant in Lawton to support his wife and four children.In a family of boxers, it was natural that Brewer... |
Rudy Cisneros Rudy Cisneros Rudy Cisneros is a professional boxer, and was a contestant on the ESPN reality show "Contender Season 2". He is also studying architecture at Northern Michigan University.... |
| Cornelius "K-9" Bundrage Cornelius Bundrage Cornelius Bundrage, , is a professional boxer and current IBF Junior Middleweight Champion. He is a former UBA Light Middleweight champion and was member of the ESPN reality show, The Contender.-Pro career:... |
Michael "Cold Blood" Clark Michael Clark (boxer) Michael Clark is a professional boxer. He has twice won the IBC lightweight title. Commonly known by his stagename, "Cold Blood", he has also held the NABF lightweight title, and been a challenger for the WBO title.... |
| Freddy "Furious Freddy" Curiel Freddy Curiel Freddy Curiel is a professional boxer. He was a contestant on the ESPN reality show, Contender Season 2.Curiel began boxing as an amateur at age 14, and quickly turned professional at age 17... |
Ebo "The X-treme Machine" Elder Ebo Elder Ebo Elder, , is a former professional boxer. He is a former WBO NABO Lightweight titleholder, and has also held the IBA Continental Light Welterweight Title as well as the WBO Inter-Continental Light Welterweight Title.-Pro Boxing Career:Ebo began boxing at the age of two when his father bought him... |
| Andre "Daredevil" Eason Andre Eason Andre Eason is a professional boxer. He appeared on the reality show, Contender Season 2, where he lost to Walter Wright.... |
Steve "2 Pound" Forbes |
| Micheal "No Joke" Stewart Micheal Stewart (boxer) Micheal Stewart is a professional boxer. He has held the USBA light welterweight title. In perhaps his most high-profile bout, he was knocked out by Ricky Hatton in round 5. He also lost an IBF title fight by decision to Sharmba Mitchell.Micheal was a contestant on the reality series, Contender... |
Jeff "Hell Raza" Fraza Jeff Fraza Jeffery Toney "Hell Raza" Fraza is a professional boxer.He was a contestant on the NBC reality TV show The Contender... |
| Aaron Torres Aaron Torres Aaron Torres is a professional boxer.Before he turned pro, Torres won the 1998 Golden Gloves in his weight class. Torres won the bronze medal at the 1999 Pan American Games. As a pro, he defeated fifteen fighters before facing the 17–4–1 Louis Santiago in a fight where lost in the 9th of 12 rounds... |
Walter "2 Guns" Wright Walter Wright (boxer) Walter Wright is an American professional boxer.As an amateur, Wright amassed a 90-12 record, which led to high expectations for him as a professional. He opened his pro career by losing in his boxing debut to Matt O'Brien by knockout, despite leading on all three cards... |
Episode guide
Episode numbers refer to the progression of matches in the tourney. Episodes one and two aired together at full length, while seven and eight, eleven and twelve, and thirteen and fourteen were one-hour "doubleheaders" featuring two bouts.| EPISODE | Original US Air Date |
About the Episode | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7/18/06 | The Contenders arrive and are split up into their teams before moving into a communal loft apartment: the teams each have a large room to themselves for sleeping and strategy. They spend a day training and sparring, then are woken at 5 AM the next day for roadwork. The first fight is chosen by volunteers from each team. Michael Clark represents Gold and Cornelius "K9" Bundrage for Blue. Clark apparently underestimated Bundrage in the first 2 rounds, but then came back to win 2 of his own, in front of his adopted father/boxing coach and fiancee, until Bundrage throws a punch to knock Clark down in the fifth round, securing the win by majority decision (2 judges saying he won, 1 saying it was a tie). |
Winner: Blue |
| 2 | 7/18/06 | The blue team were rewarded for their victory in the first fight with a dinner with Alfonso Gomez Alfonso Gomez Alfonso Salvador Gómez Becerra is a Mexican professional boxer. He was a competitor on the reality TV show The Contender, where he ended up ranked third out of sixteen fighters.-Personal life:... . Cornelius chooses to fight in the second fight of the second round. The blue team also get to choose this week's matchup. The gold team is shown weighing themselves in the trainer's room (they have to fight as welterweights, at 149 lbs). Rudy Cisneros is shown having difficulty making weight, weighing in at 160 lbs. Norberto was chosen to fight Rudy, due to the weight problem. Rudy was shown running with a sweatsuit to lose the 10 lbs in 14 hours—both fighters weighed in at under 149 for the bout. To the fight then, where Norberto easily won rounds 1 and 3, and Rudy stepped it up to take rounds 2 and 4. However, Norberto had enough energy to take the final round, and won by split decision, with judge Max DeLuca scoring 49-46 Norberto, judge Lou Moret scoring 48-47 Rudy, and judge Fritz Warner scoring 49-46 Norberto. |
Winner: Blue |
| 3 | 7/25/06 | Norberto chooses to place himself in the last fight of the second round. Some of the members of the blue team question his choice, noting that fighting last in the second round means a long rest between the first round and the second, but very little between the second and the third. In the loft, there is a lot of trash-talking by members of both teams, setting the stage for a rivalry between Grady and Vinroy—Vinroy accuses Grady of trying to duck out on fighting him, while Grady reminds the gold team that blue makes the decisions for this fight. There is a training scene, where Alfonso Gomez Alfonso Gomez Alfonso Salvador Gómez Becerra is a Mexican professional boxer. He was a competitor on the reality TV show The Contender, where he ended up ranked third out of sixteen fighters.-Personal life:... spars with several contestants. Then, Aaron is chosen to fight Gary. During the interviews of Gary and Aaron, Gary goes over his fight strategy while Aaron spends most of his time trash-talking Gary, saying "If I lose to Gary, I'll retire" Aaron believes Gary is a good boxer, but would not win because he didn't have enough motivation. Gary's plan for the fight seems to be to go for a quick KO, punching hard, while Aaron is trying to box and bob his way inside Gary's reach and hold his arms when he swings big. The first round, Gary is shown landing some large shots to Aaron, but Aaron is effective at tying the bigger man up and lands some bombs of his own. In the second, Gary is the aggressor, while Aaron seems to be mostly bobbing and weaving out of the way of punches. Same for the third round, where Aaron accidentally grabs Gary's knee and lifts, knocking Gary down. Between rounds, Gary is shown bleeding, while Aaron is merely sweaty. In the fourth round, Aaron seems to hurt Gary, then slips and falls. In the fifth round, both boxers stand toe-to-toe and slug—the ring announcer refers to it as "boxing in a phonebooth." The final result is Dr. James Jen-Kin 48-47 for Balletto, Marty Denkin 47-48 for Torres and Chuck Hassett 48-47 Balletto. |
Winner: Gold |
| 4 | 8/1/06 | While the gold team lauds Gary on his victory, Blue discusses the implications of Aaron's loss. Grady uses the opportunity to again insult Aaron, saying he should have been the one to fight instead of Aaron. The gold team are all given Polaroid Polaroid Corporation Polaroid Corporation is an American-based international consumer electronics and eyewear company, originally founded in 1937 by Edwin H. Land. It is most famous for its instant film cameras, which reached the market in 1948, and continued to be the company's flagship product line until the February... digital camera Digital camera A digital camera is a camera that takes video or still photographs, or both, digitally by recording images via an electronic image sensor. It is the main device used in the field of digital photography... s as a reward, and Gary also receives a framed photo of the fight. Saying it was partially due to the injuries suffered in the battle against Aaron, Gary chooses to fight in the last bout of round two, against Norberto, who says that his plan is to try to re-open the cut by Gary's left eye. There is a training sequence, first the contestants have to stack tires in a truck with Tommy, then hit focus mitts with Jeremy. Walter is shown working hard at training, while Andre is shown as much slower and less enthusiastic. Grady spends some time talking with his family, and the teams then discuss who's fighting next. The blue team expects Vinroy to call out Grady, but the gold team uses the power to choose to play head games with the blue team. Instead, Walter toes the line, and chooses to fight Andre. There is also a scene showing a close relationship between Cornelius and Andre, where Cornelius discusses the Bible with Andre and even says he is like "a little brother". In the fight, Andre is knocked down in the 1st round. It seems Walter has a good chance to win the match by KO, but he gets cocky and shows off some instead. Andre never manages to win a round; Walter wins 50-44 on all three cards in the show's first unanimous victory.
|
Winner: Gold |
| 5 | 8/8/06 | There is a recap of the previous action, then in-ring congratulations to Walter from his girlfriend and Sugar Ray. Back at the loft, the contestants await Walter's return, and they laud him when he comes up the elevator. "Sugar" Shane Mosley Shane Mosley “Sugar” Shane Mosley is an American professional boxer from Pomona, California who has held world titles in three weight divisions.-Amateur career:Mosley was an amateur standout, capturing various amateur titles, including:... arrives with the reward for the victorious Gold team—designer leather jackets and sunglasses for everyone. There is a training sequence, with various contestants sparring with Mosely, including Walter (who uses the opportunity to try to showcase his talents). Then, they are shown running behind Tommy in a pickup truck, and Alfonso Gomez is shown sparring with them. Walter and Cornelius exchange words, setting up another rivalry on the show. The time comes for selecting the position that Walter will fight in for the quarterfinals; he indicates that he's torn between fighting first and fighting against Cornelius; when he puts his plate in the slot for week nine, Cornelius taunts him, saying "smart choice", and Walter decides to change his decision; he will fight Cornelius in the quarterfinals. Then, the fight selection for this episode; Vinroy calls out Grady. Grady is shown talking to his wife and kids, while Vinroy calls his family back in Jamaica Jamaica Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic... . Just before the fight, he is surprised by his wife and two girls showing up in the locker room. The fighters talk about their plans, and Jeff Goldblum Jeff Goldblum Jeffrey Lynn "Jeff" Goldblum is an American actor. His career began in the mid-1970s and he has appeared in major box-office successes including The Fly, Jurassic Park and its sequel Jurassic Park: The Lost World, and Independence Day... is shown in the audience just before the introductions. Grady apparently wins the first round handily, cornering Vinroy and out-punching him; the second round has the same theme, with Grady cornering Vinroy and not letting up. In the third round, Vinroy "accidentally" headbutts Grady, cutting him by his right eye. The referee pauses the bout for the doctor to examine Grady, who is deemed fit to continue. Vinroy appears to win this round, coming behind his jab to score. Grady fights defensively in the fourth round, but Vinroy appears unable to capitalize on it, sticking with the jab only. In the fifth round, both boxers stand toe-to-toe and slug it out, which is to Grady's advantage, being shorter; later on in the round, Grady chases Vinroy around the ring, catching him on the ropes to win the round. Grady wins by unanimous decision, Dr. James Jen-Kin scoring 48-47, with Marty Denkin and Fritz Warner both scoring it 49-46. |
Winner: Blue |
| 6 | 8/15/06 | Grady is shown receiving six stitches near his eye, where Vinroy caught him with the headbutt. When he returns, he is lauded by his team-mates for his victory. The ceremony where he chooses a slot to fight in for the next round isn't shown in full like in previous weeks, but he chooses to fight in week eleven. The contestants get to meet Willie McGinest Willie McGinest William Lee "Willie" McGinest, Jr. is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League.-Early life and career:... , who gives the blue team designer wristwatches as a reward for Grady's victory. The contestants train, and talk about Steve Forbes' record. The blue team argue amongst themselves about who's fighting next. When the time comes to choose, Michael Stewart chooses to fight Ebo. When the men's wives are interviewed, it turns out that the two families have become close, and Ebo's wife hopes that the relationship will continue regardless of the outcome of the fight. The morning before the fight, Michael and Ebo have breakfast together, both commenting on how unusual it is to do so; they both say how much they respect each other in interviews. In the first round of the fight, Ebo seemed to dominate, closing with jabs and forcing Michael to the ropes; Michael lands a couple of big shots, but not enough to win the round. In the second and third rounds, Ebo tries the same game plan, successfully, although in both cases, Michael lands more big shots than Ebo; Ebo's volume wins out. In the fourth round, Michael lands a huge left hook, stunning Ebo, and slowing him. After this point, every time they close, Michael manages to land a power punch, culminating in a knockout punch coming from a left hook. Ebo manages to rise by the count of nine, but when he is asked to walk towards the referee, he stumbles and keeps his hands down, so the referee ends the fight at that point, 1:52 in the fourth round. After the fight, both men talk with their wives and the camera, discussing their feelings about fighting a friend; Michael seems especially broken-up, saying he'd have to pray for Ebo's family, and thanking the referee for stopping the fight before Ebo got hurt. Ebo is taken away in an ambulance as a precaution; the ring doctor indicates that he's worried that there might be slow bleeding in Ebo's brain. |
Winner: Blue |
| 7 | 8/22/06 | The contestants discuss the upcoming two bouts—Freddy is unsure about boxing Steve, as Michael was supposed to box Steve instead of Ebo. However, he says "to be the best, you've got to beat the best", referring to Steve's world title. Jeff and Nick wish each other luck, and we see the men's pre-fight routine; Nick trains, while Jeff relaxes. After the fight selection (Freddy chooses Steve, and Nick defaults to fighting Jeff), Freddy has dinner with his family, who all express confidence in him. On fight day, during the introductions for the first fight (Nick vs Jeff), we see Joe Pantoliano Joe Pantoliano Joseph Peter "Joe" Pantoliano is an American film and television actor. He played the character of Ralph Cifaretto on The Sopranos, Bob Keane in La Bamba, Cypher in The Matrix, Teddy in Memento, Francis Fratelli in The Goonies, Guido "the Killer Pimp" in Risky Business, and Jennifer Tilly's... and Burt Reynolds Burt Reynolds Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its... in the crowd. The men square off in the center of the ring, trading punches, with Nick getting slightly the better of Jeff in both power and number of punches landed. Sergio and Sugar Ray comment on how good Nick's form is, and Sergio says to Burt that Nick won the round. The second round finds Jeff getting backed up by Nick, who seemingly lands body blows at will. Jeremy, Jeff's trainer, lets him know that he's down 2 rounds now. In the third round, Jeff seems to mount more of an offence, using his jab effectively to set up big punches, but Nick doesn't take it lying down, as he counters well throughout the round. Jeff is shown with a cut over his left eye in between rounds. For the fourth round, the two men again trade bows, perhaps a bit more evenly than in the first round; Jeff seems to think he won the round, as does Jeremy. Sugar Ray tells Burt that "this round here decides it." The men touch gloves and begin the round, which Nick seems to win handily, landing combinations at will, until Jeff's right hand finds Nick's left eye to slow him, opening a cut. They trade punches, where again, Nick does more work, leading to a unanimous decision win for Nick. |
Winner: Blue |
| 8 | 8/22/06 | In the second bout of the night, Peter Manfredo Peter Manfredo Peter Manfredo Jr. is a professional boxer. He is the IBO Middleweight champion. He held the NABO Light Middleweight IBU Light Middleweight EBA Light Middleweight... is shown in the crowd. Before the introductions, Steve says "none of the other contenders called me out. I want to show them why they didn't..." The first round has a lot of action, with Freddy landing a series of powerful overhand rights just before the bell. In the second round, Steve twice winds up landing a series of left and right hook combinations, easily winning the round. The third round has Freddy landing more blows, using his jab to set up body punches. The round ends with Steve throwing a flurry, and Gary saying he's unsure who won the round. The fourth round finds Steve trading, taking a jab from Freddy to land a hook of his own. He lands a huge uppercut after the boxers separate from a clinch. In the final round, Steve shines, effectively avoiding Freddy's punches to land his own seemingly at will; the few punches Freddy lands wind up on his shoulders and elbows, not on target at all. Steve winds up winning a unanimous decision. |
Winner: Gold |
| 9 | 8/29/06 | The trainers congratulate the remaining contestants, who are taken out for a reward as a group, receiving new suits at an LA boutique. Steve and Nick both have interviews with the camera, and spend some family time before the fight. In the bout, Nick's plan is to out-work Steve, who chooses to bob & weave, picking his shots. Nick's plan works for the first round, which Steve (in his corner) says was lost because he was "finding his rhythm." The second round seems to go to Steve, who is shown effectively avoiding Nick's punches, and landing a number of his own. The third round seems to cut Nick's way, with his volume and power winning out. Both the fourth and fifth rounds go to Steve, apparently, as Nick has tired himself out. Steve wins by split decision (one judge for Nick, the rest for Steve). After the fight, Nick confirms that he punched himself out; he was too tired to maintain his offense in the end of the bout. |
Winner: Steve Forbes |
| 10 | 9/5/06 | The remaining contestants congratulate Steve on his victory. Along with his congratulations, Sugar Ray gives Steve a portable DVD DVD A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions.... player, and recordings of the two bouts that he has been in during the competition, as a prize. There is a training sequence, with Cornelius in the ring sparring, and trying to taunt Walter. The two are shown having words in a number of situations; Cornelius says, in an interview, that he's trying to get under Walter’s skin to gain a psychological edge in their bout. The two men talk about their very similar family histories in interviews, and get to spend some time with their loved ones before the fight – Cornelius with his wife and son at a local park, Walter with his girlfriend and uncle (who essentially adopted Walter in his teen years). During the fight, the first three rounds all played out fairly similarly, with Cornelius getting in close, smothering Walter, tying up his arms, and hitting while holding; Cornelius appears to win the 1st round, Walter the 2nd and 3rd. Cornelius receives several warnings from the referee for various fouls, including a headbutt, culminating in the referee coming to his corner in between the 3rd and 4th rounds, asking "do you want me to have to take a point away? Knock it off" The later rounds are cleaner, but Walter seemingly couldn’t put out enough volume to impress the judges, so Cornelius wins 2 more rounds and a unanimous decision. |
Winner: Cornelius Bundrage |
| 11 | 9/12/06 | The remaining contestants congratulate Cornelius on his victory; he is shown with a bandage over his right cheek. Sugar Ray takes the men to his house in Hollywood, where they all seem impressed (Norberto states "I thought it was a hotel..."). Michael Stewart talks about his plan for the upcoming fight; he wants to end it early with a KO. Grady says, in an interview, that he's been holding back, and wants to show what he can do. The fight is a repetition of five rounds that all look alike; Stewart tries to set up a one-punch knockout, and Brewer bobs and weaves to make him miss, while setting up counterpunches. In between rounds, Tommy congratulates Grady while reminding him not to get cocky, while Jeremy exhorts Michael to try to win the round, despite Michael's seeming lack of heart. The result is a 50-45 shutout on all three cards. |
Winner: Grady Brewer |
| 12 | 9/12/06 | Norberto and Gary square off, touching gloves before the first punch in the first round is thrown. The fight plays out very much like the Stewart-Brewer bout, with Gary trying to set up big punches, and Norberto keeping himself away while setting up counterpunches. Gary is slightly more successful than Michael was, but the end result is the same; a win for the counterpuncher. Two judges had it 49-46, and one scored 48-47. | Winner: Norberto Bravo |
| 13 | 9/19/06 | Steve comments to Jeremy how quiet the loft is now that the other contestants are mostly gone. Sugar Ray brings the remaining four together for a video retrospective of the men who have been knocked out of the tourney, where they all talk about how their experience has affected them. There is a final training sequence, with Jeremy and Tommy encouraging their respective boxers, planning their final bout before the finals. For the final two bouts, all twelve of the men knocked out of the tourney get ringside seats. We see Joe Pantoliano again in the audience, as well as Dennis Miller Dennis Miller Dennis Miller is an American stand-up comedian, political commentator, actor, sports commentator, and television and radio personality. He is known for his critical assessments laced with pop culture references... and his wife. The Forbes-Bundrage fight plays out a bit like the Bundrage-Wright; Cornelius comes out hitting hard, trying to hold and tie up Steve. However, in this case, Forbes is a better boxer than Bundrage; he manages to escape the holds, and throws several flurries that win him rounds, and ultimately the match. |
Winner: Steve Forbes |
| 14 | 9/19/06 | The second bout of the night, and the last of the semifinals, pits Norberto against Grady. Norberto comes out swinging, and knocks Grady down in the first round with a powerful hook, but Grady out-boxes him in the later rounds, deftly scoring with a jab or hook, and ducking Norberto's counterpunch. The scores come in, 47-47, 48-46, and 49-46, and Grady pulls out a majority decision. | Winner: Grady Brewer |
Tournament Tracker
While The Contender: Season 2 is a reality TV show, it does contain a serious competition with a proper format - a 16 man knockout tournament.Preliminary Round
- 1. Cornelius (B) beat Michael C (G) by majority decision.
- 2. Norberto (B) beat Rudy (G) by split decision.
- 3. Gary (G) beat Aaron (B) by split decision.
- 4. Walter (G) beat Andre (B) by unanimous decision.
- 5. Grady (B) beat Vinroy (G) by unanimous decision.
- 6. Michael S (B) beat Ebo (G) by KO.
- 7. Nick (B) beat Jeff (G) by unanimous decision.
- 8. Steve (G) beat Freddy (B) by unanimous decision.
Quarter finals
Quarterfinal bouts are determined by the individual winner of each preliminary bout. The winner can choose which episode they will box in, and may choose their own opponent.- 9. Steve beat Nick by split decision.
- 10. Cornelius beat Walter by unanimous decision.
- 11. Grady beat Michael by unanimous decision.
- 12. Norberto beat Gary by unanimous decision.
Semi finals
Semifinal bouts are determined by the individual winner of each quarterfinal bout. The winner can choose which episode they will box in, and may choose their own opponent.- 13. Steve beat Cornelius by unanimous decision.
- 14. Grady beat Norberto by majority decision.
Finals
- 15. Grady beat Steve by split decision to win the contender title.
Grady got ahead early with body shots. Steve then beat him inside in the 4th and 5th. There was slow fighting until the end of the bout, but Grady landed more punches in the final 5 rounds. Grady won in a split decision. The scores were: David Mendoza 93-97, Max DeLuca 96-94 and José Cobián 94-96.
For third place, Cornelius beat Norberto by TKO in the 7th round of 8. Cornelius knocked Norberto down in the 2nd, and was eventually penalized a point for shoving, but overall the match was one-sided, as Cornelius simply jabbed and set up straight rights to win.
As undercard bouts on the final, Walter beat Vinroy by TKO in the 4th of 6, Freddy beat Aaron by unanimous decision in 6, and Nick beat Nurhan Suleymanoglu
Nurhan Süleymanoglu
Nurhan Süleymanoğlu is a boxer from Turkey.Participating at the 1996 Summer Olympics, he was stopped in the second round of the light welterweight division by Cuba's Héctor Vinent....
by unanimous decision in 6.
Storm Large
Storm Large
Storm Large is a singer best known as a contestant on the CBS reality television show Rock Star: Supernova.-Personal life:...
, who was a contestant on Burnett's Rock Star: Supernova, sang "The Star Spangled Banner" prior to the card.
(Numbers refer to the episode in which the fight took place.)
Weekly results
| Contestant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grady | WIN | WIN | WIN | WIN | ||||||||
| Steve | WIN | WIN | WIN | LOSE | ||||||||
| Norberto | WIN | WIN | LOSE | |||||||||
| Cornelius | WIN | WIN | LOSE | |||||||||
| Gary | WIN | LOSE | ||||||||||
| Micheal | WIN | LOSE | ||||||||||
| Walter | WIN | LOSE | ||||||||||
| Nick | WIN | LOSE | ||||||||||
| Freddy | LOSE | |||||||||||
| Jeff | LOSE | |||||||||||
| Ebo | LOSE | |||||||||||
| Vinroy | LOSE | |||||||||||
| Andre | LOSE | |||||||||||
| Aaron | LOSE | |||||||||||
| Rudy | LOSE | |||||||||||
| Michael | LOSE | |||||||||||
- Cornflower blue and WIN means the boxer won the match.
- Red and LOSE means the boxer lost the match.
Guest appearances
A number of professional athletes appeared on the show, offering advice to the contestants, including:- Peter Manfredo Jr.
- Sergio MoraSergio MoraSergio "The Latin Snake" Mora is a Mexican American professional boxer trained by Dean Campos. He is the former WBC Light Middleweight Champion and also the first champion of NBC's The Contender....
- Alfonso GomezAlfonso GomezAlfonso Salvador Gómez Becerra is a Mexican professional boxer. He was a competitor on the reality TV show The Contender, where he ended up ranked third out of sixteen fighters.-Personal life:...
- "Sugar" Shane MosleyShane Mosley“Sugar” Shane Mosley is an American professional boxer from Pomona, California who has held world titles in three weight divisions.-Amateur career:Mosley was an amateur standout, capturing various amateur titles, including:...
- Willie McGinestWillie McGinestWilliam Lee "Willie" McGinest, Jr. is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League.-Early life and career:...
Trainers
- Tommy Gallagher
- Jeremy WilliamsJeremy Williams (boxer)Jeremy Williams is a former professional boxer and mixed martial artist.-Amateur career:As an amateur, he was the 1989 and 1990 United States amateur Light Heavyweight champion and the 1990 and 1991 National Golden Gloves Light Heavyweight champion, and is a member of the Golden Gloves hall of...