The Contender 1 News
- February 12, 2007
ESPN has announced plans for The Contender Challenge, a new reality series that will follow a team of The Contender boxers as they take on seven British boxers for the inaugural "Sugar Ray Leonard Cup." The six-episode series is scheduled to premiere on ESPN on Tuesday, April 10, and it will also be shown in Britain on ITV.
- May 23, 2005
In the fourteenth episode of NBC's boxing reality-competition show The Contender, heavily-favored Sergio 'The Latin Snake' Mora (now 15-0, 4 KOs) pounded his way to the show's $1 million final match by decisively thrashing Jesse Brinkley (now 25-2, 17 KOs) in the last semifinal match, winning by unanimous decision. With his win, Sergio will face Peter Manfredo Jr. (24-1, 10 KOs) in the seven-round bout, to be held at the famed Caesar's Palace venue in Las Vegas on Tuesday, May 24, with the live broadcast beginning at 8PM ET.
- May 16, 2005
In a semifinal rematch of the opening episode of NBC's The Contender, Peter Manfredo Jr. (now 24-1, 10 KOs) avenged the only defeat of his career with a seven-round unanimous decision over Alfonso Gomez Jr. (now 12-3-1, 4 KOs) in the thirteenth episode of the show.
- May 9, 2005
In the final quarterfinal match, which took place in the twelfth episode of NBC's reality-competition boxing show The Contender, the two most reluctant warriors in the dominant 'Italian Clan' coalition (also known as the "Gutless Four") were forced into the ring to do "battle." Unfortunately, they couldn't both lose.
- May 2, 2005
On the eleventh episode of NBC's reality-competition boxing show The Contender, the "Italian Clan" coalition (aka the "Gutless Four" for their penchant to fight easy fights, unlike the rest of the boxers) were forced to begin fighting each other, with two spots in the semifinals at stake. In the first such fight, lawyer, former NCAA boxing champion and Sylvester Stallone nutrition endorser Joey Gilbert (now 9-1, 7 KOs) was defeated by Peter Manfredo (now 23-1, 10 KOs) in a split decision after the bout was stopped early due to a severe cut suffered by Joey as a result of an accidental head butt.
- April 25, 2005
In the ninth and tenth episodes of NBC's reality-competition boxing show The Contender, both the good and the bad parts of the show's formula were on display, and not necessarily to the show's best advantage.
- April 18, 2005
In a double shocker, huge underdog Joey Gilbert (now 9-0, 7 KOs) defeated Jimmy Lange (now 24-2-1, 17 KOs), the boxer Anthony Bonsante was too chicken to fight, in a five-round unanimous decision to complete the first round of NBC's The Contender, while last week's winner Juan de la Rosa claimed sufficient injury to pull out of the competition, leaving just seven first-round winners left after eight episodes.
- April 14, 2005
During the first seven episodes of NBC's reality-competition boxing show The Contender, co-hosts Sylvester Stallone and Sugar Ray Leonard have made several references to the fact that contestant/lawyer Joey Gilbert (who will be fighting in this week's episode against Jimmy Lange) is the best and best-conditioned all-around athlete in the show's sixteen boxer field. Now, it appears that Stallone has found a way to use Joey's athleticism to his advantage.
- April 11, 2005
With one fight in the first round still remaining, one thing is certain on NBC's The Contender reality competition boxing show : an Arab-American will not win the million-dollar first prize.
- April 6, 2005
"Stray Bullet Takes Out The Disciple," our episode summary for the sixth episode of NBC's The Contender, written by PhoenixMons, is now available.