Contender Season 2 *spoilers*

[Mon-el]

Apologies if there is a thread about this already. I didn't see one on the first few pages.

I followed the first season pretty well. I watched the first 2 episodes last night. I don't have an early favorite yet. The second fight was truly amazing. Toe to Toe in the 5th round hammering away at each other. I don't remember which 2 boxers it was, but it was clearly a great boxing match. K-9 is HUGE.

Also it was nice to see that they allowed Jeff back from Season 1, due to him getting chicken pox.

Here is a list of the boxers for Season 2:

Nick Acevedo - Age 30 - New York, NY - Pro Record (15-1), 9 KO's

A former International Boxing Association (IBA) Intercontinental titleholder, Acevedo retired succumbing to the pressure of his rising status. Now back after three years, he sees The Contender as his shot to redeem himself.




Gary Balletto - Age 30 - Johnston, RI - Pro Record (29-2-2), 25 KO's

A former International Boxing Union (IBU) Champion, Balletto witnessed the death of his friend Bobby Tomasello in the ring more than five years ago. This caused him to help unionize the sport so fighters gain benefits, health insurance, and future jobs outside of boxing.




Vinroy Barrett - Age 30 - Negril, Jamaica/Nashville, TN - Pro Record (21-4), 11 KO's

Vinroy "Slick" Barrett was born and raised in Jamaica. Since turning professional, Barrett has made a name for himself, garnering the World Boxing Federation (WBF) Americas Welterweight title.




Norberto Bravo - Age 34 - Tucson, AZ - Pro Record (20-10-3), 12 KO's

Norberto Bravo was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona. Also known as "El Gallito" ("The Fighting Rooster"), Bravo describes himself in the ring as unrelenting and willing to fight till death, if necessary.




Grady Brewer - Age 34 - Lawton, OK - Pro Record (18-11), 12 KO's

Born and raised in Lawton, Oklahoma, Grady "Bad Boy" Brewer started boxing at age 11 and went on to become a state Golden Gloves Champion and win 40 of his 45 amateur fights.




Cornelius Budrage - Age 32 - Detroit, MI - Pro Record (21-1), 13 KO's

Cornelius "K-9" Bundrage was born and raised in Detroit. As his alias suggests, Bundrage has a reputation of being a dog inside the ring, mauling his opponents with ferocious combinations and vicious uppercuts. In 2005, Bundrage won the United Boxing Association (UBA) Intercontinental Light Middleweight title.




Rudy Cisneros - Age 24 - Chicago, IL - Pro Record (8-1), 7 KO's

Chicago native Rudy "El Cachorro" Cisneros has traveled the world, garnering an extensive record with more than 100 amateur fights. He was the two-time Chicago Golden Gloves Champion, winner of the silver medal at the United States Championship and bronze medal recipient at the 2004 Olympic Trials.




Michael Clark - Age 32 - Columbus, OH - Pro Record (35-3), 16 KO's

Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, Michael "Cold Blood" Clark is a former International Boxing Council (IBC) World Champion. Clark credits his self-described versatility to his distinctive upbringing.




Freddy Curiel - Age 30 - Vernon, NJ - Pro Record (15-5-2), 6 KO's

Born in Vernon, New Jersey, Freddy Curiel, a.k.a. "Furious Freddy," started boxing at age 14. After a lucrative amateur career, Curiel entered the professional level at age 17. In 2002, Curiel decided to temporarily leave boxing but after a four-year absence, The Contender marks his comeback to the ring.




Andre Eason - Age 30 - Brooklyn, NY - Pro Record (15-4), 6 KO's

Growing up on the tough streets of Brooklyn, Andre "Daredevil" Eason found himself in fights at school and on the street. During his brief time as an amateur, Eason earned the New York Golden Gloves title.




Ebo Elder - Age 27 - Atlanta, GA - Pro Record (22-2), 14 KO's

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Ebo "The X-treme Machine" Elder followed in his father's footsteps and started boxing at the age of eight. He enjoyed a long, illustrious amateur career with 139 wins before turning professional in 2000. Elder is currently ranked as a top 10 contender by all major boxing organizations.




Jeff Fraza - Age 28 - Boston, MA - Pro Record (17-2), 10 KO's

Massachusetts native Jeff "HellRaza" Fraza is back for season two of The Contender. Having become ill with the chicken pox in season one, Fraza was forced to drop out of the competition. This time around, Fraza is ready for his shot and eager to use this second chance to prove his worth.




Steve Forbes - Age 28 - Las Vegas, NV - Pro Record (29-3), 9 KO's

Currently ranked 11th in the world, Forbes holds an International Boxing Federation (IBF) title and sports a record of 29 wins with three knockouts and three losses. With his ranking making him a target in the tournament, Forbes welcomes the chance to show what makes him a true Contender.




Micheal Stewart - Age 28 - New Castle, DE - Pro Record (38-4-2), 22 KO's

Originally from Columbia, Tennessee, Micheal "No Joke" Stewart distinguishes himself from the pack with his thick, raspy voice and blue-collar appeal. He is a building aficionado who works as a union construction laborer by day and has aspirations of becoming a general contractor.




Aaron Torres - Age 26 - Philadelphia, PA - Pro Record (14-2), 6 KO's

Aaron Torres grew up on the rough streets of Philadelphia. As an amateur, Torres maintained an impressive career, having fought in more than 100 fights and winning all but 10. Turning professional in 2000, he describes his boxing style as "moving poetry": graceful with his footwork and intense with his jabs.




Walter Wright - Age 24 - Seattle, WA - Pro Record (10-1), 5 KO's

A native of Seattle, Walter "2 Guns" Wright possesses the heart of a champion and a positive outlook on life. An alternate for the United States boxing team at the 2000 Olympics, Wright boasted a successful amateur career, winning ninety of his 102 fights.

[Shellhead]

I really enjoyed the first season of The Contender, but I'm going to miss this one. I can't afford cable right now.

[kmeyers]

What channel is it on? I watched the first season, and heard it was cancelled. i hadn't heard anything else since then. I'm glad it's back, I enjoyed season 1.

[kmeyers]

Double post.

[Mon-el]

What channel is it on? I watched the first season, and heard it was cancelled. i hadn't heard anything else since then. I'm glad it's back, I enjoyed season 1.

Not exactly sure about that Meyers, I caught it on a re-broadcast on ESPN. It's on again at this very moment.

[marshal99]

What ? No more Sly Stallone to give pep talk ? I want Rocky ! Sugar Ray is bland. ;)

[Mon-el]

I really enjoyed the first season of The Contender, but I'm going to miss this one. I can't afford cable right now.

Dammit Shell, I was hoping you was watching this one. I didn't know about your cable, probably the best thing really since most programs in the summer aren't that great.

It's slightly different from last season:

It's done tournament style. The games are gone from the first season. It's more focused on gym results and thier past.

The first match was between Cornelius Bundrage (K-9) vs. Micheal Clark: 5 round heats

K-9 was the last pick for any team, becasue 2 of them got to choose their teams. They watched him in the sparring in the gym and every time he threw a punch he acted like he was afraid to get hit, so his automatic reaction was jerk his head back. Micheal Clark was talking all kinds of shit about him, and wanted to fight him, they thought he was this big guy that couldn't fight. We'll K-9 was sort of the underdog in the first fight. He killed in the first 2 rounds, then Micheal won the next 2 rounds. The 5th round was pretty much K-9 he gets a knock down and pretty much clinches the first match. Micheal Clark says he might just give up boxing. Manfrado, Alfonso, and The Latin Snake was in attendance beside of Sugar Ray, for the first match.

The second match was Noberto Bravo vs Rudy Cisneros.

The next episode. Sugar Ray takes the Blue Team sicne that's the team that K-9 was on to dinner with him and Alfonso. Sugar Ray tells them now that since their team won they get the right to choose the next fight and who they wanted to fight. Well the blue team sets up the gold team, they get one fighter to take a day off, to seem like he's the one that's fighting. Actually the blue team gets together and they pick out the youngest fighter that is having problems with getting his weight down Rudy Cisneros. So then Sugar Ray gathers the team around and gives the boxing chain to K-9 and tells him he gets to place his name in the next bracket for his reward. Ok here's the twist the next round is 4 fights so he can pick when and how long he rests, and whoever wins the next match can choose to pick K-9 in round 2 of the second fights or pick another slot. Well Bravo picks Cisneros, Cisneros loses the 9 pounds that day in order to get to weight. Bravo was in great shape and it looked like it was going to be a easy victory. The first 2 rounds Bravo picks his shots and lands pretty successful. Cisneros really doesn't have his legs about him. The Round 3,4, Bravo seems to slack and Cisnero ends up stealing both rounds throwing some timed punches. Now the last round was simply beautiful, The pretty much stand toe to toe, slugging each other in succession. Back and forth it went forever, it was truly remarkable. The Latin Snake was beside Sugar Ray in the audience. Final result.

Bravo won two cards 49 - 46, and Cisneros won 1 card 48-47.

[Mon-el]

What ? No more Sly Stallone to give pep talk ? I want Rocky ! Sugar Ray is bland. ;)

I think Stallone was busy filming Rocky, for any of his talks, but that did make me laugh though. :D

[eJm]

I loved the first one. I can't believe they are doing a second one.

The fact that we get it not too far behind the US is great for me.

[Mon-el]

In case if anyone is interested. A NEW episode is on tonight at 10 PM EST on ESPN for anyone in the United States.

[Dennis K]

Am I the only one watching this?

[Dennis K]

All the fights so far have been really entertaining. Yes, I realize that it's edited for dramatic effect, but that doesn't change the fact that these guys are really putting it all out there in their five round bouts. My early pick for Champion is "Two-Guns".

[marshal99]

C'mon , without marblemouth Stallone mumbling and giving his advices , it's not very entertaining. ;)