The Contender

[Tornado]

Anyone who is a boxing fan, make sure you tune into The Contender, I watched it last night (first episode) and it was truly great.

Last night a "nobody" punched his way into the next round by beating the No.3. in the world. It was one of the best fights I have ever seen, much like a Rocky movie, blow by blow - absolutely brilliant!

The second show is on Friday (UBC series channel I think it was), you should make a point of watching it.

Is it on in England? Chonabot?

Edited March 9, 2005 by Tornado

[Tornado]

I should also add: It is hosted by Sylvester Stallone and Sugar Ray Robinson.

the format is: 16 of the worlds best middleweights fight off to see who is the best in the world and will win 1 million dollars. It is another Mark Burnett Show (Survivor, The Casino, The Apprentcie) and it is absolutely brilliant if your a fight fan.

You gotta see it.

Edited March 9, 2005 by Tornado

[johnnyk]

tornado,

Sorry to disillusion you but none of these guys is a real contender. They are very low-level journeymen.

They would outweigh Zab Judah or Kassim Ouma by 10 lbs and get slaughtered.

Oh, they are supposed to be middleweights?

Well Manfredo, the guy who said he's #3 (where? on one list I saw, he's #39 which might as well be #939) hasn't fought anybody of note. You wouldn't want to see him in with Hopkins or Trinidad.

Want to see real fighters at work? Tune in a week Saturday for Erik Morales vs. Manny Pacquiao.

BTW, Sugar Ray Robinson is no longer with us, he died in 1989.

Try Sugar Ray Leonard, who is 53 and could beat these guys silly with one hand.

[Tornado]

tornado,

Sorry to disillusion you but none of these guys is a real contender. They are very low-level journeymen.

They would outweigh Zab Judah or Kassim Ouma by 10 lbs and get slaughtered.

Oh, they are supposed to be middleweights?

Well Manfredo, the guy who said he's #3 (where? on one list I saw, he's #39 which might as well be #939)  hasn't fought anybody of note. You wouldn't want to see him in with Hopkins or Trinidad.

Want to see real fighters at work? Tune in a week Saturday for Erik Morales vs. Manny Pacquiao.

BTW, Sugar Ray Robinson is no longer with us, he died in 1989.

Try Sugar Ray Leonard, who is 53 and could beat these guys silly with one hand.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I dont follow the lighter weights much, so I wont begin to say I know who are the best in that weight. If nothing else, it was a ###### good fight last night and I will be watching it again. Yes I made a mistake on the "Sugars"

Did you see it yourself?

I think the aim of the show is for the winner to fight the middleweight champion of the world? (organisation?) not sure though.

cheers

[chuchok]

Saw the replay today...great fight!

Edited March 9, 2005 by chuchok

[shotover]

Tornado: "Anyone who is a boxing fan, make sure you tune into The Contender, I watched it last night (first episode) and it was truly great."

I caught this episode of 'The Contender' on UBC in Bkk last night and was impressed with the drama leading up to the fight, and, IMHO, thought the actual fight provided more action and excitement than 90% of the fights I've watched involving champions and top contenders.

I also like the inside look at casino operations provided by "The Casino".

[Soi33]

Haven't seen the show.....one of the fighters comitted suicide about 3 weeks ago before the show started. Can't remember which one. Stalone and Sugar were pallbearers at the funeral.

[johnnyk]

tornado,

I dont follow the lighter weights much, so I wont begin to say I know who are the best in that weight. If nothing else, it was a ###### good fight last night and I will be watching it again. Yes I made a mistake on the "Sugars"

Did you see it yourself?

I think the aim of the show is for the winner to fight the middleweight champion of the world? (organisation?) not sure though.

cheers

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

tornado,

There is only one middleweight champion. He is Bernard Hopkins of Philadelphia who was last beaten in 1994, 20 successful title defenses. Generally regarded as the best fighter, pound-for-pound, on the planet.

The best action is at the lighter weights, middleweight and lighter. The heavies are like dinosaurs lumbering around, clutching, boring crap.

Do your best to see Morales-Pacquiao, two killers with hearts of lions at 130lbs.

If you can get hold of tapes I recommend the Marco Barrera-Morales trilogy and the Mickey Ward-Arturo Gatti trilogy. Both are astounding fights between warriors with bottomless guts.

I saw the show but not impressed by the fighters. The winner will not get a fight with Hopkins as nobody would pay to see it, the guy has to beat somebody to earn his shot and he has to bring some box-office potential to the fight. No promoter will pay Hopkins $10 million to beat up a stiff.

Besides, Hopkins would be jailed for manslaughter. it would not be pretty.

Edited March 9, 2005 by johnnyk

[britmaveric]

Most of boxing is on the fix at any rate - most corrupt sport in the world.

[Titus]

What channel is it on? It certainly is not on UBC series. I checked the magazine and didn't find it anwhere...

[Tornado]

What channel is it on? It certainly is not on UBC series. I checked the magazine and didn't find it anwhere...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Its on AXN, although it said on the menu, it was on last night (Tuesday night), it wasnt. I think it might be on Friday nights, if anyone else knows let me know as Ive lost it..

[britmaveric]

Not bad show, but I think 5 rounds is too little like it to go least 12. 5 rounds is a disadvanatge.

[Thaiboxer]

If you want to see some real boxing matches that are action-packed, tune in to the ones here in Thailand between the Thais and other SE Asians. Most of the matches I've seen from the US are not as exciting as the ones here. The ones here often end by KO or TKO and these lightweight Thai guys have excellent speed and power. They often fight against Filipinos and beat them badly almost every time. These matches are shown on the free Thai TV channels and come around about once a month. The shows go on for an hour or so.

[Titus]

Most of the boxing matches on tv in thailand (usually channel 3 or 7) are a joke. They get total bums from the Philipines/Indonesia, these guys have fight records like 2-27, that is they've won 2 fights and lost 27! These fights are usually just a paid workout for the thais champions, no wonder they sweep the floor with them... Apart from the world champions, most thai fighters get beat when they go to fight overseas against real fighters.

[Tornado]

Another great fight last night, it was good to see the "pretty boy" with the big mouth get his arse whipped by the "no. 6" in the world.

I disagree with a few posters here, that say they are not up to the task.

What a great concept for a tv show! I love it.

[lampard10]

Haven't seen the show.....one of the fighters comitted suicide about 3 weeks ago before the show started. Can't remember which one. Stalone and Sugar were pallbearers at the funeral.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Stallone's brain dead............................Sorry I'm one of these people that think beating the living daylights out of a fellow human being in the name of sport is not what we were put here for.We're gradually edging nearer to shows like portrayed in 'The Running Man' I'm afraid I'm one of these very strange people that could live a life of peace in this world,without wars or fighting.

[p_brownstone]

Haven't seen the show.....one of the fighters comitted suicide about 3 weeks ago before the show started. Can't remember which one. Stalone and Sugar were pallbearers at the funeral.

Stallone's brain dead............................Sorry I'm one of these people that think beating the living daylights out of a fellow human being in the name of sport is not what we were put here for.We're gradually edging nearer to shows like portrayed in 'The Running Man' I'm afraid I'm one of these very strange people that could live a life of peace in this world,without wars or fighting.

I completely agree.

The only "Sport" where the sole objective is to inflict physical injury on your opponent - it should be banned in any civilised Country.

Patrick

[CageWarrior]

Ok first off sylvester is a hasbeen and is like jean claude van dam...wouldn't last 2 sec in the ring against a real fighter.

He made some movies about boxing now thinks he is a master of it or something? I bet some our local youth boxers could take him out.

the show is a joke anyway,Reality tv is full of these people called "actors".None of those guys will be seen fighting for world championships...EVER!

and second "The only "Sport" where the sole objective is to inflict physical injury on your opponent - it should be banned in any civilised Country."

So you want me out of work? I can see how some people don't understand it or think it's two guys trying to kill each other when in reality it's not.

in NHB/MMA(no holds barred/mixed-martial arts) I try to make the guy quit by either submission or a series of strikes.It is a skilled fight not a street fight.

look at a street fight and than watch a fighting sport.you see two guys circling waiting for an opening picking there spots to throw a strike or try for a takedown.It is like a chess match,except a lot more fun

and also as a fighter I can take harder strikes than a normal person,so even if I am catching elbows/knees to the face,even though it may look brutal it does far less damage than if it was done to your average person.The strikes are not even thrown as hard as possible,most pro boxers only punch to their fullest power maybe 2-3 times in there entire career.

no one has ever died in the sport I fight in,but plenty of people die skydiving,skiing,and even playing golf! so due to the risk of death should those sports be banned?

Edited March 24, 2005 by CageWarrior

[johnnyk]

Most of boxing is on the fix at any rate - most corrupt sport in the world.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

"The red light district of sports"

- Jimmy Cannon, N.Y. Post

Yes, boxing is totally corrupt as is soccer but not so much at the match level, rather in the machinations, deals and power plays, contracts etc.

For the most part, the really good fights are not fixed.

I commend to you Mickey Ward v. Arturo Gatti (3 fights) and last Saturday's Morales v. Pacquiao.

No need for this reality TV show crap, just watch real boxing on HBO with real fighters.

[britmaveric]

Ok first off sylvester is a hasbeen and is like jean claude van dam...wouldn't last 2 sec in the ring against a real fighter.

He made some movies about boxing now thinks he is a master of it or something?  I bet some our local youth boxers could take him out.

the show is a joke anyway,Reality tv is full of these people called "actors".None of those guys will be seen fighting for world championships...EVER!

and second "The only "Sport" where the sole objective is to inflict physical injury on your opponent - it should be banned in any civilised Country."

So you want me out of work?  I can see how some people don't understand it or think it's two guys trying to kill each other when in reality it's not.

in NHB/MMA(no holds barred/mixed-martial arts) I try to make the guy quit by either submission or a series of strikes.It is a skilled fight not a street fight.

look at a street fight and than watch a fighting sport.you see two guys circling waiting for an opening picking there spots to throw a strike or try for a takedown.It is like a chess match,except a lot more fun

and also as a fighter I can take harder strikes than a normal person,so even if I am catching elbows/knees to the face,even though it may look brutal it does far less damage than if it was done to your average person.The strikes are not even thrown as hard as possible,most pro boxers only punch to their fullest power maybe 2-3 times in there entire career.

no one has ever died in the sport I fight in,but plenty of people die skydiving,skiing,and even playing golf! so due to the risk of death should those sports be banned?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Indo-Siam]

I'll take an opposing stand. I would MUCH prefer to see well-matched fights by medium-level guys with THE HUNGER, rather than most "world ranked" professional bouts.

I'd also rather watch a good pick-up game of basketball by a bunch of ghetto kids competing intensely for bragging rights - rather than watch five tall black multi-milllionnaire prima donnas play basketball against another five tall black multi-milllionnaire prima donnas.

I was a (pretty lousy) amateur boxer once upon a time - on a college intramural team, at a college where EVERYONE was required to take boxing (and also swimming, gymnastics, and wrestling - if you failed any of these, you were expelled). The level of boxing was pretty bad - but - every year, the school sent 3-5 fighters to NY City Golden Gloves - and I remember watching the finals at Madison Square Gardens several times - and it was generally good boxing - albeit just three rounds, with 16 ounce gloves and padded head gear.

Watching the Contender series, I am seeing good, hard-fought bouts by guys who are trying hard - I have seen no hint of faking anything in the ring. Some of the "wrapping" of the show is a bit hokey, but it emphasizes good sportsmanship - and it really stresses that the boxers are more than just individuals - by focusing on the East vs. West team aspect (where they have to work together on things unrelated to boxing), and also on the aspect of the boxer's families.

I also like the idea of the mentorship - whether its George Foreman taking the lads out for a dinner, or old Tommy Gallagher taking them out to buy suits.

They have some good writers behind that show - bringing back the old traditions such as calling out the other guy, who has to step up and toe the line.

Most of the reality shows have left me cold - Survivor, The Apprentice - pretty lightweight stuff - between "pretty people." The Contender show is right smack on target. It reinforces good old-fashioned values, and "the right stuff."

I liked watching Royce Gracie do his thing - but it was just two guys fighting, without a story context.

And - I never saw UFC as an ultimate thing. The premise was - the guy in the submission has to surrnder, or he gets his arm broken, or shoulder dislocated - and the practitioners think that's the ultimate win. Wait until a UFC guy is up against a good military unarmed combat expert - and gets the military guy in a submission, and figures it's all over - and the military guy goes ahead and surrenders his arm, or leg, or eye - and then extracts the life out of the UFC guy. The only way to stop the best unarmed killers is to close their windpipe - eveyone stops resisting when they can't breathe any more.

I won't try to put ghetto-ball players up against a pro NBA team. And I wouldn't suggest that five-round Contenders go try to take the belt away from Bernard Hopkins. But The Contender's pretty good TV, in my book.

Indo-Siam

[CageWarrior]

And - I never saw UFC as an ultimate thing.  The premise was - the guy in the submission has to surrnder, or he gets his arm broken, or shoulder dislocated - and the practitioners think that's the ultimate win.  Wait until a UFC guy is up against a good military unarmed combat expert - and gets the military guy in a submission, and figures it's all over - and the military guy goes ahead and surrenders his arm, or leg, or eye - and then extracts the life out of the UFC guy.  The only way to stop the best unarmed killers is to close their windpipe - eveyone stops resisting when they can't breathe any more.

Indo-Siam

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

it's not all about submissions a lot of strikes are invloved too,and I wouldn't call UFC fighters the "ultimate" either,but you can't literally kill people in the ring and there are quite a few military/law enforcement guys that fight(in fact a lot box/kick box while serving) in places similar to the UFC,but only a few have ever really made a statment in the ring,mirko flipovic comes to mind and a few guys from "the shark tank" camp out in california,but there are a lot of styles that are deadly some which involve tearing flesh off the face/body and basically decapitating your opponent,but that ain't going to be legal anywhere(i'd hope not anyway heh).

blood sport is just a movie everyone,normal fighters don't really dip there hands shards of glass and try to kill each other lol.

[Thaiboxer]

I agree with the posts about the UFC and MMA fighting in general...it's more of a chess game and not an attempt to kill the opponent. In real fighting, most of the MMA moves would be simply impractical or too slow to have the desired affect on the opponent. Many street fights end up on the ground but you would want to avoid the ground if at all possible since you can move more efficiently on your feet. Muay Boran, the ancient Muay Thai style, has a lot of MMA type takedowns, traps and strikes and many of these moves would be way too dangerous for sport fighting. The unarmed fighting styles of various special forces groups are surprisingly simple yet devestating and these guys would make mince meat out of virtually any sport fighter. Anything banned in sport fighting would be good for the street.

[eddie11]

Anyone who is a boxing fan, make sure you tune into The Contender, I watched it last night (first episode) and it was truly great.

Last night a "nobody" punched his way into the next round by beating the No.3. in the world. It was one of the best fights I have ever seen, much like a Rocky movie, blow by blow - absolutely brilliant! 

The second show is on Friday (UBC series channel I think it was), you should make a point of watching it.

Is it on in England? Chonabot?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No-hoper fighting the favourite and winning on the first episode

(all a bit "ROCKY" don't you think)

[Tornado]

Ok, who will win it?

I fancy the Mexican myself

[Keep-it-real-GIRL]

Yes i'm boxing fan but now i'm missed the programn. anyone can tell me which team is win now.

[Tornado]

I really thought all the blokes here in Thailand would of been watching The Contender . OK then, may as well close the thread

[Explorer]

I really thought all the blokes here in Thailand would of been watching The Contender  . OK then, may as well close the thread 

I do watch it!

Explorer

[Tornado]

I really thought all the blokes here in Thailand would of been watching The Contender  . OK then, may as well close the thread 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I do watch it!

Explorer

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

well explore the possibilities of posts regarding it

Alfonso will win (the Mexican), also Sergio will be a handfull

turn over to AXN now and see Alfonso kick that big mouths ass.

[Explorer]

isn't this the second match, between alfonso and the arab guy? (or i might mixed up afew matches here)

the arab guy's chick looks nice btw

Explorer