By Jake Donovan
They come from the four corners of the world to the four corners of the ring. Whose corner are you in?
The Gold Team maintains the Midas touch for the fourth consecutive week, on the strength of Troy Ross’ knockout of Lawrence Tauasa. Highlights of the first stoppage win of the season are shown in the recap portion of this week’s episode.
Ten boxers remain alive in this Contender cruiserweight tournament, with rosters currently at:
Blue
Mike Alexander (12-2, 8 KO)
Felix Cora Jr. (19-2-2, 9 KO) - Advancing
Ryan Coyne (9-0, 3 KO)
Alfredo Escalera Jr. (16-1-1, 11 KO) - Advancing
Richard Gingras (9-1, 5 KO) - Eliminated
Lawrence Tauasa (30-5-1, 17 KO) - Eliminated
Erick Vega (8-2-1, 6 KO) - Eliminated
Darnell Wilson (23-7-3, 20 KO) - Eliminated
Gold
Joell Godfrey (9-1-1, 5 KO) - Eliminated
Deon Elam (9-0, 5 KO) - Advancing
Rico Hoye (20-2, 15 KO)
Akinyemi Laleye (10-1, 5 KO) - Advancing
Ehinomen Ehikhamenor (12-3, 7 KO) - Advancing
Tim Flamos (20-4-1, 8 KO)
Troy Ross (17-1, 12 KO) - Advancing
Jon Schneider (7-3-1, 5 KO) - Eliminated
This week begins where last week left off – with victor Troy Ross standing center ring, celebrating with Gold Team trainer Tommy Brooks.
Ross shows a picture of his daughter, which he keeps behind the tongue of his gym shoe “to carry her in the ring tonight. She’s my little side kick; where she goes, I go.”
Meanwhile, Team Blue is feeling just that – blue. Ryan Coyne and Mike Alexander – the last of the team who’ve yet to fight – try to pick up the pieces and figure out a way to snap the team’s four-fight losing streak after having won the last two.
As the Blue Team discusses strategy, Gold Team member Tim Flamos discusses life with his son. It’s the first time he’s been away from his family for this long, never mind on another continent.
At age 41, Flamos is the oldest fighter of either squad. Upon revealing that he’s due up to fight, Pops is offered a befitting quote from his son.
“Age is no barrier. It’s a limitation you put on your mind.”
Father and son laugh at the obvious tongue-in-cheek remark before segueing to the next scene, where more serious commentary is introduced. It’s a revealing scene, with Brooks talking shop with Blue Team trainer John Bray, insisting to his colleague that he needn’t shoulder all of the blame for the team’s current losing streak.
“If fighter doesn’t listen to the trainer, nine times out of ten, you gonna come out on the losing end.”
The remaining members of both squads are brought into the main meeting room. Ross is congratulated by host Tony Danza, and is offered the chance to place his name in the second round slot of his choosing. Only three seeds remain – two slots in the last remaining open bracket, and one that would land him a quarterfinal collision with Felix Cora Jr.
Ross chooses Cora Jr, then qualifies his decision soon thereafter.
“I figured I might as well go with the best of the best, and keep the ball rolling.”
Cora Jr responds.
“It’s going to be a good competitive match, and I’m looking forward to it.”
The move means that the winners of tonight’s doubleheader will meet each other in round two.
With Gold Team in control, Rico Hoye steps up and decides to take on Mike Alexander for his opening round matchup. By default, Tim Flamos will meet Ryan Coyne, one of only two undefeated fighters in the competition.
As Hoye shadowboxes in the locker room, taped segments offer a brief description of the road that led him to the pro game.
“I was once number one in the world in my weight division, before I went away for a while (read: went to jail). When I was released, it gave me a second chance, really at life.”
Alexander’s story isn’t much more uplifting.
“I never had a father or anything like that. As far as sports or staying out of trouble goes, my Mom… did a hell of a job. This type of opportunity doesn’t come knocking at your door everyday; I’m doing it for her. She worked her whole life… she did everything.”
Cut to Gold Team, where Brooks drills into Hoye’s mind that it’s only a five-round fight. Hoye reveals greater motivation.
“I got three kids and one on the way. I got some mouths to feed. Whatever I got to do to get to the second round, and to that championship, that’s my plan.”
Something tells me that Tommy Brooks has something a little more structured in mind.
Alexander suggests something more along the lines of boxing strategy. “I’m going to stick and move, and throw punches in bunches.”
We shall see.
The bell sounds and here we go. Round one shows both fighters circling one another. Alexander pokes with the jab as John Bray barks from the corner to not let Hoye get started. Fighter is listening to teacher so far, hoping to not become a part of Brooks’ nine-out-of-ten theory.
The edited footage makes it tough to decipher who won, as does the body language in each corner. Bray is content; Brooks scored it even. Something has to give!
“Get some! Get some,” is the demand from Bray as Alexander works the jab in round two. Hoye offers his own jab, before Brooks DEMANDS he throws the right hand. Hoye meets him half-way, merely cocking it, but never unloading. Bell sounds, Bray is content. “Another good round.”
Brooks agrees with the Blue Team trainer. “I got you losing that round , baby.”
Sounds like whatever he has to do he’ll do game plan isn’t quite working out.
Clinching mars round three, even in edited format. Both fighters look for body punches before Hoye lets his hands go, much to Brooks’ delight. “We won that, all we need are two more.”
Easier said than done, as there are only two rounds left.
Bray is well aware of this as he gets in his fighter’s face. “Don’t blow it, man.”
Alexander is scurred.
Round four begins… and another clinch. If this is the stuff that made the final cut, it doesn’t say much for the rest of the round. But wait… punches by both fighters. Both land, but nothing of significance lands. More hugging… and the bell.
Both sides seem to agree that the fifth and final round decides the fight. So, too, does Danza.
“We’re gonna find out now, which guy is in shape.”
Tell ‘em Tony. Who’s the boss?!
Final round; both fighters should want it… but do they? Hoye’s a little busier, while Alexander is clincing more than usual. He could be blowin’ it, son. Hoye keeps throwing even while being clinched and forced backward. Both fighters let their hands go… strike up The Contender theme music.
Bell sounds, end of fight. Both sides on their feet, but there can only be one winner. Scores of 49-46 (2x) and 48-47 are all in favor of Hoye, giving the Gold Team their fifth straight win.
Moments before the inevitable stroll to the wall of hanging gloves, Alexander reflects on his defeat.
“I lost to a better fighter. I got a little winded, a little arm weary. I’m going home and got nothing to show for it.”
Trainer John Bray disagrees.
“You didn’t get the decision, but you pulled it off.”
One day… we’ll know what that means.
Onto the back-end of the doubleheader.
41-year old Flamos revealed his March ’08 revenge win over Chris McInerney was to be the last of his pro career, but decided to come out of retirement just for an appearance on this show.
Coyne’s tale is a different one. A former linebacker at the University of Missouri, hopes of a career in the NFL were on the mind until injuries took a toll on his body.
“One door closes, another door opens,” says Coyne on his gravitating toward boxing.
Cut to fight night. Both fighters meet in center ring… and here we go. Coyne jabs from the southpaw stance, but it’s the elder Flamos who looks to make a dogfight of it. A Flamos right uppercut in the corner draws a rise out of the crowd, while a headbutt later on draws concern from the show’s host.
The bell ends, and so does Bray’s patience. “You’re making a fight out of an easy night,” says trainer, who begins round two screaming at his charge to move to his right. Naturally, Coyne doesn’t listen, but hopes to be that one of the ten who disobeys his trainer but still wins the fight. A second heabutt leaves Coyne with blood dripping outside of his right eye, which sends Bray into hyper drive.
“What did I tell you about jumping in there?” the Bay Area cornerman asks. “You’re making an easy fight a hard one. BOX YOUR ASS OFF. C’mon baby, you gonna listen?”
Nope.
“What are you doing.” Bray wonders aloud as Coyne makes it an inside fight while still circling to his left, walking into Flamos’ punches. A straight left justifies fighter’s choice, if only for the moment, though the edited footage suggest Flamos didn’t do much else in the round.
“Tim! Tim! Tim!” chants the five remaining members of Team Gold as round four begins. Flamos takes the fight to Coyne. A big right hand connects for Flamos, who now has The Contender crowd on his side as he outworks his younger, undefeated foe.
“Go for broke,” is the advice from Tommy Brooks to his charge as they head into the final round. Flamos obliges, though the results aren’t pretty. A right hand misses by a mile as he nearly tips over, but still enough to impress his teammates. “Oh my God,” they exclaim, before instructing him to keep fighting Rocky Marciano style.
If the Brockton Brawler were alive, he’d be rolling over in his grave.
As the bout draws to a close, most seem to believe that Flamos won the fight going away. The editors certainly painted that picture, but leave it to those pesky judges to instead score the live action. The final verdict is a split nod, but in the end it’s Coyne who maintains his undefeated record, saving the best for last as Team Blue manages to snap a five-fight losing streak.
At age 41, Flamos is left with nothing else but to reflect on an uncertain future.
“I came all this way to do my best, but I basically did my worst.
“The thing about the future… I’m not sure.”
Unsure if he was talking about his own career, or the show’s. In fairness, this episode was better than most, if not all, from this season.
Round Two matchups are as follows:
Felix Cora Jr vs. Troy Ross
Akenyemi Laleye vs. Alfredo Escalara
Deon Elam vs. Ehinomen Ehikhamenor
Rico Hoye vs. Ryan Coyne
Jake Donovan is a voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Comments/questions can be submitted to JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.