By Jake Donovan

It’s been a hard sell for most of the contestants from season one of The Contender. Some keep winning, but fail to earn respect among the masses. Some have struggled adjusting to reality after reality-TV, while others are forced to wait by the phone, their only opportunities coming whenever Tournament of Contenders says something’s finally available.

Very few have been able to control their own destiny. Even fewer have been able to maintain a winning streak while building a fan base and working their way up the ranks to where it’s practically become the exception to the rule.

Contender-turned-middleweight contender Miguel Espino qualifies as such exception.

Why? Because Espino (17-2-1, 6KO) learned a long time ago that good things don’t always come to those who wait.

“I’ve never understood why fighters would want to stay on the sidelines for so long, waiting for a single opportunity to come along,” wonders Espino, who fights late replacement and middleweight trialhorse Roberto Valenzuela (39-33-2, 34KO) tonight in Baja, Mexico, his fifth fight this year and sixth in just over 13 months. “I had lengthy layoffs between fights, and felt like I wasn’t doing my job. I need to fight and I love to fight. You keep winning, you keep moving up and on to better things.

“That’s how I see the game.”

It wasn’t always Espino’s viewpoint, having taken up boxing as a youth in California “just because I wanted to win a trophy. Other kids played baseball or football, but had to wait a whole season just to get a trophy. All I had to do was win in a tournament.”

Espino racked up plenty of amateur accolades, including US National champion and US Junior Olympics champ before turning pro in 2000 at age 20.

Life prior to reality life had its ups and downs, but mostly in anonymity. His last fight, pre-Contender, was a close, controversial decision loss to Daniel Edouard in 2003. In fact, both of his career losses – coming back-to-back, with the aforementioned Manfredo fight ten months later – have been tightly contested, with a total of two rounds the difference between two defeats and a still undefeated record.

But Espino isn’t one to dwell on the past, much less make excuses. Even if it meant waiting ten months for the first Contender fight to begin. And another 14 months before he would receive his next assignment. For Espino, the payoff was well worth the inconvenience.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a career path I’d want to repeat,” says Espino. “But there’s no question that The Contender changed my life, even if I didn’t last that long on the show. People to this day still point and say, ‘Hey, you’re that guy from that show.’ That opportunity led to other opportunities, and for my career to progress in ways that wouldn’t have been possible if not for the show.”

Espino tried it The Contender’s way for a while. His career picked up a bit once the taped sessions ended and everyone back to real life. Three fights on Contender-promoted cards in a seven-month span put Espino on the map as a budding middleweight contender.

Then, nothing. Sit and wait for a call, hopefully with good news on the other end.

Nope, that wasn’t how Espino rolled. Too much down time reminds Miguel of the place he’s trying to leave, and how it prevents him from meeting his goals.

So he went home. Back to his family. Then back to basics, and back to his support system.

Enter Manny Cota and John Bray, Espino’s promoter and trainer/manager, respectively. Both are renowned throughout the Bay Era, with Cota turning out several successful promotions on the club level, and Bray producing several top contenders and champions. Bray keeps Espino in shape, whether or not a fight is around the corner. Fortunately for the soft-spoken Mexican-American, there have been fights a plenty, thanks to Cota.

“Manny Cota Promotions is taking great care of me,” acknowledged Espino, who fights under the Cota banner for his sixth straight fight. “Manny Cota and John Bray they look out for my best interests. It’s so incredible to have people close to you that you can trust and also who know the business inside and out.

“This is my first fight in Mexico, with my past five coming close to home. I’m looking forward to the trip, reconnecting with my roots. Then of course, the plan is to get a good win, defend my title, and hopefully get rated in the Top 10-12. It’s just a win-win scenario.”

It was almost a misfire, with Escalante brought in earlier this week as the opponent, the third to be named since the date was announced.

“It was supposed to be (fellow Season One contestant Juan de la Rosa), but he punked out for whatever reason. Then the last guy (Rosario Escalante) had to unfortunately pull out due to a family emergency. So now I fight this guy (Valenzuela). It’s tough to train for, but no big deal, since I’m always in the gym and always fighting against all types of fighters. I never train one way for one opponent, my thing is I always want to be ready for anything.”
 
Not quite the same mentality adopted by his fellow Contender alum.

“The choices they make, that’s their decision, but it’s definitely not the way I handle my career,” insists Espino. “These guys get a fight, are gone for a while, come back, then look bad, due to ring rust, being overmatched, or whatever. Not me, I’m a throwback. If there’s a chance to fight, I take that fight. No questions asked.”

Talk to Espino long enough, and you get a complete understanding of the direction he envisions his career heading. Staying busy throughout 2007, TV in 2008, title shot whenever it comes. The one thing rarely mentioned: money. In an era where it’s supposed to make dollars in order to make sense, Espino struts to a different tune.

“I don’t stress over the paychecks. Money will come. I’m happy with the way Manny’s been taking care of me. All of my fights with him put food on my table, and keep me moving up the ranks. Once I make it to that point, the Brinks trucks will be there waiting. You don’t have to play business man to keep it all business.”

Of course, it’s not all work and no play for Espino. Though a dedicated gym rat with others looking out for his best interests, Miguel finds time to cater to the needs of others, including – but not limited to - his mother and younger sister.

“My Mom is legally blind, and my younger sister is going to school. So a lot of my free time is spent playing chauffer,” jokes Espino. “I also spend time as a personal trainer and working with actors playing boxers in film. I enjoy being around them, being in that element. Who knows, maybe one day when all of this is over, I can turn to acting.”

The Contender was a nice introduction to that world. Additional TV time would be ideal; something Espino insists is in the works for 2008.

“Even though Manny’s been taking care of me, I remain in good graces with the Contender people. Jeff Wald talks to me regularly, and has been in touch with Manny about getting me on ESPN or Showtime sometime next year. From there, who knows – the only way is up, and hopefully 2008 is the year everyone gets to see what Miguel Espino is all about.”

Not that he’s looking past this weekend.

“One thing about coming from The Contender, you go into every fight with a bull’s-eye. I know every fighter steps it up when they face me, because they know what a win does for them. That’s why I stay busy all of the time, take any fight that comes, and stay in the gym in between. Other guys from the show, they’ve lost their edge. They go out, party, live the good life with their newfound fame, then hold out for just the big fights.

“That’s not me, and that will never be me. I’m old-school. A lot of those other guys don’t stay on their job, I do. Maybe they’re still stuck in fantasy land. All I know is I enjoy fighting regularly and enjoy where my career is heading. Million dollar paydays are nice, but not when you have nothing going on waiting for one to come your way.

Me? I prefer to deal with real life.”

Jake “The Jake-of-All-Trades” Donovan is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America, a licensed judge, manager and promoter, and presently serves on the Tennessee Boxing Advisory Board. His column runs every Tuesday on BoxingScene.