The Contender News

The Contender Update, Part One: NBC has declined to pick up the show for a second season, so unless a cable network steps in, the series will be over following Tuesday’s finale. Fortunately for fifteen of the sixteen contestants (the sixteenth, Najai Turpin, took his own life earlier in the year), Mark Burnett’s reality show will play a major role in providing opportunities and furthering their pugilistic careers. Name recognition is vital in selling boxing, and any publicity generated over the past two and a half months is priceless. The Contender Update, Part Two: After tonight’s episode, the million-dollar finale is set, and it will feature Peter Manfredo Jr. and Sergio Mora. The only fighter on the show to never have to “hang up his gloves” (think the snuffing of the torch on Survivor), Mora earned a unanimous seven-round decision over Jesse Brinkley to seal his chances at the grand prize, which, shall he win, he plans to use to buy his mother a house. The finale will air live from Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on Tuesday, May 24. The Contender Update, Part Three: On the undercard of the Manfredo/Mora finale will be three matches, chosen by viewers voting their “fan favorites”. The three fights will be streamed live at http://contender.yahoo.com/ on May 24, beginning at 1 PM Eastern Time/10 AM Pacific. The pairings are Brent Cooper vs. Ishe Smith, Anthony Bonsante vs. Jeff Fraza and Jimmy Lange vs. Tarick Salmaci.