"Contender" returns for third season

"The Contender," the popular ESPN reality series, is getting back in the ring for a third season with a mix of experienced contenders and youthful prospects among the 16 super middleweights who will vie for the tournament title and $750,000 grand prize. The series, which stars Hall of Famer Sugar Ray Leonard as host and mentor to the boxers and counts reality TV hit maker Mark Burnett as an executive producer, began production last week in Los Angeles with the fighters going through interviews, background checks, and physical fitness and psychological tests. The tournament's five-round bouts begin filming next week. The new 10-episode season debuts Sept. 4 (10 p.m. ET) and will air Tuesdays through the live finale on Nov. 6 at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston. "I think what we've got this year is a combination of experienced guys who have fought for world championships and very good prospects who will wind up fighting for world championships," said "Contender" promoter Jeff Wald, one of the executive producers. Said Ron Wechsler, ESPN vice president of scripted content: "'The Contender' has grown into a global brand that has come to represent world-class action inside of the ring and compelling human interest outside of it. This season, we look toward the stacked super middleweight division to continue to bring the most entertaining fights and dedicated fighters to our audience." Here's the rundown of the 16 fighters in the field, which will be trimmed to 10 by the end of the first episode (in alphabetical order with age, hometown and pro record): • Max Alexander (26, Camden, N.J., 14-1, 2 KOs). • David Banks (24, Portland, Ore., 14-2-1, 2 KOs). • Sakio Bika (28, Sydney, Australia, via Cameroon, 22-3-2, 14 KOs). • Henry "Sugar Poo" Buchanan (28, Capital Heights, Md., 14-1, 11 KOs). • La Farrell Bunting (27, Las Vegas, 16-3-1, 16 KOs). • Jaidon Codrington (23, New York, 16-1, 12 KOs). • Miguel Hernandez (32, Chicago, 20-5, 10 KOs). • Wayne Johnson (29, Lyndhurst, N.J., 16-1, 9 KOs). • Donny McCrary (24, St. Joseph, Mo., 23-5-2, 13 KOs). • Les Ralston (25, Buffalo, N.Y., 16-2, 9 KOs). • Danny Santiago (34, Ocala, Fla., 29-3-1, 19 KOs). • Paul Smith (24, Liverpool, England, 20-0, 12 KOs). • Sam Soliman (33, Melbourne, Australia, 33-9, 13 KOs). • Brian Vera (26, Austin, Texas, 14-0, 9 KOs). • Rhoshii Wells (30, Las Vegas, 18-2-2, 10 KOs). • Rubin Williams (31, Detroit, 29-2-1, 16 KOs). The fighters this season are, as a whole, more accomplished than they were in the first two seasons. Bika, Soliman, Santiago, Williams and Wells have all fought for world titles. Bika was also a 2000 Olympian for Cameroon and Wells a 1996 U.S. Olympian. Codrington and Smith are notable prospects. In addition to beefing up the level of fighters, producers have also vastly improved the training staff. Gone are Tommy Gallagher and Jeremy Williams, who have been replaced by Buddy McGirt, one of the best trainers in the sport, and Pepe Correa, who worked with Leonard and former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis, among others, during his 40-year career. "We've upgraded the trainers. Buddy is as good as they can possibly get and a good guy and great television, and Pepe is a guy who is collaborative, calm and experienced," Wald said. "The balance of personalities between Buddy and Pepe is incredible. It's a real upgrade." One of the chief complaints from boxing fans about the series in seasons past is that the bouts that end each episode were heavily edited down to just a couple of minutes of action. That has been addressed for this season. While episodes will be structured similarly to previous seasons, more of the bouts will be seen each week. In addition, every bout will air in its entirety, most likely on ESPN2. "The good news for the hard-core boxing fan is that the fights will be available on one of our network platforms," Wechsler said. "We want to continue providing 'Contender' fans with the show that they love and we also want to give hard-core fans what they want." A fourth season is being discussed with heavyweight as the target division.