K-9 bundrage bucks reality preconceptions

http://www.tvsa.co.za/actorimages/7869_bundrage_cornelius.jpg Reality TV stars are often derided as talentless leeches sucking the life out of a vacuous society obsessed with all things 'celebrity'. Yet on Saturday night in St Louis, Missouri, a colourful character named Cornelius 'K9' Bundrage made the step from television caricature to world champion with a shock fifth-round stoppage win against Cory Spinks to win the IBF light-middleweight title. Less than five years ago, 'K9' was a star on the The Contender, a kind of 'Big Brother for Boxers' which saw fighters living and training together and fighting each other in a tournament format. Fronted by Sugar Ray Leonard and Sly Stallone, it was viewed by most of us - with some justification - as over-dramatised pap, cynically engineered by producers and embarrassingly formulaic. The only redeeming feature was the simple fact it was about boxing in an era which sees the sport receive less coverage than ever before. Bundrage was one of the many run-of-the-mill journeymen rounded up to take part in the show, which was edited so badly - or brilliantly, perhaps - that it was extremely difficult to judge just how good or bad the fights and fighters were. However, as Spinks sat dazed in the Scottrade Center last weekend and Bundrage became an unlikely world champion, those of us who derided The Contender were being forced to eat at least a small slice of humble pie. Because Bundrage's success is not an isolated case. Alfonso Gomez - a welterweight laughably competing with super-middles in the first series - built on his third place in the tournament by going on to beat a faded Arturo Gatti and past-it Ben Tackie before unsuccessfully challenging the impressive Miguel Cotto for the WBA 147lb title. Peter Manfredo, who beat Gomez in the semi-finals of the show, secured a shot at WBO super-middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe - admittedly due to his profile, rather than ability - and had a go before being stopped early. So far, so mediocre. Against all expectation, however, the series did produce a world champion when the series one champion Sergio Mora surprisingly beat the late Vernon Forrest for the WBC light-middle belt in 2008. The 'Latin Snake' lost it straight back to Forrest but, after a long lay-off and winning return earlier this year, Mora faces future Hall-of-Famer Shane Mosley in California next month. In October, another also-ran, Jesse Brinkley, goes a step further when he travels to Canada to face IBF king Lucian Bute following a hugely creditable climb up the rankings. Some of Bundrage's series two co-stars have proven their pedigree. Steve Forbes was already a former IBF super-featherweight champion and, after knocking out Bundrage and reaching the final, lost a decision to Oscar De La Hoya in 2008. Series three carried more gravitas with the likes of Sakio Bika (the winner), Liverpool's Paul Smith and Sam Soliman involved but by then the format was tired, although a fourth series and some spin-offs were eked out. While it was the show, rather than its stars, that was viewed with cynicism, success stories like Bundrage, Mora and Brinkley are nevertheless staggering to those of us who saw fights via poorly-edited snapshots with cringeworthy sound effects. Bundrage was perfect for the programme. A puppy-eyed, pious everyman short on talent but big on personality who barked like a dog for the camera and threw wild, winging punches10 to the dozen. His limited success in the tournament was followed by two up-and-down years until a stunning stoppage of the then-undefeated European light-middleweight champion Zaurbek Baysangurov on away turf in Germany. That put a rocket under his career and while a no contest against Yuri Foreman in an IBF eliminator was disappointing, a shot at Spinks came anyway. And boy, did he take it. With the legendary Emanuel Steward in his corner, the Detroit native took Spinks apart with a steady flow of power shots and an unrelenting spirit.In a script far superior to anything The Contender ever produced, he is now looking to continue the fairytale. "I want my family to be proud of me," he told the Detroit Free Press. "I want the big names. Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, Shane Mosley. I want those guys. I'll step up to the plate. Bring them on." link