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When 28 pugilists with varying levels of experience were cast for boxing reality shows “The Next Great Champ” and “The Contender,” few sought to become “reality stars,” an obscenity of a label created in the nineties that implied the 15 minutes of fame that Andy Warhol said everyone would be world famous for.
The dozen contestants on “The Next Great Champ” were new, inexperienced professionals seeking what essentially amounted to a developmental contract, working toward the prize of something called an eight-round title belt.
But the 16 fighters attempting to become “The Contender” covered a wider spectrum, from relatively green to relatively gray, young bucks and older veterans that desired the “Contender Championship,” one million dollars and, just as importantly, the ability to cash in on newfound fame.
The premise of the latter show was that, for varying reasons, these were boxers that had been passed over on the road to relevance. One entrant, Tarick Salmaci, had been inactive for three and a half years, jaded at the way the business had treated him, desperate for one more chance in the sport. [details]
The dozen contestants on “The Next Great Champ” were new, inexperienced professionals seeking what essentially amounted to a developmental contract, working toward the prize of something called an eight-round title belt.
But the 16 fighters attempting to become “The Contender” covered a wider spectrum, from relatively green to relatively gray, young bucks and older veterans that desired the “Contender Championship,” one million dollars and, just as importantly, the ability to cash in on newfound fame.
The premise of the latter show was that, for varying reasons, these were boxers that had been passed over on the road to relevance. One entrant, Tarick Salmaci, had been inactive for three and a half years, jaded at the way the business had treated him, desperate for one more chance in the sport. [details]