The Contender

The first time I HEARD about this show i knew it would be ranked as one of the most watched shows ever! I didn't even have to watch it to like it. And yes, it is WAY better than Tough Enough!

The first thing i liked about this show was that it involves boxing. Each one of the contestants is fighting for what he believes in and what they believe in is that they are better than all of the other warriors in that competition.

Another thing i praise this show for is the casting of the hosts. I think it is an excellent idea to get hosts that have a background in boxing. The hosts of The Contender are: Sylvester Stallone (Sly) who starred in the Academy Award Winning Rocky and Sugar Ray Leonard, the former World Champion.

It had an excellent start because i liked the overconfidence of the contenders early on in the contest. For example: the feud between Ahmed Kaddour of the East and Ishe Smith of the West. Their fight is the most emotional match and the one with most meaning so far in the show.

Each fight is simply awesome. I liked the camera angles that slows down the punches of each fighter so you'll see if the punch hit the opponent or not. And during the end of the fight, it gets very emotional. On the part of the winner: knowing that you're one step closer to realizing your dream, assuring yourself that you're staying in the game for another week, and being proud that you were the one who sent that opponent home. On the loser's part: walking back to the locker room with your head down, taking a shower and pounding on the wall, hanging up your gloves and walking out of the gymnasium.

I recommend this show to all the fight fans and reality show enthusiasts!

Well we know Mike Tyson cant fight anyone in the Heavyweight category anymore. With all the money he owes the IRS I refuse to believe he will stop fighting. Maybe Mike should challenge someone in a lower weight class. With that said do you think any of the contender's could beat an aging Mike Tyson? I don't think any of them could but it would be fun to watch.

Personally I think Mike should pursue a career in boxing commentary. He could make good money and people nowadays only watch Mike Tyson to hear what comes out of his mouth. It probably wouldn't be intelligent or useful commentary but I guarantee it would be entertaining and I for one would listen to it.

You know when I first watch 'The Contender' I thought it was pretty neat. A real boxing match, no one takes a dive, its all guts and glory. But I got to tell you, after watching Jesse and Sergio's fight I was pretty SHOCK! I had this recorded on my DVR. And if anyone else did check out round six. Jesse had just beat Sergio in round five, but as he seat on his stool getting ready for round seven, his trainer/manager tells him "Let him have this round" and Jesse comes out not throwing any punches and give round six to Sergio, just as his corner told him to do. Again, all of you that taped it look at the end of round 5 going into 6. I guess all shows have scripts to follow.

Fans of boxing will love this series. Even though this is far from the tuesday night fights that our grandfathers grew up with, it is a modern day reality like tournament with a boxing setting. With an Apprentice quality to the production style, The Contender has an devoted audience of boxing fans and fans of reality television. Sylvester Stallone and Sugar Ray Leonard are the hosts of this show which they also helped to create. Although I am a fan of "Sly" and I was a big fan of Sugar Ray when he was Champ, I am far from a fan when it comes to their new careers in television. Much like Donald Trump, both Sly and Sugar Ray need hours of studio time in he editing room when it comes to adding voice over tracks to their scenes. It's one thing when there's bad audio and you need to "dub" a voice track, but when the Hosts of the Show are unable to say their lines (announce the rules) in 1 take, it's time for certain actors to go back to Acting School and brush up on their talents. Otherwise, this is a great series that needs a little "touch up" here and there.

Anybody who is a fan of boxing should love this. It will also appeal to non-fans because the stories of the boxers themselves are heart-warming. It really gets into the heads of the fighters and shows what drives them, be it honor, fame, family, or God. I don't care much for the little athletic competitions they use to pick who fights next, but the fights, while only 5 rounds long, are action-packed and full of drama. Even if the fights are taped and edited, you'll be on the edge of your seat, and none of the hard hits, huge comebacks, and saddening defeats lose their impact. And since you get into the heads of these boxers and appreciate where they're coming from, when they fight, sometimes it's hard to choose who to root for. These guys are all winners*.

My only problem with the show is it is a little too over-packaged and edited. But, that's network TV for you. It doesn't matter too much in the end, because this show is still great, and one of two current shows I follow with great zeal (the other show being "Lost").

*With the possible exception of Ahmed Kahddour. Cocky bastard.