The Contender Season 2 Premiere Tonight

[NiCc_FrUm_ThA_nO]

Once knocked to the canvas, every honest boxer struggles to get back up and continue the fight. The Contender is no different.

The boxing reality series from Mark Burnett Productions (Survivor, The Apprentice, Rock Star: INXS, Rock Star: Supernova) garnered critical acclaim during its run on NBC in early 2005 but struggled to get network-sized ratings. When NBC opted not to renew, executive producer Burnett bounced back and found the series a new home on sports cable network ESPN.

The Contender has its two-hour season premiere tonight at 10. The series, with additional content provided on ESPN.com, ESPN360, ESPN Motion and Mobile ESPN, culminates in a live finale bout from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sept. 26.

Last season's host, Sylvester Stallone, remains an executive producer, but since he's off working on the sixth installment of the Rocky movie franchise, sole hosting duties fall on boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard. As he did last year, Leonard also acts as a mentor to the 16 welterweight boxers.

From the show's five-round bouts to its cinematic look and sound, much remains the same, but missing this time around are the reality-show-style challenges that determined who got to choose the boxers in each bout of the early rounds of the tournament.

"We're on ESPN," Burnett said, "and we're really focused on pleasing that audience and keeping the drama, keeping the emotion, very much like Rocky, where you really felt that emotion. This time, we're making it much more pure."

With the boxers split into opposing teams, the winning team in each bout gets to choose who fights whom the next time.

"We're removing the challenges, which didn't really fit," Burnett said. "Now, we're focused on the more important stuff, which is three things: the relationships in the loft between the 16 boxers, the relationship of each boxer to his family and, of course, the fights."

Anyone else gonna watch this I know I am, last season wuz fuckin tight, cant wait for this one.

[Ðøšïå]

wow those are some small ass guys... the majority is under 5'8. they would still beat my ass though.

[CoreG37]

i liked the challenges. what are they gonna do and how are they gonna choose without them?

[NiCc_FrUm_ThA_nO]

Its on right now on the west coast.

[east bay funk]

shits cool , i dont like hearing the fake ass glove noises every punch though

[Trauma-san]

They're all welterweights, that's why they're so small.  Prob. so Sugar Ray can train them and be relevant. 

[NiCc_FrUm_ThA_nO]

That 2nd fight was good. K-9 shut that foo up tho for real. But then again look at the size difference.

[Ðøšïå]

Noberto Bravo (the guy who one the second fight) is a janitor at my dads work. my dad says he sees him all the time.

[rik]

Noberto Bravo (the guy who one the second fight) is a janitor at my dads work. my dad says he sees him all the time.

Custodian dick...lol j/p. But that's some crazy shit man. Dude has a mean uppercut.

[Ðøšïå]

lol @ how i spelled "won".

[rik]

lol @ how i spelled "won".

haha.

[NiCc_FrUm_ThA_nO]

Noberto Bravo (the guy who one the second fight) is a janitor at my dads work. my dad says he sees him all the time.

Custodian dick...lol j/p. But that's some crazy shit man. Dude has a mean uppercut.

Hell yea.

[NiCc_FrUm_ThA_nO]

Well, Tuesdays fight was another good one, very entertaining. Before the fight I thot for sure Gary Balletto was gonna knock out Aaron Torres, wow I was wrong, Torres was beating his ass 2nd round, 4th round, and in my mind I saw him geting the 5th. He made some mistakes like not capitolizing on Balletto when his arms were down and walking towards him he just backed up. It looks like Grady and Vinroy are gonna fight next week, should be interesting.

[BizzyR.I.P.]

Torres might have been the best fighter in the whole contest. But he fucked it up by not concentrating enough on the fight. He could have easily beat Balletto, he was making him miss on his power punches and had a good mix of power and speed himself. His punches were coming to quick for Balleto to block but he kept on losing concentration.

[rik]

Torres might have been the best fighter in the whole contest. But he fucked it up by not concentrating enough on the fight. He could have easily beat Balletto, he was making him miss on his power punches and had a good mix of power and speed himself. His punches were coming to quick for Balleto to block but he kept on losing concentration.

Took the words right out of my mouth. He was also hella tired by the 5th round.