Forbes and Brewer Advance to Contender Finale
Forbes and Brewer will meet in the finals on Tuesday, September 26 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. The best part of the final is that it is the only fight in the entire tournament that is shown live ... in its entirety ... as a sporting event is meant to be enjoyed. Is it just me or has the editing of The Contender gotten increasingly annoying as this season has progressed? Getting to know the fighters gets viewers emotionally invested in the outcomes of what would normally be undercard bouts. That's fine. However, the editing - in addition to being filled with cheesy slow-motion and enhanced sound effects - is done in such a way that every bout appears too close to call when it goes to the judges ... insuring that the reading of the scores is as dramatic as possible.
Finally, why does ESPN feel compelled to cut away from the action every five or ten seconds to show girlfriends/wives screaming "C'mon baby!" or Sugar Ray Leonard and Sergio Mora jumping out of their seats? Are the fights themselves so dull that TV viewers need to be artificially revved up? If not, then just show the fights from beginning to end. It's not like any non-boxing fans are tuning in anyway . . .
Comments
k-9 and Bravo were robbed!!
I agree that the slow motion and the girlfriends is way too much. However, if not for the editing, I would probably not be interested in this show (I am not a boxing fan whatsoever yet I am hooked on The Contender). Because of this I think your statement about editing is a little off, because it is doing some good (along with being really annoying at the same time).
I would have to disagree, I am not a boxing fan but love the contender.
this is a non boxing fan show ,a true boxing fan wouldnt waste his time ,this is why I have no interest in this program ,look at the audience when the finals are at the Staple Center mostly chicks,take the microphones out of the gloves and show the whole fight and maybe I would watch
the contender is sick. i really rated k-9 until the fight with 2 guns he was slow. none of them didnt really put much effort in and didnt perform well
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Man, I’m a boxing fan and a Contender fan. While the special effects are cool(only if they mean something such as a contribute to the win)I can’t stand most of the flash backs to the other peoples faces, and the annoying wifes.Wrights Chinese aunt was the worst.Honestly I’m only concerned with what expression it puts on my face,and what my opinion is.I want to see the freaking fight, not the freaking audience!
This season was boring…. Grady and K-9 have the uglyest style ever…. I was gonna go see it live but NO THANKS!Forbes will win easy…
does anybody else thing the scoring was odd in the Grady vs Norberto fight (second semi-final)? how could one judge score it 49-46 when Grady automatically drops 2 points (i.e. gets an 8-10 round) for the knockdown in round one?
BS a true boxer watches this show a true boxing fan …. a fan would have no idea, you dont understand the excitement of the crowd how it affects a fight, the wives reactions are! heard by the fighters, i have been in enough myself, getting to know these guys should make you appreciate the sport that is on a downfall, this show is only helping that. why not show sergio and sugar ray they worked and got where they are and they deserve the national spotlight and exposure. as much as you think there styles are guly, maybe you havent seen th average boxer fight enough, these guys have great unique styles, walter wright outbeats them all but the styles are unique and fits there critique. become a boxer and you will understand all aspects of the show. the boxers who make appearances and the lengedary trainers dont show up for n e thing and if you guys cant predict the rounds at the end you havent watched enough fights i have almost called every fight besides a few. so stop trying to jump on bandwagons or complain and juss stop watching if you dont understand the life of a boxer. Chris “buffalo’s Pride” Laski
thank you chris that was good, i goet sick of people too who arent boxers or even fans that rip on stupid things like showing their wifes. people forget that these guys grew up in the ghetto, living check by check and their trying to win a half million dollars. screw everyone for talkin bad about this show!
I’m a big boxing fan AND I really like the Contender. I believe it has pumped some much needed new blood into the sweet science, and right into the most exciting weight classes.
I agree with the author here that the edited fights aren’t the best way to enjoy boxing, but I also know that the producers are trying to sell a product. Often, boxing can be quite boring to the uninitiated — it’s not all about big knockouts (but they ARE fun!) So, for a public that has shown little interest in the sport for a number of years, it’s best to edit the fights into five or ten minute summations. That way folks don’t get bored and change the channel. The cutaways to Sergio and Ray don’t bother me at all, they’re experts in the sport and I value what they say, but the sound effects are stupid. Apron mics can pick up the real sound of a solid punch and it’s much more impressive to me than something a foley created in a sound-proof room.
Anyway, I’m really looking forward to the finale, but I’m sad to hear that Ebo Elder wasn’t invited to play on the undercard. I would love to see him fight again, and MAYBE prove he doesn’t have a glass jaw.
The contender, is some of the best T.V. on if anyone has a gripe, turn the channel…In my opinion the contender will take the EMMEY’s
I have a question regarding Forbes. Several of the other boxers referred to Forbes as a “world champ”. I actually got on the internet to research this and found this site. Can anyone tell me if he has been “world champ” in the past? And, if so, wouldn’t it seem the Contender is not really his “big break”. Or is it that being world champ doesn’t come with a lot of monetary rewards? If you can’t tell, I’m not a boxing fan, but quickly becoming one. I have thoroughly enjoyed the Contender boxing.
Julie,
Yes, Steve Forbes is the former world junior lightweight titleholder. However, he was not able to keep his weight that low (about 130lbs) so he decided to vacate the title and move up in weight class. In boxing a few pounds can make a huge difference.
Dave, Thanks for the answer. 130 pounds is pretty light alright. I would have trouble staying at that weight myself. Ha ha. Can you or anyone else tell me what the prize is for winning such a title as world junior lightweight? Do you win any substantial amount of money?
I became a boxing fan due to the Contender! I followed it closely last season, I don’t feel like it was as good this time around, but good enough to get tickets to the Staples Center tonight! I work as a suite host, so if anyone sees a young brunette in a white suit in one of the suites say hello!
I read that Forbes’s best payday while fighting as a junior lightweight was about 120k. Not bad compensation for the job, but there’s more to be had.
I’m not much of a boxing fan, I think it’s about as boring as watching paint dry! But there are only 2 things I watch on TV, Battlestar Galactica and the Contender! I enjoy a bit of the “family” life of the contestants, to know them better as a person, where they come from, what they’ve been through etc. I also enjoy the “edited” fighting, it seems to keep me on the edge of my seat and I enjoy the slow motion punches!