In the fourteenth episode of NBC's boxing reality-competition show The Contender, heavily-favored Sergio 'The Latin Snake' Mora (now 15-0, 4 KOs) pounded his way to the show's $1 million final match by decisively thrashing Jesse Brinkley (now 25-2, 17 KOs) in the last semifinal match, winning by unanimous decision. With his win, Sergio will face Peter Manfredo Jr. (24-1, 10 KOs) in the seven-round bout, to be held at the famed Caesar's Palace venue in Las Vegas on Tuesday, May 24, with the live broadcast beginning at 8PM ET.
In a semifinal rematch of the opening episode of NBC's The Contender, Peter Manfredo Jr. (now 24-1, 10 KOs) avenged the only defeat of his career with a seven-round unanimous decision over Alfonso Gomez Jr. (now 12-3-1, 4 KOs) in the thirteenth episode of the show.
In the final quarterfinal match, which took place in the twelfth episode of NBC's reality-competition boxing show The Contender, the two most reluctant warriors in the dominant 'Italian Clan' coalition (also known as the "Gutless Four") were forced into the ring to do "battle." Unfortunately, they couldn't both lose.
On the eleventh episode of NBC's reality-competition boxing show The Contender, the "Italian Clan" coalition (aka the "Gutless Four" for their penchant to fight easy fights, unlike the rest of the boxers) were forced to begin fighting each other, with two spots in the semifinals at stake. In the first such fight, lawyer, former NCAA boxing champion and Sylvester Stallone nutrition endorserJoey Gilbert (now 9-1, 7 KOs) was defeated by Peter Manfredo (now 23-1, 10 KOs) in a split decision after the bout was stopped early due to a severe cut suffered by Joey as a result of an accidental head butt.
In the ninth and tenth episodes of NBC's reality-competition boxing show The Contender, both the good and the bad parts of the show's formula were on display, and not necessarily to the show's best advantage.
In a double shocker, huge underdog Joey Gilbert (now 9-0, 7 KOs) defeated Jimmy Lange (now 24-2-1, 17 KOs), the boxer Anthony Bonsante was too chicken to fight, in a five-round unanimous decision to complete the first round of NBC's The Contender, while last week's winnerJuan de la Rosa claimed sufficient injury to pull out of the competition, leaving just seven first-round winners left after eight episodes.
In the sixth episode of NBC's reality-competition boxing show The Contender, the West's Anthony "The Bullet" Bonsante (now 26-4-3, 15 KOs) stopped the East's Brent Cooper (now 20-3-2, 15 KOs) at 0:38 of the third round. However, the victory may have cost Anthony more than the place in the second round that he gained is worth.
The "angel on his shoulder" -- his wife Yamilka -- propelled the East's Peter Manfredo Jr. (now 22-1, 10 KOs) to a stunning come-from-behind win over the West's Miguel Espino (now 9-2-1, 3 KOs) in his "second chance" on the fifth episode of NBC's The Contender. All three judges scored the five-round bout 48-47 (3 rounds for Peter, 2 for Miguel), giving the East its first win in the series.
NBC announced today that it would add a special "recap edition" of its The Contender reality-competition boxing show, to be shown on Sunday, March 27 (Easter Sunday) at 7PM ET/PT. This special edition will serve as the lead-in to the show's regularly scheduled 8PM broadcast of its fifth episode..
In the fourth episode of NBC's reality-competition boxing show The Contender, chicken pox ended up giving one boxer a second chance, while two other boxers left without the $1 million first prize.