• Max Alexander (26, Camden, N.J., 14-1, 2 KOs).
• David Banks (24, Portland, Ore., 14-2-1, 2 KOs).
• Sakio Bika (28, Sydney, Australia, via Cameroon, 22-3-2, 14 KOs).
• Henry "Sugar Poo" Buchanan (28, Capital Heights, Md., 14-1, 11 KOs).
• La Farrell Bunting (27, Las Vegas, 16-3-1, 16 KOs).
• Jaidon Codrington (23, New York, 16-1, 12 KOs).
• Miguel Hernandez (32, Chicago, 20-5, 10 KOs).
• Wayne Johnson (29, Lyndhurst, N.J., 16-1, 9 KOs).
• Donny McCrary (24, St. Joseph, Mo., 23-5-2, 13 KOs).
• Les Ralston (25, Buffalo, N.Y., 16-2, 9 KOs).
• Danny Santiago (34, Ocala, Fla., 29-3-1, 19 KOs).
• Paul Smith (24, Liverpool, England, 20-0, 12 KOs).
• Sam Soliman (33, Melbourne, Australia, 33-9, 13 KOs).
• Brian Vera (26, Austin, Texas, 14-0, 9 KOs).
• Rhoshii Wells (30, Las Vegas, 18-2-2, 10 KOs).
• Rubin Williams (31, Detroit, 29-2-1, 16 KOs).
In addition to beefing up the level of fighters, producers have also vastly improved the training staff. Gone are Tommy Gallagher and Jeremy Williams, who have been replaced by Buddy McGirt, one of the best trainers in the sport, and Pepe Correa, who worked with Leonard and former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis, among others, during his 40-year career.
One of the chief complaints from boxing fans about the series in seasons past is that the bouts that end each episode were heavily edited down to just a couple of minutes of action. That has been addressed for this season.
While episodes will be structured similarly to previous seasons, more of the bouts will be seen each week. In addition, every bout will air in its entirety, most likely on ESPN2.
"The good news for the hard-core boxing fan is that the fights will be available on one of our network platforms," Wechsler said. "We want to continue providing 'Contender' fans with the show that they love and we also want to give hard-core fans what they want."
A fourth season is being discussed with heavyweight as the target division
Looks like it could be pretty good.