BoxRec

I read with interest that next seasons Contender program is going to be a USA v Britain type thing, with at least 6 boxers from these shores competing.

Can't really see it being a sucess, have we got 6 boxers in good international class that could compete at light middle?

Sounds like decent idea, although like you say I doubt Britain has the talent to compete. USA vs Rest of the World would probably be a more appropriate idea.

topper, do you have a link as to where you read it?

cheers

vargas wrote:Sounds like decent idea, although like you say I doubt Britain has the talent to compete. USA vs Rest of the World would probably be a more appropriate idea.

Don't need to be world level talent but just bellow. I think Super Middle would be a more exciting weight to have these things at.

Look at the boxrec rankings
Froch
Dann
Magee
Kerr
Dodson
Thirwall
Cleverly (don't know anything about him)
Blundel

Could find a few to compeet from that and over the pond
Peter Manfredo Jr
Allan Green
Yusaf Mack
Antwun Echols
Lajuan Simon
Elvin Ayala
Rubin Williams

I imagen what they will do though is what they did on the ultimate fighter and just have a couple of british fighters

Genuine fighters like Froch won't ever entertain the prospect of the 'contender'.Not until his washed up and nearly finished anyway.
The show is about giving guys who otherwise would'nt make any sort of noise on the world stage(or who are past it)a shot at winning a few quid.

The level of fighters so far has hardly been top notch has it?
Pretty sure Britain could provide the necessary amount needed.

Also,I would like to see a heavyweight contender,thus preventing the problems with the one just gone,where natural light middleweights were fighting natural light welterweights.
Plus the heavies seem to always produce a few more unstable charachters!!! Imagine sharing a room with Oliver McCall!! Would make great viewing!!!!

yiddo14 wrote:Genuine fighters like Froch won't ever entertain the prospect of the 'contender'.Not until his washed up and nearly finished anyway.
The show is about giving guys who otherwise would'nt make any sort of noise on the world stage(or who are past it)a shot at winning a few quid.

The level of fighters so far has hardly been top notch has it?
Pretty sure Britain could provide the necessary amount needed.

Also,I would like to see a heavyweight contender,thus preventing the problems with the one just gone,where natural light middleweights were fighting natural light welterweights.
Plus the heavies seem to always produce a few more unstable charachters!!! Imagine sharing a room with Oliver McCall!! Would make great viewing!!!!

The problem with HW is it would be more difficult for them to pass the fighters of as genuin contenders cos more people nominaly follow heavyweight. Would be good to see some of the fringe fighters there though (Harrison, Guinn, Shannon Briggs etc)

nice to see my name getting mentioned there guys nice 1

Would you do something like the Contender for the guarenteed american exposiour Tony? Also can you do the tragic back story about the streets of liverpool that they all seem to have

Jamie Moore was offered the opportunity but team Moore knocked them back. Think that was for this years though.

I think the Contender series has had a little bit too much criticism from the boxing fraternity.

You cannot get as much of a geniune fighter as Steve Forbes - whoose far from over the hill at 28.

Also, Ishe Smith, while outweighed is undoubtedly a class boxer.

Manfredo and Mora have had some stick and they might fall at the final hurdle..... but I think now they practically deserve a shot at the Super Middleweight and Middleweight title respectively.

Manfredo hasn't done much wrong since losing the final, got a bit robbed in the rematch and destroyed Pemberton and Spina. Thats pretty decent form.

Mora looked excellent beating the very decent, and massive, Eric Regan.

Even Joey Gilbert is doing okay as the NABO champion.

So while the fighters in both series (especially the second) got criticised as not being geniune contenders, I think some of the criticism is unjust. Ebo Elder - another who was a geniune fringe contender BEFORE the fight.

Without meaning to sound disrepctful, if they were doing a show on the Super Middleweights - I think Dodson, Magee is the exact sort of fighter who should considered it. For me, Ebo Elder and Steve Forbes should have been considered closer to "world class" than these two in their respective weights.

The critisisms i aim at the show are more to do with production (sound effects etc), its not aimed at the boxers, this seasons Contender had some excellent well matched fights.

One thing i'd like to know, Do the boxers on the show have to sign any promotional or managerial contracts for when the show has finished? as it does seem to be alot of the boxers on the show are either free agents before filming or have been out of the ring for quite a while.

Maybe this would be a problem for boxers from these shores, as most are tied to various managers or promoters.

I'd go with a heavyweight contender. The US has a shed load of youngsters who have big mother undefeated records but arn't being taken up to the next level against the seasoned pros and more mature "contenders." But I'm sure you'd get at least a dozen who'd be prepared to put their records on the line against similarly novice(ish) opposition. Chuck in a couple of 30-somethings who are tottering on the brink of obscurity, and I reckon it would actually be very enthralling.

And a US-v-Europe in terms of heavies would be extremely interesting too. Better not make it US-Britain though. Malik Scott against Dave Ingleby just wouldn't work for some reason.