"The Contender"

[BigDman21]

Next episode is thursday at 10 o clock eastern time

[fozzy40]

I wouldn't be surprised if they brought back Ahmed for rating sakes...everyone just LOVES to hate that guy.

[BigDman21]

Yeah dude thats a good point i bet they will do that. I mean so many people must have tuned into the show just to watch Ishe and Ahmed fight.

[Broadsword2004]

OH F****! I think I missed it today then; I thought Episode 4 was this Sunday. Tell me, who did they bring back, and who won?

[SimonM]

Yeah dude thats a good point i bet they will do that. I mean so many people must have tuned into the show just to watch Ishe and Ahmed fight.

It was the only episode I bothered watching. BTW: Called it on who would win. Ahmed was too much talk.

[Tom Yum]

I missed tonights contender. Who did they bring back? What were the results?

[Broadsword2004]

Last I read, it actually comes on this Sunday (tomorrow).

[Yu Law]

i started watching after the 2nd fight and like all of you i hate Ahmed but i didn't like that Ishi guy either.

and i also noticed that the format is exactly like The Ultimate Figther. Both shows are good.

1 question thouhg, what the hell happened to De La HOya's how The Greatest Champion? I watched like 1 episode and it dissapeared. From what i remembered it sucked thoguh, i really didnt'wanna bother to watch the next episode.

[Broadsword2004]

Yep, I was right, the next episode of "The Contender" was just on (Sunday night @ 8PM). I just watched it. The next episode is next Sunday night, I'm guessing again at 8 PM.

It was Najaf versus Sergia. Najaf came on strong at first, but Sergia won in the end. I think Najaf wore himself out too fast. Anyhow, he was devastated, and I believe he committed suicide recently. He did pass away, they announced at the end of the show, just last month, but I think it was from suicide.

Both were cool guys though; neither was a big jerk or anything, and neither was a wimp or anything, so it was a good, fair fight.

They voted to bring back the guy who lost the very first fight, that world-ranked guy. The one guy (I forget his name) got the chicken pocks, so he was out of there (he was devastated too), so they had to vote to bring one guy back. Most of them chose the Peter guy (the world-ranked guy who lost first), some chose the other black guy (who lost to the bald white guy---I forget their names), and none of them chose Ahmed.

So if Alfonso ends up fighting Peter again and beats him a second time, it'll be proof he really is the better fighter. that must feel weird though to beat the guy, only to have him come back.

Personally, I think I would have voted for the other guy (not Ahmed, but the other one) because I liked him a lot. He seemed like a very respectable guy.

So East Coast hasn't won a fight yet, however, they did win their first non-fighting competition In this pool of guys they have, the West Coast really seems to have the superior athletes.

[Yu Law]

Najai killing himself is a pretty tragic thing, and it's a shame no one caught on to how depressed he was. I've lost important people to depression/suicide, and you always wish things had gone differently. Did anyone catch that he did it on Valentine's day? Wonder what that was about? Still, he kept making all these statements like "I have a lot of pain inside me..." and "The feelings of sadness are just unbearable..." Makes you wonder why no one tried to get him any help.

yah i heardthat one of the contender's committed suicide but kept puttign it off my mind cause of the Isshi AHmed thing that was going on. I didn't even know it was Najai.

He seemed like a good guy, worked 3 jobs in order to feed his siblings b/c his mother died and still found time to train, damn. This guy was a warrior, i really don't understand y he would do this, i know with the loss and having to support so many memebers of his family he was depressed but he came so far, y give in now?

He got on T.V. on a widely recognized network and received maximum exposure. I dunno its both frustrating and sad to think about, and it makes those scenes of him playing with his daughter in the training room more meaningful.

[Broadsword2004]

Depression makes plenty of sense, and if you were in the position he was in, it is not treatable. Depression is not just treatable with a drug, unless you are depressed when you shouldn't be. The guy said he felt like he failed. He came from the ghettos and struggled all his life.

Extreme depression over those kinds of things can't really be helped. The only thing you can do is to look at your life and what you can do with it. The guy blew his chance essentially, and maybe he felt life wasn't worth living anymore (though I wouldn't have left the wife and child behind I don't think, had I been him).

If you're depressed, but can fix the problem and have something to live for, that's different. If you don't however, the depression can be really hard to cure.

One of the best quotes I ever read though was: "Notice the difference between the man who says, 'I have failed 4 times,' and the man who says, 'I am a failure.' "

[Broadsword2004]

Well, I just watched "The Contender" again. The West Coast Team beat the East Coast in the physical endurance event thing again, so they got to choose the fighter. The fighter for them (I forget his name; I think it was Miguel something) picked Peter Manfredo.

Peter Manfredo won (a 48-47 win, so it was close). The West Coast, quoting them, said they think they have let a lion back inside. Miguel said he chose Manfredo because he is a skilled fighter; personally, I think he chose him because he thought Peter would be easy to beat. He even said to his father, when his father asked him, "How is your competition?" he said something like, "Nothing much. He already lost." His father replied, "That means nothing." Everyone was saying Peter was done, he is finished, etc...but he came back and won.

However, it was a very close fight. Miguel fought very hard, but he just didn't have it in that last round.

Personally, I dunno if Peter has a chance at the title or not. He lost his first fight, and now has come back, however, he won by one point. So who knows.

Miguel sure was overconfident-seeming though. He said he thought he was capable of achieving a knockout on Manfredo, but he didn't even come close.

Next week, they have to stop the fight for some reason, so next week's fight will be interesting I bet. Next week's is again Sunday at 8PM, NBC.

One could maybe say that Alfonzo was the same confidence as Miguel, just he was better and won. However, he didn't seem overconfident, he just seemed eager for a challenge and a real fight. Alfonzo seemed to want a real fight to truly win. Miguel seemed to think Manfredo would be an easy win.

I can understand him wanting an easy win though, since he appeared to be doing it for his family. If you are fighting for $$$ for your family, I can see wanting an easier win. Once you win, there's plenty of time to prove yourself as the best of the the best. But until then, I say pick the fights you can win. Maybe some disagree, but that's my opinion.

Miguel was crying since he lost though, which was kind of sad.

[sihing]

Just watched the latest (April 3 show). I think the West team being angry at Anthony for not telling them the truth about who he was really going to pick (Brent), was very uncalled for. Anthony has to do what he has to do and like he says, has a family and has to do what's best for him & them. It was a good fight but Anthony was too powerful and determined to win.

Overall I like the series. I'm not a boxer, but a Wing Chun practitioner and teacher, and have been a fan of Sly and Sugar Ray for years and years. It's a real show with real people going through a real event, something that means the world to these guys and IMO it's quality TV, if there is such a thing. Hopefully there will be another season.

James

[fozzy40]

I too think that this is the first time that "reality TV" is real. There are no paid guest appearances or Road Rules vs. Real World game shows. These guys go home and have to keep struggling.

In reference to tonight's episode, I understand why Anthony did what he did. However, I was hoping that he would get knocked the F*** out. The whole premise of the show is about 16 fighters who've been screwed by managers, promoters and who ever else prevented them from getting their shot. To think that a guy in the same boat would screw the same people who have felt that type of frustration and pain is ridiculous and down right dishonorable.

Do what you have to do Anthony but life has a funny way of evening out the score...eventually.

AWESOME SHOW!!!

[Blue Wave Gym]

Since I know Anthony Bonsonte "trained in the same gym with him" I'll respond

The problem with the contender, the ultimate fighter and all the rest of the "reality tv" fighting shows is that they make sports that are individual sports aka: boxing and mma and add team dynamics which is total b.s.
many people who have been fighters or just martial artists for that matter, are people who hated team sports in jr. high and highschool "myself for example" when your in the ring fighting you're always alone. Like clubber lang said in rocky 3 I live alone, I train alone and I'll win the title alone. Most people don't train alone however, you need at least a good coach "hopefully" and a sparring/training partner and a gym. However when you do your roadwork, weightlifting and all the various crap you have to do to be a fighter throughout the day you are alone most of the time. You fight alone and you win or lose alone. That's the way I like it anyway, so screw team work. That being said Anthony had the same right as all fighters "hopefully" do, to decide wether or not he would fight a particular person, I've never been able to pick my opponent so I don't know what I'd do. Anthony was however deceptive to the guy who helped him win the challenge, he should have been straight up with him so I'll not defend him on that. One thing to think about, he's 33 and has had both success and failure as a pro, so for him and his kids it's kind of a now or never situation. Ishe Smith has no right to say s*** about him though because he nearly did the same thing and sure as hell ran his mouth 24/7, what a little cry baby. Never forget that fighting is not a "team sport"
It's an individual sport. Period!!!!