"The Contender Rematches": Reality or Not?

[BtownJay]

First, as we all know I am not a writer. I am simply a fan, a boxing fan who is so outraged I don’t know how to handle it. Many of you know of and have followed the reality series “The Contender”. On Saturday night at the Staples Center ESPN had the “rematches” and some other fighters from the...
Full Article

[Rusty27]

There was a comedian reality show I watched recently where the judges decision could be (and was)overruled by the network executives.In other words some of the comedians who weren't as funny were chosen to move on in the competion because their personalities would be more controversial and most likely draw higher ratings in future episodes.I'm just wondering if the winners in these fights will be in future episodes of the show?

[BtownJay]

The problem is the show is already over. These fights were real fights sanctioned by the real boxing commisions. The outcomes of these fights all count for and against the boxers professional careers. The judges for these fights are also sanctioned by boxing commisions, not by the show itself. These fights were between fighters that were part of the show.

So, boxing itself would have to overrule these decisions. And if they would do it for these fights then they would have to be able to do that for all of the sport. I hope these judges are never allowed to judge another fight.

[ssigman]

i forgot the contender fights were on saturday, so the dvr did not record that...while i'm kinda pissed i missed it, jay's review made me glad i missed it...sometimes i don't know whats more climatic, the fight or the decision....boxing judges are the worst by far and all of them should be shot with a sickle cell gun

i am shocked manfredo beat mora since i felt manfredo did nothing on the show to give the impression he was talented

[BtownJay]

I had to do some searching to know that I wasn't alone in my frustration (okay, being pissed off). Okay, well i know I wasn't alone when the crowd actually booed the decisions. But here is some of what I found...

"Boxing Takes Second Place in the Contender Rematch"
The shock of the fight came not during the bout but during the decision as Brinkley was pronounced the winner by unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47) . Teddy Atlas who had Bonsante winning every round was irate and rightfully so.
http://www.doghouseboxing.com/Harris...ison101705.htm

"The Contender Rematches’: Reality is Sometimes Robbery"
Instead, viewers were witness to a series of 3 bouts that were essentially muggings in progress. Not only was each and every decision completely and utterly wrong, but they showcased the kind of decision making processes and payoffs that are destroying the sport of boxing and making more and more fans turn their backs and televisions when they see boxing as the programming of the evening.
http://www.doghouseboxing.com/Jason/Petock101705.htm

“The Contender Self Destructs”
Stats:
Bonsante, 141 landed, 409 thrown for 34%.
Brinkley, 58 landed, 310 thrown for 19%.

The Judges’ scores were:
Julie Lederman – 48-47 for Brinkley
Fritz Warner – 48-47 for Brinkley
Raul Caiz Sr. – 49-46 for Brinkley
-------------------------------------------

Manfredo celebrated his perceived victory, jumping up on the corner posts with arms raised as the hometown fans jeered at him for beating their homeboy from East LA.

The Judges’ scores were:
Julie Lederman – 77-75 for Mora.
Marty Denkin – 77-75 for Manfredo.
Chuck Hassett – 77-75 for Mora.
(What fight were Hassett and Lederman watching?)

Sharkie’s Machine had it 78-74 for Manfredo.

Now “The Contender” really IS a ‘reality’ show. It’s just as corrupt as regular boxing, complete with bogus scores from the Judges that rendered two winners the losers. The unaccountable Judges worked the script (the fix) in spite of the reality that transpired in the ring. How stupid do they think we are? And where was the honor in Brinkley and Mora accepting these bogus results? If THIS last event is what “The Contender” is going to be like on ESPN, then they might as well just cancel the show now.
http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=4940&more=1

[Ishkur]

A couple things:

1) I thought The Contender was the biggest bullshit reality show on TV. It was fucking excruciating to watch; by far the most frustrating and obnoxious sporting event I've ever seen. I love boxing, and I wanted to watch a great show about boxing and boxers. But the fights were complete and utter horseshit. We saw absolutely NOTHING that amounted to any boxing at all. Too much editing, too many disjointed camera angles, too many quick cuts, edits, time-stretched shots, disjointed shots, re-takes, full-on trainer banter inbetween rounds (can't forget that after all), inane moments of the crowd cheering them on, and reused footage (there were an awful lot of times where each fighter seemed to make the exact same punch two or three times). There was no presence of a clock or judges or any kind of time schedule, so we couldn't even tell if we were watching the rounds in order. I'm sure the Producers edited all the fights to make them seem much closer than they actually were.

But what broke the straw more than anything were the crowd shots. Listen, fuckdonuts: I DO NOT CARE ABOUT MANFREDO'S WIFE AND DAUGHTER CHEERING HIM ON. FOR THE SAKE OF TELEVISION, WE NEED TO SEE THAT ONCE....PREFERABLY NONE. And what was with the idiotic, swelling orchestral strings. it made the thing feel cheap and manufactured. Rubbish. Total rubbish.

If the producers knew anything about boxing--or sports in general--they'd leave the damn editing crap alone and just show all 5 rounds in their entirety. It's only 15 minutes. For a 1 hour show, there is nothing wrong with that. All this faux-hype and obstinate human drama completely killed what was really supposed to sell the show: boxing.

You don't see American Idol quick cut through songs and show the audience's reaction every 5 seconds, do you? LEAVE THE GOD DAMN EDITING ALONE AND JUST SHOW US THE DAMN FIGHT. It's like sitting at a table in anticipation watching someone bake your favourite cake just for you, and then telling you after it's made that you aren't allowed to eat it. What a tease.

And What turned me off even more than the slick-cut, super-edited fights were the presence of families. Holy shit. Manfredo mentioned that his family had never seen him fight before. You know why? ....because boxing is the only sport where the entire purpose is violence. Violence is a very adult-oriented activity. I put it right up there with pornography, smoking and drinking. CHILDREN DO NOT BELONG NEAR A BOXING RING. EVER. Especially any children under the age of 12. That's just sick. Amazing that we don't mind exposing these tykes to live pain and suffering and grievous violence right in front of their faces.......but we'll be damned if they get exposed to a breast on TV. Society is seriously seriously messed up.

*sigh*

I wanted to watch boxing. This is not boxing, this is the illusion of boxing. This is the promise of boxing. The boxing is not even the essential part of the show, it's just being used as a metaphor for the struggles of hopefuls to achieve their dream. Well, you could probably say that about any reality TV show, but if that's the case, why completely dishonour the sweet science of boxing doing it? Why not just have them be trash collectors. If I wanted superfluous fluff like this, I'd go rent Rocky.

This show couldn't decide if it wanted to be a legitimate boxing competition, a soap opera featuring a bunch of tough guys, or a family-oriented drama....with real families. Because of this, it was confusing, frustrating and annoying to watch, because it kept switching gears on you. And that's why it failed.

okay, rant off.

2) People have known for years that Reality TV is scripted. Or at least tinkered with. The Producers routinely prod the actors until they get the reaction they want. Just look at American Idol. Simon Cowell was actually annoyed once that the American Idol producers/writers kept trying to write a script for him, or a list rather, of all sorts of biting zingers, insults, and put-downs he could use to level chalkboard-scratching singers during the audition process. He told them to bugger off, and refused to use any of their pre-ordained witticisms to badger idol hopefuls.

But the other two judges are not so keen on maintaining their dignity. Paula has certainly been prodded up as the sacharine yin to Simon's scathing yang, and the more spiteful he gets, the more compassionate she becomes. It's like a good cop/bad cop routine.

Randy, meanwhile, has devolved into black ghetto stereotypes. The first season he didn't do much of it at all, and actually came off as a smart, educated A&R mogul of the recording industry. But since then the show's producers have, through "helpful suggestions" of course, guided him into a typecasted role in order to appeal to "urban" viewers more. As per instructions, now he can't say a single thing without adding "dawg" after every third word, and every time Ryan Seacrest introduces him he has to go "yeeaaaah!!" and flash gang signs, for all his peeps back in the hood. It's so fake and corny it makes me struggle to take anything they say seriously.

It all reminds me of Poochy the Dog, the much maligned mutt of the Itchy & Scratchy cartoon in an episode of the Simpsons, conjured up by board room execs as a proactive, skateboarding, flannel-wearing, bug-eye shades adorning symbol of Generation-Xtreme. A soulless corporate marketing icon, with no purpose except to sell product placement.

I don't mind if the stuff is scripted or not. I just don't like it when it insults my intelligence. I guess that's why I like Trailer Park Boys.