Feel Good Vibe Banished; on The Contender Season 4 Finale Tonight "There Will Be Blood"

By Alex Pierpaoli

Boxing returns to Foxwoods Casino tonight when The Contender Season 4 Finale christens the MGM Grand Theater with the first fight card since it opened in spring of last year.  After so many thrilling fights energized the sport at Foxwoods previous boxing venue, it is fitting that The Contender, boxing's critically-acclaimed reality series culminates in the Connecticut woods with a five-bout all Contender contestant cruiserweight card.  This year's Contender was the most international of the series and the Main Event this evening features Nigerian Ehinomen Ehikhamenor versus Canadian Troy Ross in a 10 rounder from which the victor will emerge as The Contender Champion.    

The Contender Season 4 was hosted by TV's Tony Danza and debuted on VERSUS Network in December, chronicling the lives of 16 cruiserweight boxers brought together in Singapore where they lived and trained together for six weeks.  Like with many reality series, the concept behind The Contender is simple; the contestants are separated into two teams and pitted against each other.  Rivalry and camaraderie is depicted each week as the drama moved closer and closer to tonight's finale.  But there's no singing or dancing on this show; these guys fight. 

But despite the competitive and downright brutal nature of boxing, at the final press conference and weigh-in yesterday there was nothing but smiles.  The good-natured Tony Danza joked with each of the guys as they hit the scales.  When Troy Ross stepped up to weigh-in Danza joked about Ross' killer set of abs and suggested the fighter should be on a Times Square underwear ad billboard.  The group gives off a feel-good vibe that is palpable and it makes one confident they had a lot of fun together in Singapore.

Contender series promoter Jeff Wald praised the fighters for their work on the show and for re-invigorating a weight class that has been largely overshadowed by the more lucrative Heavyweight division just a few pounds north of the 200 pound cruiserweight limit.  But reality itself seemed to break in the reality-show's favor this past December when 2 other cruiserweightsﾗTomasz Adamek and Steve Cunningham, rumbled in an exciting fight that made the boxing world take notice of the not-quite-heavyweight division in a bout many considered for Fight of the Year honors. 

Boxing is always driven by personalities and especially by exciting competitive fights and choosing the traditionally mundane cruiserweight division seemed risky to many.  But Wald commented that Adamek-Cunningham "came along and made us look like geniuses."   

The show has certainly made a difference in the lives of the athletes who all heaped praise on the experience when it was their chance at the microphone. 

Ehikamenor, or Hollywood Hino as he is nicknamed, spoke of how joining the reality series cast was probably the best career decision he's ever made.  "I can't believe I'm in the main event," said Hino.  "Somebody's gotta pinch me."

But before you walk away thinking these guys are too nice to each other to let us see a good fight, one of the competitors made sure to dissuade everyone of that notion. 

Akinyemi "AK47" Laleye, who fights in the televised co-feature on Versus, promised the collected media that the smiles and the warmth were only temporary.

"Don't be fooled by the smiles," said Laleye.  "There will be blood tomorrow."

The Contender Season 4 Finale is broadcast live on Versus Network tonight at 9pm ET.  Tickets are still available through Ticketmaster and at the MGM Grand Box Office.

Full card breakdown with weigh-in results as follows:

Erick Vega 200 vs. Alfredo Escalera Jr. 198

Richard Gingras 192 vs. Ryan Coyne 194

Felix Cora Jr. 200 vs. Tim Flamos 195

Rico Hoye 199 vs. Akinemi Laleye 194

Ehinomen Ehikamenor 192 vs. Troy Ross 194