Grady Brewer W5 Vinroy Barrett... On this week's episode of The Contender, veteran Grady Brewer eliminated Vinroy Barrett from the second season of the reality show. Brewer won the five rounder by scores of 49-46 (twice) and 48-47. There was some drama, however, when Brewer suffered a cut over his eye from a third round clash of heads. The result was an illustration of how misleading boxers' records can be. Brewer entered at just 18-11, but hardcore boxing fans are well aware he fights a murderous schedule and dealt Anthony Thompson the only loss of his career and gave Sechew Powell all he could handle. Barrett, on the other hand, was a seemingly superior 21-4 but had padded his record with an astonishing collection of stiffs. Still, it was sad to see the personable Barrett eliminated in front of his wife and two daughters.
Walter Wright W5 Andre Eason... Boxing has weight classes for a reason, and when they get ignored, the results are predictable. Two weeks after The Contender debuted with junior middleweight Cornelius Bundrage beating lightweight Michael Clark, another junior middleweight beat up on a junior welterweight. Seattle's Walter Wright whitewashed Brooklyn's Andre Eason, winning all five rounds and putting Eason down hard in round two. Eason had no chance in this physical mismatch as Wright used his huge reach advantage to pound Eason at will from the outside. Eason showed tremendous heart and never stopped trying to get inside Wright's jab. Wright improves to 11-1 while Eason departs the reality show at 15-5.
Gary Balletto W5 Aaron Torres... On episode three of The Contender's second season, Gary Balletto ended a two year, nine month hiatus from the ring with a split decision victory over Aaron Torres. As usual with The Contender, it is impossible to say whether the decision was just or not, as only selected highlights were aired, but it was clear Balletto slugged bravely despite being bloodied by Torres, whose punches looked to be more compact. In his first career, Balletto went 29-2-2 from 1996-2003 but stopped campaigning after a loss to ex-featherweight champ Goyo Vargas. Torres, a Philly fighter last seen getting stopped by Luis Alberto Santiago in 2004, drops to 14-3.Â
Cornelius Bundrage W5 Michael Clark... On the two hour premiere of the Contender Season 2 on ESPN last night, Cornelius "K9" Bundrage won a majority decision over former lightweight champ Michael Clark. Bundrage dropped clark in the fifth and final round and based on the footage shown to viewers, it appeared that the knockdown was the difference in the fight.
Noberto Bravo W5 Rudy Cisneros... Norberto Bravo won a split decision over Rudy Cisneros. Based on the footage shown to viewers, the bout was a toe-to-toe war that could have gone either way even though Cisneros had to lose 8-10 pounds in one day.Â
