Brinkley eliminates Reid on The Contender

By Scott Shaffer

11/03/2005

Brinkley eliminates Reid on The Contender

On episode two of NBC's boxing reality series The Contender, Jesse Brinkley defeated more experienced Jonathan Reid by five-round decision to advance to the round of eight.  Of the sixteen boxers selected for the show, Reid was the only one to have fought for a world title, having been stopped by William Joppy in the fourth-round of a failed WBA middleweight bid.  The broadcast vividly captured the emotion boxers go through before and after a tough fight, and the children of both men were touchingly featured.  Brinkley improves to 24-1, including six straight wins over opponents with winning records. Reid drops to 33-2, and in The Contender's final scene, he said he would have to think about whether he would continue to box.  Ishe Smith was portrayed as somewhat of a chicken for talking trash and then backing out of an opportunity to face his nemesis, Ahmed Kaddour.  Of course, reality shows sometimes show the opposite of reality, so Boxingtalk will withhold judgment on Smith for the time being. In episode one, aired earlier this week, Peter Manfredo, 21-1, was handed his first loss by the smaller Alfonso Gomez, 11-2-1.  Episode one received favorable reviews but disappointing ratings. The third episode of the show airs Sunday night at 8 pm.Â