The second difference between this season and the two prior seasons is that this year the boxers are Super Middleweights. This is in contrast to the Middleweight division that we have previously seen.

Finally, the money doubles from last year. In the opening season, Sergio Mora walked away with $1,000,000 – the big prize for winning the competition. Season two though, saw champion Grady Brewer awarded half that amount; $500,000. This year the money goes back up to the $1,000,000 mark. This is sure to make the eventual winner quite happy.

So on to the show. Sixteen men were pared down to form the final 10 by three different means. Initially, all 16 participated in a SPARQ test. That stands for Speed, Power, Agility, Reaction and Quickness. Five men were brought forward. Three would stay, two would leave. Les Ralston and Rubin Williams were the first pair that was unfortunately sent home.

It was felt that Ralston was too small, and that might have been the case. He is more a Middleweight than a Super Middleweight; still, it was too bad we could not have seen what he could do. Alfonso Gomez isn't a giant, either.

Williams was cut due his conditioning, or should I say, the lack thereof. It was believed that he was too out of shape to be up to the challenge.

The second day brought sparring sessions. Two more fighters would get cut after the sparring. Rhoshii Wells and Miguel Hernandez were the next two who had to return home. Wells had been off for more than two years, and the ring rust and the fact that he had lost a step or two was his undoing.

Hernandez was another fighter who was a victim of the 'smaller' syndrome. Short yes, but what a classy guy he seemed to be in his short television appearance.

The third and final day provided the remaining six fighters with more sparring sessions, this time with season one winner Mora, Peter Manfredo Jr., and Gomez. Alfonso opted to watch the sessions and provide input, since those left were a lot bigger than he.

Six fighters remained, but there were only four spots. After gathering information from trainers, the three Contender boxers, and Leonard, the final decision was made. It was also now that teams were chosen. Correa was the head of the blue team, and McGirt the leader of the gold. The first six out were the men that already knew they would participate in the show as part of the final 10, and they were placed on teams. Then methodically, the other four choices were made.

Bad luck put LaFarrell Bunting out of the competition. During the sparring the second day, Bunting suffered a cut over his left eye. While he did not feel it would slow him down, the decision was made that it was not worth the chance to risk injury. His time with Contender came to an end.

Danny Santiago's biggest enemy was the scale. He came into the gym at 198 pounds – 30 pounds over the required 168! He was able to come down to 191, but to pull another 23 pounds off of him, and safely, proved to be a task the trainers did not want to undertake. Santiago joined Bunting as the last two fighters to leave the show early.

So we have our final 10.

Gold team:

Jaidon Codrington – Queens, New York. 23 years old with a pro record of 16-1-0.

Henry Buchanan – Capital Heights, Maryland. 28 years old with a pro record of 14-1-0.

Sam Soliman – Melbourne, Australia. 33 years old with a pro record of 33-9-0.

Donny McCrary – St. Joseph, Missouri. 24 years old with a pro record of 23-5-2.

David Banks – Portland, Oregon. 24 years old with a pro record of 14-2-1.

Blue team:

Max Alexander – Camden, New Jersey. 26 years old with a pro record of 14-1.

Saiko Bika – Camaroon / Sydney, Australia. 28 years old with a pro record of 22-3-2.

Wayne Johnson – Lyndhurst, New Jersey. 29 years old with a pro record of 16-1-0.

Paul Smith – Liverpool, England. 24 years old with a pro record of 20-0-0.

Brian Vera – Austin, Texas. 25 years old with a pro record of 14-0-0.

It looks as if we are in for a good couple of months. We have a variety of fighters here. There are boxers who have fought for titles and won titles, such as McCrary, Soliman, Bika, and Vera. Soliman is also an expert in Kick Boxing, Tae Kwon Do and Karate. Codrington is a former Golden Gloves Champion. Alexander has a great amateur record of 47-3. Banks has only been fighting professionally for three years, and is self-taught.

I can’t wait to see who fights who next week.

Be safe and God Bless,

Viva La Raza,

Barb.