A new Contender champion will be crowned this Tuesday night on ESPN. Hoping to follow the lead of first season winner Sergio Mora, two welterweights will step into the ring and fight for The Contender belt and half a million dollars. Steve Forbes and Grady Brewer made it to the end of the 16-man field but only one of them can be The Contender.
Steve Forbes (pictured at right) is the only one of the contestants to be a former world champion. Forbes held the IBF Super Featherweight Title at the time that Floyd Mayweather Jr and Diego Corrales were headlining the division. That being said, Forbes’ best days were as a 130-pounder. The Contender tournament has been fought at 150 pounds. Forbes is a 2-1 favorite even though he has looked very beatable in his wins over Freddy Curiel and Nick Acevedo. Forbes didn’t succumb to Cornelius Bundrage’s rough tactics in the semi-finals and was able to get a unanimous decision to advance to the finals.
Grady Brewer (pictured above at left) is a surprise participant in the finals. He has 11 losses in his career, but many were against quality opponents. Some of his most notable losses include Jermain Taylor, Peter Manfredo Jr, Kelly Pavlik, and Sechew Powell. Brewer has also fought most of his career as a light middleweight, which carries a 154-pound limit. Brewer defeated Vinroy Barrett and Michael Stewart by unanimous decision before getting a scare in the semi-finals. Norberto Bravo knocked Brewer down in the first round of their bout yet rallied back to gain a majority decision victory.
Steve Forbes has better credentials than Grady Brewer but Grady is much better suited for the catch-weight of 150 pounds and carries a 4-inch reach advantage. The bout is scheduled for 10 rounds and I see Forbes using his superior skills to figure out a way to close the distance on Brewer over the duration of the fight. Forbes has shown good hand speed during the tournament. Brewer looks awkward in the ring and doesn’t look to have a lot of power. Forbes will win by unanimous decision.
The Undercard
The semi-finals losers will do battle for third place as Norberto Bravo faces Cornelius Bundrage. Bravo showed a lot of heart during the tournament and reminds me of Alfonso Gomez from the first season. Bundrage should win this fight and could end up knocking Bravo out, but I’m going with the underdog in Norberto Bravo. That’s what Gomez did last year. Their fight is scheduled for eight rounds and will also be shown live from the Staples Center on ESPN.
Two more undercard bouts can be watched live on espn.com starting at 8:15 ET. In one six-round contest, Walter Wright takes on Vinroy Barrett. Wright boxed well in his first round win but lost to the rough-housing Bundrage in the second round. Wright should win this one easily. Barrett was outboxed by Grady Brewer and Wright is a slicker boxer than Brewer. Wright by unanimous decision.
The other six-round undercard bout pits Michael Clark against Freddy Curiel. Clark was a favorite to win the whole thing but was beaten in the first round by Bundrage. Curiel hadn’t fought in four years before The Contender and looked good in the first round, despite losing to Steve Forbes. Clark should win because he needs to redeem himself but Curiel could surprise. I’m picking Clark by split decision.
Stay tuned to Inside Fights for a complete review of The Contender Finale.
