The Contender season 3 came to an end with two Contender finalists, Jaidon Codrington and Sakio Bika going toe-to-toe for 10 rounds vying for the Contender championship, belt and a $750,000 purse. In a fight reminiescent of Ward-Gatti each fighter gave 110%. Both were dropped in round one only to come back fighting round after round with furious intensity. Referee Dick Flaherty stopped the fight at 2:18 of round eight with Codrington reeling against the ropes as Bika pummeled him.
The finale undercard matchups included super middleweight Brian Vera beating Max Alexander by a 6-round unanimous decision, middleweight Aslanbek Kodzoev defeating Miguel Hernandez via 6-round unanimous decision, middleweight David Banks earning a 6-round majority decision over Donny McCrary and Sam Soliman winning the bronze metal by unanimous decision in a super middleweight bout over Wayne Johnsen.
| Fight | Location | Date | Boxing Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Contender | TBA | TBA | TBA |
The Contender
The Contender takes 16 welterweights and follows their lives as they compete for The Contender belt and $500,000 purse. Each epidsode ends with a 5 round fight held in Pasadena, California at The Contender Gymnasium. The winnner stays, and the loser goes home. Only 2 fighters out of 16 remain for the final fight on September 26, 2006 which will be held at Staples Center in LA. This is The Contenders second season. The winner of the first season was Sergio Mora from Los Angeles, California who beat Peter Manfredo Jr by unanimous decision in The Contenders 7 round championship in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 25, 2005. Mora won $1 million. Peter Manfredo Jr had previously beaten Contender fan favorite Alfonso Gomez in the semi-finals.
In the second season Contender Finale on September 26, 2006 at The Staples Center in Los Angeles journeyman Grady Brewer defeated former world champion Steve Forbes by a split decision. Brewer won $500,000 plus The Contender belt.
The third season Contender features a new weight class, new trainers and a bigger purse. Season three moves up a weight class to super middleweight (over 160 to 168 lbs). The trainers are world class trainer Buddy McGirt and celebrated trainer Pepe Correa. The purse, up from the season two will be $750,000 for the winner.