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HATING ON 'THE CONTENDER'... HATING ON THE NEW YORK POST REVIEW OF THE SHOW

By Danny Serratelli

I have not seen Sylvester Stallone’s new boxing reality show, "The Contender" yet. It debuts on NBC tonight, so not many people have seen it. However, I just read a review of it in the NY Post written by Adam Buckman and after reading it, I want to urge all boxing fans to tune in.

While it has its problems just like any other sport, "the sweet science" is the toughest sport of them all and is constantly being bashed by the media who makes it worse for everyone involved in boxing because of the negative attention that is attracted. This attention leads to fewer sponsors and less exposure. I applaud Sylvester Stallone, Mark Burnett and Sugar Ray Leonard for trying to do something positive for boxing by creating this boxing reality show.

Exposure is the name of the game, and good professional boxers, who start out fighting their hearts out for a few hundred dollars a fight, lack the exposure that marginally talented players of other sports get. The negative attention delivered to the people by mainstream media outlets is partially responsible for boxing's decline.

Buckman, admittedly, doesn’t buy into what he refers to as the "boxing myth." He goes on to explain how boxing is one of the stupidest things you can do, ranking right up there with being shot out of a cannon or catching bullets with your teeth.

He is obviously unfamiliar with the rules of boxing, except for noting that men try to inflict enough damage on their opponent's noggin that his brain bounces off the side of his skull to the point where he blacks out for the time it takes a referee to count to 10. Who is this guy to judge the fighters who put everything they have on the line in an attempt to better themselves and provide for their families?

The toughest thing Mr. Buckman probably did all day (maybe in his life) was to sit around and decide how to refer to the show's three producers, and that’s when he came up with, the show's “triumvirate” of producers. They are just like you and me, he says, only their faces are squashed. I thought the review was ridiculous, and wouldn’t mind squashing this guy’s face or maybe bouncing his brain off of his skull.

The show is about fine young men and their search for the American dream, like the article in the post says it’s supposed to be about. To Buckman though, it’s only about brutality. He says he’s already sick of “The Contender” even though it didn’t start yet, so hopefully he won’t tune in so we won’t see any more of these articles. However, all boxing fans should make an effort to tune in. The show is giving 16 guys the much needed opportunity to shine with some mainstream exposure. The winner will go home with a million-dollar prize. I get the “boxing myth” that Buckman admittedly doesn’t and I hope everyone else will tune in, and will get it as well.

3-8-2005