|
The remaining fighters already had a
good idea who they were fighting,
based on previous conversations
between the members of the team.
Jeff Fraza would be taking on Nick
Acevedo and Freddy Curiel would
battle Steve Forbes.
Curiel was shown calling his wife,
telling her that even though he
hasn't fought in four and a half
years, he would be taking on a
former world champion, Steve Forbes.
"Why are you fighting him?" came her
somewhat unexpected question.
"Because no one else was man enough.
Nick (Acevedo) is fighting Fraza."
"Who cares what Nick wants it? It's
what Freddy wants," said his
concerned wife. She had a point.
Forbes is probably one of the
toughest guys to fight in the house,
and Curiel hadn't laced up the
gloves in four and a half years.
Fraza was next, seen relaxing in the
house. "If you could win a
championship in relaxing, I would be
world champion," said Fraza, as he
took a day off from training.
Sugar Ray Leonard then reminded all
the remaining contenders how
important concentration is, focusing
on the Elder-Stewart fight. In a
fight Elder was clearly winning, his
focused snapped for one second,
allowing Stewart to land the
knockout blow.
After the commercial break, the
fighters were seen standing on the
outside of the ropes, waiting to see
who will be fighting whom in the
next nights two fights. Just like
they already guessed, Curiel called
out Forbes, which by process of
elimination made it Acevedo and
Fraza.
Much like the previous weeks,
friendships have been made between
all the fighters participating in
the next nights fight. "I think me
and Freddy will be best friends
after all of this," said Forbes.
Fraza and Acevedo had already formed
a bond. "We've become good friends
during our time here, but we are
both trying to do what's right for
our families," Fraza said with his
thick Boston accent.
Curiel's wife continued to show how
displeased she was with her
husband's choice of opponent when he
went to his house to see his family.
Curiel, trying to make her feel
better, told her, "I feel like I'll
destroy this guy."
At the contender arena, leading up
to the first fight of the night,
Fraza's dad came into the dressing
room. "The bigger the fight, the
better you do," were the words of
encouragement that came from his
dad's mouth.
In Acevedo's dressing room, his
family, his wife, and two three kids
gathered around him, all holding
back their tears. They didn't stay
long, but in an on-camera interview,
Acevedo gave his reason for why he
fights. "I'm fighting to keep a roof
over my head and food on the table –
this is my last chance."
Fraza didn't do much the first two
rounds of the fight, much to the
chagrin of his father. "You have to
throw, Jeff. You have to throw!"
Trainer Jeremy Williams agreed, "You
have to work in there, he's won the
first two rounds."
Fraza came out throwing in round
three. "That's more like it,"
cheered a woman I assumed to be his
girlfriend, but the viewers were
never introduced to her. Acevedo
appeared to be fading, and as he got
back to the corner, his trainer,
Tommy Gallagher, had to ask him
twice if he was okay before he
responded with a half-hearted "yes."
Round four seemed like a
round-of-the-year candidate as both
fighters threw bombs the whole
round. As the crowd rose to its feet
at the end of the round, Fraza threw
his arms in the air, indicating he
thought he got the better of the
round.
The fight appeared to be up for
grabs as round five started. Acevedo
controlled the first part of the
round, prompting Fraza's girlfriend
to yell, "You need to knock him
out." By this point Fraza was
bleeding, and now looked the more
worse for wear. As the round came to
a close, Acevedo ended the fight
with a flurry that not only cemented
him the round, but also the fight.
Acevedo was announced the winner of
the bout by unanimous decision.
"I have not accomplished my dream,"
came out of underdog Curiel's mouth
as he was shown backstage preparing
for his fight. His son, around the
age of 10, was crying as he and the
rest of his family, two siblings and
his mom, left the dressing room
after giving words of encouragement
to Curiel.
Forbes' wife is like any other
fighter's wife on the show. She
actually controls his career; she's
both his promoter and manager. So,
instead of the usual sadness seen
before a fight, she asked, "What's
your opponent like, a slugger, a
boxer, a what?"
The underdog Curiel got off to a
great start, winning the first round
by winning a slugfest with the
vastly more experienced Forbes.
"C'mon babe," yelled Forbes' wife,
trying to get him going.
"Get him, Dad," cheered Curiel's son
as round two began. Forbes, who was
instructed to box by his trainer
Tommy Gallagher, began doing just
that. Both fighters were fighting
such a tactical battle at this point
that Sugar Ray Leonard said,
impressed, "They are fighting so
smart."
Half of the crowd was each chanting,
"Steve" or "Freddy," as the action
in round three heated up. The action
was close in this fight, leaving the
yellow team wondering who was now
ahead in the fight.
Gallagher reiterated to Forbes that
he wanted him to fight going into
the fourth round. Forbes, listening,
established his ring generalship,
landing punch after punch. Feeling
comfortable he even started dancing,
ending it with an uppercut that
brought Leonard out of his chair.
Williams shouted, "Do you have this
win in you?" as Curiel went back to
his corner, downtrodden after the
fourth round. His son, knowing his
father was behind, even shouted,
"Come on Dad, for your family."
Forbes would continue to do most of
the damage in round five, certainly
enough to win the round. At the end
of the night it was a spirited
effort by the fighter he last fought
nearly a half decade ago, but when
the scorecards were read, they all
went to Forbes, by unanimous
decision.
Next week ESPN's The Contender action continues with only eight fighters to go. A few surprises have advanced, but so far, the more experienced fighters have seemed to advance. Now, only one lucky fighter is three fights away from being $500,000 richer. |
