 Ray Leonard Hopes to Mold a few 'Contenders' on NBC
Part 1 by Steve Kim (March 23, 2005)
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Although it has been a relative lightweight in the Nielsens after four episodes, Sugar Ray Leonard, co-host and mentor to 16 upstart middleweights on NBC's reality show, 'The Contender' (Sunday 8 pm ET/PT) is pleased with what he's seen so far.
"Very much so," says the 1976 Olympic gold medallist and five-time world champion, who is considered among the all-time ring greats. "The show entails real life boxing. These 16 boxers, relatively unknown, will take the viewers and fans at home through a journey of their lives, behind the scenes. And I'm so happy because that's what made my career.
"If you look back, I was on network television quite often," he points out. "And that exposure factor made me branded. All of a sudden now, I'm not just Sugar Ray Leonard the boxer or gold medal winner, they knew that I had a son, 'Lil Ray', they knew I wore a picture of my girlfriend on my sock, they knew my father was ill. So they knew all these wonderful things and I think that created what we call 'caring fans.'
"And 'caring fans' are the best fans because they watch you because they care for you. And I love the whole concept of 'The Contender', being that these guys, based upon the concept of the show, have an opportunity to control their own careers."
The show will culminate after 15 episodes on May 24 with a 10-round finale that will be televised live from Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The winner will take home a million dollars and loads of exposure.
This show has made one of it's mission statements to help promote boxing and get it back to the stature it once had.
"I think by getting back on network television, it will be a blessing, without question," says Leonard. "It'll be something that is good - not just for 'The Contender' - but for everyone. Because what it will create is superstars, name fighters. People today say, 'Who's the heavyweight champion?' People pause and think for a second. 'Who's the middleweight champion?' Naturally they know Bernard Hopkins, but for the most part, look at Winky Wright. Winky can fight. Winky's really an incredible champion. But he doesn't have the notoriety that a Tyson has, a George Foreman has or whatever."
But while it's true that the winner of this made-for-television tourney will come out richer and with a certain marketability, the reality is that while some of the contestants like Sergio Mora and Ishe Smith are considered good professional prospects and have fought on national television before, for the most part, this group of fighters is mostly comprised of anonymous cast-offs.
And really, is there anything 'real' about 'reality TV'? While at times it can be highly entertaining and enthralling, what basically makes up this genre is putting random people in glass houses for the outside world to view. Outside of the five-round fights that climax each show, there really isn't that much boxing on 'The Contender', which is OK, as there are some great stories being told, rivalries have developed (such as the one between Smith and Ahmed Kaddour, who he vanquished off the program last week) and you do begin to build loyalties and emotions towards certain characters. Besides, how entertaining would a whole hour of just pure boxing be? There's only so much sparring and hitting of the heavy bag an audience could endure.
But the point is, Leonard himself wasn't made a household name because he was on the boxing version of 'The Real World'; he became a transcendent figure because going back to the Montreal Olympic Games because his fights were broadcast nationally on a regular basis throughout his storied career.
Don't the networks have to televise real fights once again for the sport to have the profile it once did?
"It will be tough if the fights that are on whatever network it is are not great fights, or are not evenly matched fights; that is a key," answers Leonard. "First of all the sponsors don't get behind it because there's been a lot of negative mud-slinging at the sport of boxing because of the bizarre scenarios, controversies and things of that nature.
"I think once they see that women are back into the sport of boxing, that people who are not sporting fans are back to the sport, then it becomes more corporate friendly."
And since this show is trying to appeal to more than just the hard-core boxing aficionado - like women, as Leonard mentioned - that means boxing is sometimes the last thing that is dealt with on the hour-long program. NBC is in the entertainment and ratings business, not necessarily boxing. Executive producer Mark Burnett is a master storyteller who can craft scenarios and intrigue among the participants, whose 'Survivor' series on CBS did monster ratings.
And while the story lines can be redundant, they can also be heart-warming and compelling. The physical challenges are silly and the fights are highly edited (some would say manipulated), but the pre and post-fight scenes in the lockerooms are gripping. The stark reality of losing and it's consequences are about as real as 'reality TV' will ever get.
To this reporter's eyes, it's an entertaining show, and one worth coming back to - certainly much better than 'The Next Great Champ' on Fox that featured Oscar De La Hoya, and which was quickly jettisoned off the network.
"I think that any type of negative situation creates a bad situation for the next party or the next entity," answered Leonard, when asked what impact that show may have had on 'The Contender'. "But I think that people know that 'The Contender' and 'The Next Great Champ' are totally opposite concepts, work and production, without question. I saw a show, it was one of the reasons why they took it off the air so quickly."
It's doubtful that any of these fighters on the show will achieve anything close to what Leonard did, but in many respects they will be forever linked with him and his cohort on the show, Sylvester Stallone. Leonard says that he developed a close bond with the participants.
"You can't help but do that," he says." I was with these guys 16, 18, 20 weeks - I saw them every single day. We talk, and naturally at first, it was kind of different for everybody. A new environment - all of a sudden you have a state-of-the-art gym, state-of-the-art kitchen, chef, nice warm beds, a roof over their heads. I mean these kids don't have that, they just don't have that.
"Now, they're not with their families or loved ones or trainer. It's a different thing. But on the same token, that's what boxing is all about as you move up in the ranks. I went away for the Olympics, I was by myself, my trainer wasn't there, my family wasn't there, it was just me and my teammates. So it makes you grow up, it makes you mature, it makes you a better person."
With a hefty $2-million cost for every episode, it's doubtful that we'll see another cast of 'Contenders' but what does the current cast have to look forward to once the show ends?
"These fighters that have come on board with 'The Contender', afterwards will have a brighter future, let's put it that way," says Leonard. There is a lot of talk that some of these fighters have been signed by the backers of this show to five year promotional deals. "It'll be something that's ethical and professional. They will be the ones that benefit."
And hopefully, it'll give them a chance in the unforgiving world of professional boxing.
"I took great pride in being a champion," Leonard says. "These kids want to be champion, no doubt about it, don't get me wrong. But you gotta work hard. Put it this way - I think it happens across the board in basketball, football - if you give a young man who's had nothing, too much, too soon, you've taken away what's gotten them to that point. That's the drive, the hunger, the self-motivation, which you can't give him back; he doesn't want that, that's innate.
"And then the discipline is a factor, too. The fighters without question are getting better, faster. Are they more methodical, more technical? I don't know. I think they can be, I just hope as boxing starts to turn around the next year or so that these kids will use their natural talents."
( In Part two, Leonard speaks on the death of Najai Turpin and the controversial return of Peter Manfredo Jr.)
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E-Mail Steve Kim at k9kim@maxboxing.com
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