A Contending Christian
I have to drop a quick commentary on my favorite show on TV right now. No, it is not the World Series of Poker on ESPN, although it can keep me thoroughly entertained for two hours. The best thing on TV right now is the new season of THE CONTENDER on ESPN.
Some of you may remember it from last season on NBC. Well, obviously, a show like this can really only thrive on ESPN, so it has found its home. I will rarely watch a show that jerks at me deep inside, but this show manages to do it. To give a quick overview, the show features 16 boxers from a specific division fighting in a tournament to be crowned "The Contender". This season features fighters from the welterweight division (140-147 pounds). Sugar Ray Leonard, a 6-time Welterweight Champion, is back with the show for a 2nd season and hosting this time. The fighters were picked into teams on the first episode. In the first round, the team whose member wins each fight has the power to choose the next two fighters (one from each team) who fight in addition to receiving a reward as the result of the team winning. Each winning fighter in the first round also gets to position himself in the bracket for the rest of the tournament.
The show centers a lot around the boxers sharing a house and their training time in the gym in addition to the fights. The thing that makes this show great though, I think, is the focus the show puts on introducing you to the families of the fighters. You never see the families until fighters getting ready to fight go visit them. Many of these guys are fighting for their families. Almost half of the fighters are married with young children and the emotion and need to win among these particular fighters is incredible. Somehow, the show manages to get you attached not only to the fighters but to the families as well.
The thing prompting this post is the outcome of last week's fight on the show. Ebo Elder, a top 10 ranked fighter from Georgia, was defeated by knockout. Elder, the odds on favorite of most to win the competition, was handling his opponent masterfully until a heavy punch in the fourth ended the fight. Elder is much more than a fighter though. He is a strong Christian, and this played out in the show.
A quote from an interview I found from a year ago says it all I think about Ebo Elder.
"...the fighting is just a side show that God has given me just so that I can have a platform and a stage to tell people about my walk in general and how God has changed my life. Boxing is just a time to get the person who doesn’t know him, and if I can do that then I have succeeded in my boxing career."
from:
http://www.doghouseboxing.com/Henderson/Henderson0422a05.htm
Here is a link to another article about Elder.
http://www.cbn.com/700club/guests/bios/Ebo_Elder080306.aspx
"The Gospel Gladiator". A pretty cool name for a great fighter and great Christian.
Some of you may remember it from last season on NBC. Well, obviously, a show like this can really only thrive on ESPN, so it has found its home. I will rarely watch a show that jerks at me deep inside, but this show manages to do it. To give a quick overview, the show features 16 boxers from a specific division fighting in a tournament to be crowned "The Contender". This season features fighters from the welterweight division (140-147 pounds). Sugar Ray Leonard, a 6-time Welterweight Champion, is back with the show for a 2nd season and hosting this time. The fighters were picked into teams on the first episode. In the first round, the team whose member wins each fight has the power to choose the next two fighters (one from each team) who fight in addition to receiving a reward as the result of the team winning. Each winning fighter in the first round also gets to position himself in the bracket for the rest of the tournament.
The show centers a lot around the boxers sharing a house and their training time in the gym in addition to the fights. The thing that makes this show great though, I think, is the focus the show puts on introducing you to the families of the fighters. You never see the families until fighters getting ready to fight go visit them. Many of these guys are fighting for their families. Almost half of the fighters are married with young children and the emotion and need to win among these particular fighters is incredible. Somehow, the show manages to get you attached not only to the fighters but to the families as well.
The thing prompting this post is the outcome of last week's fight on the show. Ebo Elder, a top 10 ranked fighter from Georgia, was defeated by knockout. Elder, the odds on favorite of most to win the competition, was handling his opponent masterfully until a heavy punch in the fourth ended the fight. Elder is much more than a fighter though. He is a strong Christian, and this played out in the show.
A quote from an interview I found from a year ago says it all I think about Ebo Elder.
"...the fighting is just a side show that God has given me just so that I can have a platform and a stage to tell people about my walk in general and how God has changed my life. Boxing is just a time to get the person who doesn’t know him, and if I can do that then I have succeeded in my boxing career."
from:
http://www.doghouseboxing.com/Henderson/Henderson0422a05.htm
Here is a link to another article about Elder.
http://www.cbn.com/700club/guests/bios/Ebo_Elder080306.aspx
"The Gospel Gladiator". A pretty cool name for a great fighter and great Christian.
posted by John at
8:11 AM
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