Off The Mat: Versus Picks Up Fourth Season Of "The Contender"
Versus has picked up the fourth season of boxing reality show "The Contender" and will air the first of 12 episodes in December. Previous seasons of the show aired on ESPN and NBC. Versus also picked up "The Contender Muay Thai," a 15-episode, kickboxing reality show that will begin airing July 31. "The Contender" is produced by Mark Burnett Productions and DreamWorks Television, who both worked with Imagine Omnimedia to produced "The Contender Muay Thai" (Tripp Mickle, SportsBusiness Journal). ESPN.com's Dan Rafael reported the new season of "The Contender" will feature a 16-man tournament of cruiserweights in which "American fighters will face a team of international boxers." The show in previous seasons focused on junior middleweights, middleweights and super middleweights. This season of "The Contender" will take place in Singapore after being filmed in L.A. the first three seasons. The participants in the show have not been selected, but show execs are "talking to promoters of several notable cruiserweights," including former undisputed cruiserweight champion O'Neil Bell. Promoter Lou DiBella said, "'The Contender' doing cruiserweights is a great opportunity for guys in a weight class that doesn't get a lot of attention but has a lot of talent." Rafael noted former boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, who has hosted the show for its first three seasons, is "expected to return" (ESPN.com, 7/10).
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