Show Discussion **Spoilers**

[Ishkur]

This show was awesome........up until the fight.

The fight was complete and utter horsecrap. We saw absolutely NOTHING that amounted to any boxing at all. Too much editing, too many disjointed camera angles, too much crap from the crowd (I DO NOT CARE ABOUT MANFREDO'S WIFE AND DAUGHTER CHEERING HIM ON. WE NEED TO SEE THAT ONCE....PREFERABLY NONE).....too much swelling orchestral strings.....rubbish. Total rubbish.

This show looked awesome. I watched The Next Great Champ until it was cancelled, and I didn't mind it because that show was kinda bush league because the fighters weren't very good to begin. But these are professionally ranked contenders here. I was hoping to see these fights IN THEIR ENTIRETY.....

But, as it was, we see 5 rounds condensed into 2 minutes of slow cuts of punches, jabs, and inane footage of the crowd. Junk. Pure junk. If the producers knew anything about boxing--or sports in general--they'd leave the damn editing crap alone and just show all 5 rounds in their entirety. It's only 15 minutes. For a 1.5 hour show, there is nothing wrong with that. All this faux-hype and obstinate human drama completely killed what was really supposed to sell the show: the actual boxing matches.

That was by far the most frustrating and obnoxious sporting event I've ever seen. I will give this show one more week, maybe. I'll check it out next week, and if they do the same thing to next week's fight, then this show is over for me, and I'm willing to bet for TRUE boxing fans curious enough to tune in, it will be over for them too, and this show will be cancelled by the end of March.

You don't see American Idol quick cut through songs and show the audience's reaction every 5 seconds, do you? LEAVE THE GOD DAMN EDITING ALONE AND JUST SHOW US THE DAMN FIGHT.

[Newsman]

Peter Manfredo Jr. is a VERY talented fighter and the best on the show.. You will all see that..He is the most intriguing of all the fighters and we will see him again..

[NV_Kitten]

Well I registered for ANTM, but was content lurking until now. As a girly-girl (that happens to turn green & rip her pants at sporting events), I really appreciated this show, in the sense that it's as close as you can probably get to the real thing. The amount of cheese I ended up eating was a lot less than I expected, and I'm setting the VCR for thursday's show. Behold the power of cheese.

What I enjoyed most about this show's format is, many decisions are left up to the boxers. I was whole-heartedly expecting some lame, uncreative chase a chicken, punch some beef, Eye of the Tiger/I will break you kinda deal, irrelevent challenges & the whole season's bouts pre-picked. I'm not wrong often (or ever if I dont' have any family in the room), but when I am it usually ends up in my favor anyway.

Also props to producers or whomever for not only providing housing for the families, but to also compensate them for the time/potential ranking they lose waiting for the shows to air. The one thing I was uncomfortable with was Peter's daughter watching the fight. But that is directed more toward the parents than the show itself. I don't understand how/why but I'm very proud of both fighters tonight.

Anyhoo, since my whole "tagent" thing is unknown 'round here I'll wrap this up.

[MelissaandJim]

I really liked this show!! I was exhausted by 10:30 ( I wake up really early), but I couldn't fall asleep until the end. I too was rooting for both boxers, and will definitely be watching for the rest of the season. My husband was already sleeping when the show came on so he recorded it. I haven't been able to discuss it with him yet, so I'm glad I found this thread!!

[speedbump]

But, as it was, we see 5 rounds condensed into 2 minutes of slow cuts of punches, jabs, and inane footage of the crowd. Junk. Pure junk. If the producers knew anything about boxing--or sports in general--they'd leave the damn editing crap alone and just show all 5 rounds in their entirety.

Believe it or not, it wasn't just two minutes of fighting clips. They showed the rounds in their entirety or pretty damn near it. The fighting lasted almost 20 minutes with a commercial break.

I don't think this show is targeted for hardcore boxing fans. That's what ESPN and Pay Per View are for. In order to have a boxing themed show on a major network during primetime hours, you need to add human emotion and drama. That's the only way it will work.

I politely disagree with you regarding how long this show will last. There are many many more people who are interested in the show as a whole and thus the show will run it's intended length.

[museumguy]

not sure that MB didnt make too much of a gamble here...not enough boxing for the true fans and way too much boxing for those who don't like it....but it was done in True MB style....and I bet we see some of the personality clashes which make his shows famous soon...really soon...

[wwhippetcrazy]

I wasn't planning on watching but ended up checking it out during commercials of Boss Swap...and found myself watching The Contender instead. I was routing more for Peter (mostly cause he looks like my brother)......I didn't see too much of Gomez when I was flippin channels....
I really liked it though....

[Novalia]

i thought it was pretty damn good and shows what true boxing is all about... Peter has one of those inflated records filled with "opponents" so his challenges are few and far between... Gomez IS the "opponent" typically or the "sparring partner" so he faces challenges far more often.. he KNEW he was going to win.

for the non boxing fans "opponents" are typically weak fighters selected to help pad a fighter's record.. they give a half hearted effort with "paycheck" on their minds.. maybe a promise of a big fight later...

Gomez wasnt the best fighter and most of his punches werent exactly the sharpest thrown.. more push punching.. but Peter was just out of it.. totally unprepared for a fight.. he turned it on in the second round then just fell asleep... a lot of these guys arent used to being hit...

the show (for me) was great.. i totally enjoyed it.. for anyone on the fence i dont think it is going to get any better than last night.. i could do without all of the family junk.. every week is just going to be another rewind of "i am doing this for my family." yeah yeah we know..

still i will be there every week.. hell i saw every one of the Oscar show and that was total shit compared to this.. there are world class boxers here not some wannabes...

[roseskid]

Another girly-girl here , but I do have a tomboy side, and I loved this show. Mr. Rose enjoys boxing, but hates reality tv , so we finally have a show we can watch together. Even Lil Rose (who's 18 now) asked us to record it because she had a lot of homework...apparently a lot of kids at school were talking about it. A reality show that all 3 of us might like? Has hell frozen over?

I initally turned it on out of curiosity, but was pleasantly surprised how interesting it was. I liked the background info, the challenge, the camaraderie between the boxers, Stallone and Sugar. I loved when Sly was telling them about a guy drinking motor oil, and another about the canary flying out of the guy's mouth. The boxers are pretty gullible, or perhaps they've been hit too many times in the head. It seems like it's a classier show than some more recent reality shows *coughTheEntertainercough*.

My only negative comment has already been pointed out...the five-year-old daughter. I understand boxing is the life of the parents, but I think it's bizarre and unhealthy to bring a little girl to watch her dad beat up/get beaten up in a boxing match. I'm shocked she seemed to have so little reaction to it all. It might suggest she's seen it a thousand times and is used to it...but I thought they said this was her first time watching?

Novalia, thanks for the info, I didn't know about the "opponent" thing.

Anyway, I hope it continues on the same track...

[AndoraStar]

I'm not into boxing.. but hell this show hooked me! I'll be watching.