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The Contender 1 The Contender 2

Contender 2 moves to July; Manfredo felt “ripped off” but will fight again Sunday

by Andy Dehnart 10 Feb. 2006 | 1:34 pm

ESPN has bumped The Contender 2‘s debut to July from April, when it was originally scheduled to debut.

This Sunday, however, the network will present a special event entitled “East Coast Pride,” a fight between Peter Manfredo, Jr., and Scott Pemberton. The fight will air live from Providence, Manfredo’s home base, at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Manfredo tells the Providence Journal that, although he’s now lost two show-related fights, he’s not unhappy. “I lost but I won, too. Now the producers of the show are letting me call the shots and I was able to bring the show to Providence. I have to thank the people of The Contender for that, and they got me the publicity and got my name out there.” The $250,000 he won probably didn’t hurt, either.

Still, he’s fighting Sunday in part to prove that he’s better than Sergio Mora, who defeated him twice. “After the second Sergio fight, I felt ripped off and I want to prove to The Contender and to the world that I’m a true contender. That’s why I’m taking this step up. Scottie is better than Sergio, and when I win, I’ll prove that I’m the true contender. I am going to do whatever it takes to win this fight,” he told the paper.

The Contender [ESPN]
Contender to air Manfredo bout in Providence [Providence Journal]

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about Andy Dehnart

Andy Dehnart’s writing and criticism about television, culture, and media has appeared on NPR and in Vulture, Pacific Standard, The Los Angeles Times, and other publications. He has covered reality television for more than 18 years, and created reality blurred in 2000.

A member of the Television Critics Association who serves on its board of directors, Andy, 41, also directs the journalism program at Stetson University in Florida, where he teaches creative nonfiction and journalism. He has an M.F.A. in nonfiction writing and literature from Bennington College. Learn more about reality blurred and Andy.

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reality blurred is your guide to the world of reality TV and unscripted entertainment, with reality show reviews, news, and analysis. It was created in 2000 by Andy Dehnart. He's still writing and publishing it today.

reality blurred is regularly updated with highlights from the world of reality TV: news and analysis; behind-the-scenes reports; interviews with reality TV show cast members and producers; and recaps and reviews of these reality TV shows, including Survivor, Big Brother, The Great British Baking Show, Shark Tank, The Amazing Race, The Bachelor, Project Runway, Dancing with the Stars, Top Chef, and many more.

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