by Jeremy "Fasttalker" Bjornberg
Jean Marc-Mormeck vs. Wayne Braithwaite was definitely the best Cruiserweight fight in at least five years.
Marc-Mormeck was able to overpower Braithwaite and catch him on the ropes at will after the third round. With very little U.S. exposure for either fighter this was a tough fight to call. Braithwaite took a trip to the canvas but soon regrouped to make it competitive. Marc-Mormeck, however, won the bout by unanimous decision Braithwaite spent the whole night throwing slapping, wide punches that were tailor made for the monster Frenchman.
The undercard fight between exiled welterweight champion and hometown hero Jose Rivera and Luis Collazo was a shocking upset for Collazo. He outboxed the inactive and one-dimensional Rivera for the win. This sets up Collazo for a big money fight against Shane Mosley or Oscar De La Hoya who are migrating down to the 147-pound division again. This coming weekend offers the legendary Marco Antonio Barrera in a title defense against Mzonke Fana. Barrera is gunning for a shot at redemption against Manny Pacquiao or another grudge match with Eric Morales.
Fana is a very tricky and elusive fighter and this fight shown on HBO- PPV should be very entertaining. Fana is from South Africa and is the No. 1 WBC contender. Doc's has won 6 of the last 7 boxing picks. The winner of this fight will have his pick of opponents and both guys are highly motivated to reach the mountaintop of the 130-pound and under boxing world.
Sunday's episode of The Contender was another classic as Anthony Bonsante got the first knockout of the series with a stoppage over the pedestrian Brent Cooper.
Bonsante angered all the fighters by pretending to agree wholeheartedly to fight Jimmy Lange. Bonsante then surprised everybody by picking Cooper, who was overmatched. Bonsante repeatedly said he wasn't there to make friends but to take care of his kids and he burst into tears when his children surprised him before the fight.
This underhanded maneuver easily makes Bonsante the most hated fighter on The Contender. Anthony is from the same hometown as me: Shakopee, Minnesota. I am a fan of him but my favorite fighter on the show is Anthony Manfredo Jr., who already owns a victory over the cagey veteran. The Contender's ratings are increasing every week as the real drama is attracting new viewers. Next week's reaction to the betrayal by Bonsante should be classic.
Check back later this week for the updated Undisputed pound for pound rankings. More analysis of The Contender reality series next week.
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