The BEST episodes of The Contender (2005)

Every episode of The Contender (2005) ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of The Contender (2005)!

The new season of The Contender features 16 Cruiserweights from around the world who will face each other in a 12-episode competition. With former boxer and television star Tony Danza serving as host and mentor and veteran Tommy Brooks and John Bray serving as trainers, these fighters will go through the most intense training of their lives and battle in the most challenging fights of their careers. In the end, the two left standing will get into the ring to fight for the coveted title of Contender Champion.

Last Updated: 10/12/2025Network: VersusStatus: Ended
star
10.00
1 votes

#1 - Fight 13

Season 4 - Episode 13 - Aired 2/25/2009

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star
9.00
4 votes

#2 - Episode 9

Season 5 - Episode 9 - Aired 10/19/2018

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star
8.75
4 votes

#3 - The Enemy of My Enemy Is My Friend

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 3/20/2005

The teams reconvene after the fight between Ishe and Ahmed, and everyone seems glad that Ahmed was outed. Jeff begins to feel ill, and after consulting a doctor, he finds out that he has chicken pox and that he must leave the entire tournament. In his place, Stallone tells the remaining contenders to vote one person back into the game. Peter Manfredo, jr. from Episode 1 is voted back in with a vote of 8-4 (the other votes being for Jonathan Reid). Later, at the challenge, the East Coast pulls their car to the finish line the fastest, and they choose Najai Turpin to fight Sergio Mora. At the boxing match, Najai gives it all he has but is defeated by a surprisingly strong Sergio.

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star
8.67
3 votes

#4 - Episode 11

Season 5 - Episode 11 - Aired 11/2/2018

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star
8.50
8 votes

#5 - Episode 7

Season 5 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/5/2018

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star
8.33
6 votes

#6 - Fighting To Live

Season 5 - Episode 2 - Aired 8/31/2018

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star
8.33
3 votes

#7 - Episode 8

Season 5 - Episode 8 - Aired 10/12/2018

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star
8.13
8 votes

#8 - Indecision

Season 5 - Episode 5 - Aired 9/21/2018

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star
8.13
8 votes

#9 - Episode 6

Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 9/28/2018

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star
8.00
7 votes

#10 - Episode 4

Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 9/14/2018

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star
8.00
3 votes

#11 - Episode 12

Season 5 - Episode 12 - Aired 11/9/2018

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star
8.00
3 votes

#12 - Episode 10

Season 5 - Episode 10 - Aired 10/26/2018

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Semi-Final 1
star
8.00
1 votes

#13 - Semi-Final 1

Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 10/23/2007

This is the first of the two semi-final fights. Wayne Johnsen vs Jaidon Codrington

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The Contender: No Turning Back
star
8.00
1 votes

#14 - The Contender: No Turning Back

Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/16/2007

Former contenders fight live including Alfonso Gomez vs. Ben Tackie.

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The Contender Tryouts
star
8.00
1 votes

#15 - The Contender Tryouts

Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/4/2007

Tryouts for the new season begin.

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star
8.00
1 votes

#16 - Power of Choice

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 7/18/2006

Part two of the season premiere, this episode features an all out boxing war between Norberto "El Gallito" Bravo and Rudy Cisneros.

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star
8.00
1 votes

#17 - Series Finale

Season 1 - Episode 17 - Aired 5/24/2005

In Las Vegas at Caesar's Palace, Sergio Mora and Peter Manfredo Jr. arrive to slug it out in a seven-round fight for $1,000,000. Preceded by a fight between Alfonso Gomez and Jesse Brinkley for the Bronze Medal, which Alfonso wins, the ultimate fight is tough and brutal. In the end, Sergio conquers Peter by a unanimous vote, and he becomes the one and only Contender.

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star
8.00
2 votes

#18 - The Best Fights

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 3/27/2005

The first four Contender fights are recapped as Sylvester Stallone and Sugar Ray Leonard host, pointing out what went wrong about the fight, and what the winner did right.

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star
8.00
2 votes

#19 - Rivals

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 3/13/2005

The tension between Ishe and Ahmed reaches a boiling point when West wins the third challenge, a dodgeball game, and Ishe challenges Ahmed to the third boxing match. Though Ahmed starts out strong with a heavy barrage of punches in the first round, Ishe gets the last laugh when he wins the very personal match and gets the third spot into the quarter finals.

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Gunnin' For the Knockout
star
8.00
1 votes

#20 - Gunnin' For the Knockout

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/9/2007

The last of the first-round fights determines the semi-finalists.

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star
7.75
4 votes

#21 - Survival of the Fittest

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 3/10/2005

The West once again wins the second challenge, a puzzle using flags, they again are allowed to decide the matchup for the week. Ishe Smith wimps out and the team reluctantly allows Jesse Brinkley to challenge veteran Jonathan Reid to the second round of fighting of the show. Tempers flare when Jesse accuses Ishe of betraying his team by rooting for Jonathan instead of himself. Later, in the second surprising upset of the game, Jesse Brinkley defeats Jonathan Reid in a close match of fighting.

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star
7.50
2 votes

#22 - The Final Four

Season 1 - Episode 14 - Aired 5/15/2005

The stakes are raised when the Stallone and Leonard announce that the last three fights will be seven rounds instead of the usual five, and that the matchups will be decided by the four boxers themselves - and all of the fighters would have to agree. A rematch is decided between Peter Manfredo Jr. and Alfonso Gomez Jr, who fight in their match at the end of this episode. Manfredo comes out the winner, sending him to the finals, and sending Alfonso packing.

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star
7.38
8 votes

#23 - Why Weight?

Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 8/24/2018

This episode will feature trainers Freddie Roach and Naazim Richardson who will guide the boxers. The boxers will fight under the mentorship of Andre Ward. In the very first episode, the boxers will be seen as being aggressive. The episode will feature a verbal exchange between fighters Devaun Lee and Shane Mosley Jr.

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star
7.33
3 votes

#24 - Viva Las Vegas

Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 4/24/2005

After returning home from Las Vegas, the fighters are forced to vote someone back into the competition. In order to throw Ishe off, a new alliance of Joey, Anthony, Jesse, & Peter vote Ahmed back into the game. In a turn of events, the challenge is completley individual, and the winner will make the choice of who will fight that night. In the first individual challenge, Jesse Brinkley defeats the competition and picks Sergio and Ishe to fight, knowing that Sergio will beat Ishe and send him packing. In the fight, Ishe is unable to conquer Sergio, and he is sent home, the first of the Round 2 fighers to do so.

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star
7.00
5 votes

#25 - Random Acts of Courage

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 3/7/2005

Sixteen of the best middleweight fighters in the United States arrive in Los Angeles at the Contender Gymnasium. Each week, the boxers will train at this gymnasium and, with the support of their families who are now living close by, will vie to win $1,000,000 if they win a fight at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Teams are divided into East and West and in the first challenge, the winner of which decides the matchup for the fight that week (one fighter from each team), the players must haul three logs up a steep hill. West comes out victorious, and choose Alfonso Gomez and Peter Manfredo as the contenders of the night. In a suprising fight, Alfonso, with help from his father, mother and family, beats Peter, who has his wife and daughter to cheer him on.

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