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Photo © NBC
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Today, ESPN and Tournament of Contenders, LLC have officially announced the addition of The Contender fan favorite, Alfonso Gomez, as the co-Main Event in their upcoming live boxing event The Contender Special – East Coast Pride. Gomez will face Chicago’s Gilbert Venegas (9-1-2 (6)) in the live telecast to be aired February 12 on ESPN (immediately following the NFL Pro Bowl) at approximately 9:30 p.m. ET from the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island.
According to representatives of Tournament of Contenders, LLC, the combination of an overwhelming demand for Gomez from fans plus an injury to Jeff Fraza landed Gomez in the co-Main Event for this second of three planned boxing specials on ESPN. The night’s other Main Event fight will feature Providence’s Peter Manfredo, Jr. in a 10-round super middleweight showdown versus Scott Pemberton of New Bedford, Mass.
In season one of The Contender, Gomez a heavy underdog, gained notoriety for handing Manfredo, Jr. his first loss as a professional, and in turn, set the tone for the hard-fought battles that would ensue for the remainder of the series. Gomez continued to beat the odds by scoring wins over fellow contenders Ahmed Kaddour and Jesse Brinkley before heading back to the welterweight division.
Following The Contender series, in his first fight back at welterweight, Gomez stopped Luciano Perez in the fourth round and improved his record to 14-3-1 (5).
“I haven’t seen a Mexican warrior like this since Julio Cesar Chavez,” said Sugar Ray Leonard. “Gomez exudes the strength, power, and above all, the pride that Chavez possessed. Like Chavez, Gomez will capture fans across both the Mexican and American cultures.”
Tickets for The Contender Special – East Coast Pride are now available for purchase through www.Ticketmaster.com, all local Ticketmaster outlets or by calling Ticketmaster direct at (401) 331-2211 or (617) 931-2000. Tickets are also available through CES Boxing at (401) 724-2253, www.cesboxing.com and the Dunkin Donuts Center Box Office.
THE CONTENDER
The Contender is an unscripted drama about the lives, fears and hopes of 16 professional boxers as they compete for the chance to change their lives and the lives of the people they love forever. The Contender will air July 2006 under the ESPN Original Entertainment (EOE) banner and be executive produced by Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Apprentice, Rock Star: INXS), Jeffrey Katzenberg and Sylvester Stallone. For more information visit www.espn.com.
 Parody Pics: Hasim Rahman and James Toney
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