"THE REAL ROCKY (New!) - Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler are looking
to build their own "Contender" as the duo have pacted with MGM
Television to develop a new reality series that will give an unknown
boxer a shot at fighting an established champ. The announcement comes
shortly after NBC's pick-up of the Mark Burnett/Jeffrey
Katzenberg/Sylvester Stallone boxing project over at NBC. MGM, along
with Chartoff and Winkler, collectively control the rights to the
"Rocky" feature franchise. The producers and the studio, who will
begin pitching the project to networks this week, are quick to note
they registered their idea with the WGA idea back in May, long before
Burnett and company unveiled their project. And since they own the
rights to "Rocky," the original Bill Conti score as well as clips from
the movies could potentially be used in the series. Talks are
reportedly under way with several ex-champs about coming on board to
serve as mentors and trainers to the potential boxers as well as with
Ron Ziskin Productions to showrun the project. Lynn Hendee will
executive produce along with Chartoff and Winkler, while creators
Robert Sparks and Arthur Sarkissian ("Rush Hour") will serve as
consultants."
I also heard on the radio that Jim Lampley's production company is developing a reality show where they get a bunch of heavyweights to live in a house together and train. Supposedly Foreman was supposed to be in that one, but he's switched over to Stallone's show now.
Stallone isn't a real boxer.
Foreman or Oscar should be the host. Well, maybe not Oscar because he's busy with Golden Boy Promotions and those fights he has coming up...
Stallone is getting Ray Leonard and Foreman to co-host with him and work as mentors to the young boxers. They also said other world champions would make guest appearances to help motivate the contestant.
I hate to admit it, but I'll probably be watching it.
might help the sport attract new fans. any publicity that aint about Big Frankie, roids, or corruption is good.
Great point rogie.
I hope all reality boxing shows do really well..it would be great for the sport.
plus, if the show does well it would probably help boxing get regular boxing back on NBC on a consistent basis. NBC is even talking about starting up their own boxing federation to co-incide with the show.
My coaches son is going to be on the show watch out for him. His name is Nick Casal.
I want on the show bad!
buddie
weapon, what weight class does he fight in?
Cool...know any inside scoop details for the forum here ;)
He fights between 140-150. I guess they are looking for a 147lb for the show. Nick just won the amatuer worlds, and he was basically in the olympics. He hurt his shoulder and the stupid officials wouldnt let him step in the ring for the finals. The guy he was gonna fight in the finals he had already beat a few times.
"He hurt his shoulder and the stupid officials wouldnt let him step in the ring for the finals"
What do you mean?
He fought in the olympic qualifier a month or two ago. His first three fights were the toughest guys in his class, that were supposed to take him out. He knocked the first one out, unanimous dec'd the second, and hurt his shoulder on friday against emmanuel stewarts guy in the semi finals. He still beat him with a bad shoulder by a big margin. In order to go to the olmpics the 1st and 2nd place fighters go to the final tryouts. Nick was going to go into the finals fighting a guy he had already beat three times and kocked out once. In order for him to step in the ring he had to hold his arm out, without it shaking. He couldnt keep it steady, its sucks because he couldve beat the guy with one arm. So they moved a guy up that nick had already beat to be in the finals. I dont see it as bad because that is where the producers of the Contender show saw nick and said they wanted him on the show.