The third week of competition brought by far the most active fight we have seen, and at the end of the series it will probably still remain as one of the most energetic match-ups. The Blue Team remained in control after winning their second fight in a row, and the Gold’s trainer Tommy Brooks was not at all happy about it.  

But before any competition began, the winner of last weeks’ fight, Alfredo Escalera, Jr. was awarded his gold glove necklace and was given the opportunity to place his name in the spot where he would like to fight for round two. Escalera decided he did not want to face the winner of the first fight, Felix Cora, Jr. He also said he would like a bit more time to rest, and slid his name into the second group of fighters.

Several of the members of Team Blue were ready and anxious to fight, but in the end it was Erick Vega who got the nod. He decided to call out Akinyemi “A.K.” Laleye. He felt A.K. was the smaller man, and that his strength would overpower the man from Nigeria. Before the fight Vega had said he would not go for the knockout, but if it came, so be it. Ultimately, he did not follow that game plan.

John Bray, the trainer for the Blue Team, said that this would be a very entertaining fight, and that we had a boxer in A.K. and a slugger in Vega. Bray was absolutely right about the fight being entertaining, and both men gave and received many, many punches here. But from the outset, Erick seemed to be going for that one big strike.

“The whole game plan was to box and be smart, and that was thrown out in the very first round,” he later told me. “As a result of that, I’d wasted a lot of gas trying to knock him out. I went head hunting and tried to hurt him with every punch.”

That fact was not lost on Bray, who kept trying to tell him to quit going for the one big punch. In frustration, Bray finally told him, “You keep swinging and you haven’t hit him once!”

Even though A.K. had the upper hand throughout most of the fight, that did not mean that Vega just stood there and took it. He landed some good punches as well, and even though Erick did not fight according to plan, the first four rounds showed that he was not afraid to take a shot. You could see the talent come out when he would take his time, which, by his own admission, wasn’t often enough.

While all rounds gave fans plenty of action, it was the fifth that had both teams on their feet, yelling and cheering. Vega really clocked A.K., and had him reeling on the ropes. At that point it seemed as if the one thing that could win the fight for Erick, the knockout, would come his way. “By the last round he was ready to go, but I just didn’t have enough,” Erick told me. “I got caught by good punches from him, too. I was throwing some heavy leather, but I didn’t quite catch him like I needed to.”

In the end, the decision was a unanimous one; 49-46, 50-46, and 49-46, and for the man from Nigeria, Akinyemi “A.K.” Laleye.

As is obvious, what happens during filming must be edited down a lot, to turn it into an hour of TV time. One incident that set the tone for the fight was something that A.K. did that was not shown in its entirety on television. “A.K. came into my corner and he stared me down for quite a while, and that really got under my skin. By the time the bell rang I was about ready to blow up. Well, I did blow up, but I blew myself up,” he laughed. “He was smart and he told everybody going into the fight that’s what he was going to try to do, get under my skin, and he did a masterful job of it!

“A.K. fought like he needed to for the win and I take my hat off to him. I have no excuses. I was in tip top shape. Unfortunately, my whole game plan went out the window, but that’s all my fault.”

While Vega was ready for this fight, he really would have liked to be the first fighter out. “I felt over-trained by the time I got this fight,” he said. “I expected to go out the first day, what with what happened between Joell and me, so I started training. But it didn’t work out.”  

No, things don’t always work out, and this was a lesson for Erick. “I’m glad to have been a part of a fight like that. Unfortunately I came out on the wrong end of it, but you live and learn. I believe I’ve learned a lot. I have a temper, I’ve had one in the past, and I’ve really learned my lesson, that’s all I’m going to say on that.

“This was the opportunity of a life time,” he continued, “and the biggest day of my boxing career. It’s a shame I did that on my biggest day, but it’s not over and there are more things to come, definitely.”

So, I guess he didn’t mean it when he said he was quitting boxing. “No,” he answered quickly. “I’m an emotional fighter and I was really distraught. I was upset at my performance and I wear my heart on my sleeve. At the time I really felt that’s what I should do, but I was incorrect. I made too many sacrifices, and I couldn’t do that.”

There is a possibility that he will be back on in February for the finale, since boxers are selected to come back and fight on the undercard. That remains to be seen. “I’d like to get a chance to redeem myself. I was unhappy with my performance, and I’d like to fix that. I expect a lot from myself and I really fell short of what I was expected to do. I’m a better boxer than that, and I was not showing any of my boxing skills.”

It will be interesting to see if Erick returns to The Contender. In the mean time I want to thank him for his time.

Next week there will not be a new episode due to the holidays. On New Year’s Eve there will be a new show, but no interviews will be available. I will cover the show on that week, and then do double duty the following week so that I can bring you two interviews as well as the column..

To all of you who publish and read my work, A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Be safe and God Bless,

Viva La Raza,

Barb.