The eight remaining fighters are treated to a Singaporean reward, and the 2nd round of the Contender Tournament begins with a match up of tournament favorites.
Immediately following his split decision victory over Tim Flamos, Ryan Coyne is taken to the hospital to close a severe cut over his right eye. The injury requires a dozen stitches to close, and puts Ryan’s future in the tournament in obvious jeopardy. Remaining optimistic, Ryan states, “Right now I need to keep positive… I hope I can continue in the tournament, but we’ll have to just take it one day at a time.” The doctor warns Ryan, “we’ll have to re-evaluate the situation in a couple days.”
The next morning, Tony Danza congratulates everyone for making it to the second round, “at first there was sixteen, and then there were eight…it’s now every man for himself.” He then calls up both winners from the previous night’s doubleheader, Rico Hoye and Ryan Coyne. With the only two remaining slots on the board being the fourth fight of the 2nd round, Rico and Ryan slide their names into the last two slots. Looking towards the fight, Rico’s game plan is obvious, “If the doctors clear Ryan to fight, I’m definitely looking to open up that cut.” Tony surprises the final 8 fighters with a reward for making it to the second round. He announces that they will all get to spend the day out on the town to see the sights of the island nation they’ve been calling home. The guys get ready and embark on their day out in Singapore.
The 8 Contenders meet Tony at the Clarke Quay pier, and enjoy a boat ride on the Singapore River. The fighters are loving the opportunity to be out of the loft and away from boxing for the first time in many weeks. “Singapore is such a beautiful place, I think I just might come back and live here”, exclaims AK. The tour continues with a visit to the Singapore Flyer, the world’s tallest observational wheel, where the fighters marvel at the beautiful Singapore skyline.
For the final stop on their excursion, Tony escorts the guys to a posh dinner at one of Singapore’s finest restaurants, Mimolette. Felix starts things off with a heartfelt prayer, and they all begin their feast. During dinner, Troy admits that he wasn’t expecting to become such good friends with everyone in the tournament, and that can prove to be difficult when stepping into the ring to face each other. This comment prompts Felix to open up about how much respect he feels for each fighter remaining. Felix also admits he’s proud of his upcoming opponent Troy Ross, for what he’s accomplished thus far in boxing. Each of the fighters are moved by Felix’s genuine comments, as they get ready to head back to the loft after their long day out on the town.
Upon arriving back to the loft, the Contenders immediately notice that the loft has been redecorated. The photos of the previous season’s Contender fighters have been replaced with new photos, from each of their fights. They’re overwhelmed with excitement, as Felix describes, “The pictures of us in action just lit another fire underneath us.” Still gleaming from the moment, they each quickly discover yet another surprise, sitting on their beds are letters and new photos from home. Emotions take over as recent family photos and words of encouragement from family members are shared between the fighters. Rico jumps up and down with excitement upon discovering a copy of his wife’s ultrasound in his letter, surprising him with the fact that they’re expecting a boy. “I was ecstatic! I’ve always wanted a baby boy. I feel blessed!” exclaims Rico. Troy Ross fights his emotions as he looks at the photos of his young daughter, “It’s hard seeing these recent pictures and not being able to be there with her… We’re all going to be fighting for something.”
The next morning, as fight night approaches, Felix and Alfredo rest in their room. Felix reveals to Alfredo a letter from his job back home in Texas. The letter informs Felix that due to his prolonged absence from his job, his employment has now been terminated. Showing support for his teammate, Alfredo tells him, “You’re a strong guy, Felix, that’s why you’re going to get through this.” Felix agrees, “This letter from my job is just a reminder of the sacrifices I’ve made to be here in this tournament. Losing my house in a natural disaster and now losing my job, everything’s hitting me at once… I just need to roll with the punches.”
Preparing for battle, both fighters reflect upon how important this victory will be for each of them. Tommy Brooks warns Troy that the first fighter to make a mistake will probably lose the bout. The opening bell rings, and the battle of the two southpaws is underway. Felix begins the fight by imposing his will early upon Troy, getting inside and scoring with a flurry of body shots. Troy, unfazed by Felix’s punches, counters with a combination of his own. Knowing that one punch can end the fight, the fighters circle each other carefully, keeping their hands up at all times. As Felix tries to get inside yet again, he drops his right hand momentarily. Taking advantage, Troy rips Felix with a vicious left that catches him squarely on the temple. Felix’s legs immediately buckle as he collapses onto his back. The Arena erupts in disbelief as Felix staggers to his feet. After the mandatory eight count, the referee is not convinced Felix can continue the fight, and calls the match a TKO victory for Troy at 2:38 of Round 1. Felix pushes the referee in disbelief and disappointment, feeling he could have continued. Troy Ross is overjoyed and surprised by his second early knockout of the tournament. He triumphantly declares, “I’m doing this for my wife, my daughter, and everybody that believes in Troy Ross. I’m just excited to be heading into the semi-finals.”
A heartbroken Felix packs his bags and expresses his embarrassment for losing in the first round. He begins to question whether or not he will continue in the sport, feeling his time may be up. “I’ll just have to decide if this is really what I want to do. My family is the most important thing for me right now.” As he hangs up his gloves and makes his final exit, Felix hopes that he was an inspiration to his disaster stricken hometown of Galveston, Texas. Felix exits The Contender Tournament with his head held high.
7 fighters remain… Who will be the Contender?
