Final fighters on The Contender Australia
Next week it will be decided. Either Garth Wood or Kariz Kariuki will be left standing to square off against Anthony "The Man" Mundine.
The two fighters are the finalists in FOX8's boxing reality series, The Contender Australia, after 12 others have been knocked out in earlier episodes.
Next Monday night, FOX8 stages a live match between the two super middleweight boxers with the winner to face Mundine in March. Both will appear on the same bill as the Mundine v Robert Medley fight at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. As well as the title of "Contender Champion" the winner will also take home $25,000 and a car. At stake in the Mundine fight is not just glory but $250,000.
FOX8's debut series is based on the US format by reality king Mark Burnett (who will be visiting Australia in March), and has certainly attracted attention, if only for the decisions of judges, some of which have incensed fans of the show.
More positively, the contestants were very diverse with multicultural backgrounds from Australia, New Zealand, Asia and Africa, including cultural differences due to religious backgrounds. The show has also tried to humanise the boxers by including families, some with young children, watching their fathers and husbands getting thumped in the ring. Squeamish TV for some…
Both remaining boxers come from Sydney, although Kariz Kariuki is Nairobi born, a softly-spoken fighter who came to Australia during the 2000 Olympics. The 32-year-old has had 29 fights with 20 wins (including 18 knockouts). Kariuki is currently ranked 1st in the Australian National Boxing Federation rankings in the super middleweight division. Hoping to defeat him is 31-year-old Garth Wood, a former NRL player currently 11th in the same division. In his shorter career he nevertheless has six wins from seven fights.
The big night hosted by Charlotte Dawson and Daniel Amalm airs live on Monday, January 11, at 8.30pm on FOX8.
Who is your tip to win the Contender title?
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