01:00 AM EST on Thursday, February 9, 2006

BY ROBERT LEE
Journal Sports Writer

PROVIDENCE -- The Contender is coming to Providence, along with all of the associated glitz, glamour and celebrities. The Contender Special, East Coast Pride, will feature Providence's Peter Manfredo Jr. (24-3-0, 10 KOs) versus longtime friend Scott Pemberton (29-4-1, 24 KOs), of New Bedford, in the 10-round main event of a seven-fight card at the Dunkin' Donuts Center on Sunday night.

ESPN will televise the show live beginning at 9:30 p.m.

The Contender completely changed Manfredo's life. He is well on his way to having the money and fame that he always dreamed about.

"The Contender has been great to me," Manfredo said. "Boxing has been great to me. It has given me everything in life that I need. I recently bought a house in Dayville, Connecticut. My wife doesn't have to work anymore and my kids' college education is all set."

Manfredo earned $250,000 by coming in second place on the first season of The Contender. He lost a unanimous decision to Sergio Mora (17-0-0), ranked 16th in the world by the World Boxing Council.

On The Contender's debut on ESPN, on Oct. 15, Manfredo lost a controversial split decision to Mora in a rematch held in Los Angeles, Mora's hometown.

Two judges scored the bout 77-75 for Mora, and one judge had it 77-75 for Manfredo.

"I lost but I won, too," Manfredo said. "Now the producers of the show are letting me call the shots and I was able to bring the show to Providence," Manfredo said. "I have to thank the people of The Contender for that, and they got me the publicity and got my name out there. In boxing, you have to sell yourself and get people to watch you."

Manfredo is now a household name across the country. He has been training in California for the last six weeks with new trainer Freddie Roach to get ready for his fight against Pemberton.

"All you work with out there is champions and guys that are going to the Olympics," Manfredo said. "The work ethic they have out there is amazing, and Freddy brings out the best in you. I had a great fighter in me all along, and it took him to get it out of me. He just brought me back to the basics and we worked from there. Now I feel like I can beat anybody."

Manfredo is the first boxer from The Contender series to take a leap in class and fight a world-ranked boxer.

"You can expect to see a great fighter, better than you've ever seen of me," Manfredo said of what to expect from him against Pemberton.

Pemberton is ranked fifth by the United States Boxing Organization and 18th by the WBC. He was the WBC's No. 1 contender before his last fight. Pemberton battled International Boxing Organization and International Boxing Federation champion Jeff Lacy (20-0-0, 17 KOs) for his super middleweight titles but was knocked out in the second round.

Manfredo is coming off two consecutive losses to Mora.

"After the second Sergio fight, I felt ripped off and I want to prove to The Contender and to the world that I'm a true contender," Manfredo said. "That's why I'm taking this step up. Scottie is better than Sergio, and when I win, I'll prove that I'm the true contender. I am going to do whatever it takes to win this fight."

Pemberton isn't backing down.

"Watch out, Peter, because here I come," he said, speaking by phone from New Bedford.

Juan Carlos Gomez (14-3-1, 5 KOs), of Guadalajara, Mexico, who came in third place on the first season of The Contender, will face highly touted welterweight Gilbert Venegas (9-1-2, 6 KOs), of East Molaine, Ill., and Contender middleweight standout Miguel Espino (10-2-1, 4 KOs), of North Hollywood, Calif., will take on Dorian Beaupierre (12-4-2, 6 KOs), of Old Bridge, N.J.

Providence's rising boxing stars -- Jason Estrada (5-0-0, 1 KO), a 2004 United States Olympian, and Matt Godfrey -- will also be in action in separate bouts. Estrada will meet 6-foot-4 power punching heavyweight Yanqui Diaz (13-3-0, 8 KOs), of Pinar Del Rio, Cuba, who has an 82-inch reach and was the only boxer to defeat Juan Carlos Gomez (40-1-0, 33 KOs). Estrada, 25, is 6-foot-1.

Godfrey (10-0-0, 5 KOs), rated 25th by the WBC and 7th by the North American Boxing Federation, will challenge tough veteran Ernest Mateen (29-11-3, 10 KOs), of Jackson, Mo., , in a cruiserweight bout.

Matt Remillard (6-0 5 KOs), of Manchester, Conn., is also scheduled to fight.

Tickets are on sale and can be purchased by calling Classic Entertainment & Sports at (401) 724-2253 or (401) 724-2254, and through ticketmaster at (401) 331-2211. Tickets can also be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com. Prices range from $35 to $500 and the doors open at 7:30 p.m.

roblee@projo.com / (401) 277-7340