After starting with 16 cruiserweights, just four men remain. Troy Ross will meet A.K. Laleye in one semifinal, while Rico Hoye takes on Hino Ehikhamenor in the other.
Both Hino and A.K. are thrilled to be in the semifinals after winning last week. Tony Danza gathers the final four together and tells them they will be going on a little excursion to celebrate.
Said excursion is on board a yacht, giving the men a little time to relax. Everyone tests the water except for Hino, who deems it "too risky." After the boat trip, Danza asks the boxers about their thoughts on the 12 men who have been eliminated, and the show recaps some of the more memorable moments for each fighter.
Ross and Laleye make final preparations for their fight. Tommy Brooks tells Ross to get ahead early and look to catch his foe in the later rounds. John Bray wants Laleye to box and throw Ross off his game.
The first two rounds go solidly in Ross' favor. He uses good counter shots and wide hooks to get around Laleye's guard. A.K. leads often with his head, and lots of wrestling on the inside makes things fairly ugly.
Ross uses a good body attack to open the third round in strong fashion. A.K. finally shows some spark in the second half of the round, bulling his way inside and landing some shots in close.
The fourth round looks like a repeat of the third. Brooks tells Ross not to get hit with anything stupid, and he lands some nice shots in the final round and quickly moves away.
The judges scorecards make it a shutout: all three score it 50-45, all to the winner, Troy Ross.
Laleye is definitely one of the more emotional losers, shouting in frustration at himself. He says he knows he didn't box enough and he let his emotions get the best of him. Danza congratulates A.K. for the effort but says he wishes Laleye would have let his hands go.
A.K. keeps things in proper perspective, laughing and saying he'll be back better than before. He hangs up his gloves to leave us with three fighters remaining.
The second semifinal seems like it will be a battle between Hino's athleticism and Rico's fundamentals. Bray instructs Hoye to throw multiple jabs and work off of them.
Rico does indeed use the jab to keep Hino at bay for much of the first round. Ehikhamenor lands a few good shots coming in, but he is wilder and Hoye's defense looks better.
The momentum shifts in Hino's favor during the middle rounds. He isn't jabbing much, but he's able to land some big right hands and get out before Hoye can respond.
Rico goes after it in the final round, but Hino's elusiveness is the difference. A slow-motion sequence near the end foreshadows something dramatic, though nothing too consequential happens, and we go to the scorecards.
The judges score it 50-45, 48-47 and 49-46, all to the winner, Hino Ehikhamenor.
Hoye says he saw some shots there but was unable to pull the trigger, and he's disappointed in himself. He says it's important to stay faithful and take comfort in the idea that things happen for a reason. His gloves are hung, putting an end to the Singapore portion of the show.
Next week: Season Four of The Contender comes to an end with a live two-hour finale from the MGM Grand at Foxwoods. Ross and Ehikhamenor will go ten rounds for the show's championship, with Laleye and Hoye facing off on the undercard.
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