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Peter Manfredo Jr. was born on November 26, 1980 in Providence, RI. His father, Peter Sr., also a professional fighter, used to take his son to the gym daily, often having to do his homework ringside. It was this time spent with his father at the gym that sparked his love for professional boxing and his desire to continue the family legacy. In 1999, he graduated from Mount Pleasant High School in Providence and shortly thereafter married Yamilka, his high school sweetheart and the mother of his daughter Alexis.
After several years on the amateur circuit, Manfredo Jr. amassed an impressive record of 154 wins. At his father's insistence, Manfredo Jr. first stepped into the ring as a professional in September of 2000. He exploded onto the the professional scene with four knockouts in his first four fights, followed by a decisive win over fellow middleweight prospect Steve Garret. With five wins under his belt, Manfredo participated in his first televised bout hosted by ESPN2's Friday Night Fights series, in August of 2001 against Guyana's Rhon Roberts, boasting a record of eight wins and two losses. The originally scheduled six-round battle was shortened to four rounds to accomodate the sport's network's programming. Despite the last minute change, Manfredo gained another unanimous victory.
Not too long after, Manfredo was yet again approached to fight on ESPN2's Friday exhibit by none other than boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard. Manfredo agreed to take the fight, despite only having a few days notice. This bout did not prove to be as easy as his first ESPN win, as the contract weight was set higher and his opponent, despite having a professional record of only two wins, towered over Manfredo at 6'0". Nonetheless, Manfredo would come through for a split decision victory -- the only fight in his career to date that was not ruled a unanimous victory.
After knocking out the Bahamian veteran Kenny Stubbs to propel his record to an undefeated ten wins, Peter Manfredo made a crucial decision that would further propel his career into stardom. Tired of facing competitors who easily reached the six-foot mark, he decided to slim down to below 160 lbs, into the Junior Middleweight category.
His next fight was the true test of his decisions thus far. He was scheduled to appear as the undercard match to the world title bout between Vinny Pazienza and Eric Lucas. His opponent, South Boston's Tommy Attardo was not only a welcome challenge, but proved to be his best performance to date. Weighing in at a slim 155 lbs, Manfredo used his hand and foot speed to outbox Attardo to a lopsided decision. It was this performance that earned Manfredo an invitation to train with Junior Middleweight Champion "Ferocious" Fernando Vargas as he prepared to face Oscar De La Hoya.
Manfredo took his first professional title in May of 2002 vying against Mike McFail from Baltimore for the Eastern Boxing Associations's Junior Middleweight belt. Manfredo landed a solid blow to to his opponent in the first round, setting the tone for the next seven rounds as Manfredo dominated his opponent. After an easy victory over Charles Clark, Manfredo set his sights on an even higher prize -- 41-year-old Frankie "The Surgeon" Randall. Seven rounds later, Peter Manfredo, Jr. was the new IBU Junior Middleweight world champion.
After a period of changes of promotion, Manfredo took another title shot in January of 2004. Defending the NABO Junior Middleweight title was fellow undefeated champion Sherwin Davis whom Manfredo quickly dispatched in six rounds. This new title earned him the number three spot in the WBO Junior Middleweight world rankings, and an opportunity to appear on ESPN2 yet again. Finally getting the chance to headline ESPN2's Friday Night Fight card, Manfredo outpointed Anthony Bonsante over 12 rounds, bringing his record to 21-0 with ten knockouts.
August of 2004 would prove to be a turning point in Manfredo's career as he was chosen to participate in a new reality television show produced by Sylvester Stallone called "The Contender." Manfredo and fifteen other eager prizefighters, including Manfredo's recent opponent Anthony Bonsante would battle over the next several months not only for a one million dollar purse, but for the chance to earn that prize in the famed Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Contender proved to be a hard road for Manfredo, and at first seemed to be very short-lived. The very first week of the show gave Manfredo his first career loss. The five-round bout against Alfonso Gomez not only dealt a hard blow to the previously undefeated world champ, but eliminated him from the show. However, in the fourth week Jeff "Hell Raza" Fraza would be diagnosed with the chicken pox and would leave the show, leaving the race to the finish unbalanced. Manfredo's teammates voted almost unanimously to have Manfredo return to the show, giving him another chance to prove his worth.
This boost of confidence led Manfredo to easily dominate his next two opponents, Miguel Angel Espino and Joey Gilbert. After surviving to the final four, Manfredo would get the opportunity to face Gomez again, this time earning a decisive victory over seven rounds. But despite these wins, Peter Manfredo would not be crowned the Contender champion. That honor would go to his opponent, Sergio "The Latin Snake" Mora who outboxed him over seven grueling rounds. Sylvester Stallone was so taken by these tough fighters that he ominously remarked that they should someday have a rematch.
That rematch is scheduled for October 15, 2005 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, carried by ESPN. The undercard will feature other Contender participants such as Alfonso Gomez, Jesse Brinkley, and Anthony Bonsante.
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