The final of tonight’s Australian Contender series will take centre stage on the pay TV arena, with Kariz Kariuki and Garth Wood going head to head for the prestigious TV belt.

The series is the first time the Contender franchise has based itself in Australia, and so far the ratings have shown that it is well embraced by the audience.

Usually based in America with American boxers, this year’s series focused on the Oceania region, with the bulk of fighters coming from either New Zealand, Australia or the pacific islands.

Some of those boxers included Nader Hamden, Predeep Singh, Victor Oganov and James Clenshaw, all of whom have had national belts and a swag of victories along their careers.

In the end there were only two, former NRL player Wood, and Kenyan Olympian Kariuki.

The winner of tonight’s bout will then go on the challenge Anthony ‘the man’ Mundine in a world title fight, and pocket a cool $250,000.

But as is the norm in boxing, controversy has already begun without even a punch being thrown.

Kenyan Kariuki has already thrown petrol into the fire with his trainer saying that the changing of the round total form ten to a reduced seven was to work in favour of the inexperienced Wood.

”Obviously Kariz is a 12-round fighter and he is rated No.8 in the world whereas Garth has never fought over six rounds so they’ve brought it from 10 rounds to seven to suit Garth and they’ve changed it from a 24-hour weigh-in,” he said.

“You tell me how that is fair? But the reality is that we have been told we will be sued if we don’t turn up for the weigh-in on Monday so we’ll see what happens. Kariz is ready to go and we are going to weigh in on Sunday just like everyone else fighting on Monday night.”

The final of The Contender is on Fox 8 tonight from 8.30.

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