During a long and successful career in the squared circle, Minnesota boxing Hall-of-Famer Anthony Bonsante established himself as a blue collar hero in the world of combat sports. Most famously, in 2005, Bonsante took his working man/family man persona to The Contender, an NBC TV reality series featuring 16 boxers fighting for a chance to win $1 million. Though the "No. 1 Daddy," as Bonsante was known on the show, didn't win the big prize, he got a lot of face time and represented Minnesota well.
Before The Contender, Bonsante was already a well-established professional boxer. The native of Crosby-Ironton, Minnesota, finished with a 34-13-3 record in a 20-year pro boxing career that spanned from 1996 to 2016. Among his big wins was a nationally televised bout against Tony Ayala in a clash for the IBA world super-middleweight title. Bonsante was a big underdog, but he walked away with the belt after finishing off Ayala with an 11th round TKO.
Bonsante is also well known for his Jan. 12, 2007, bout with St. Paul's Matt Vanda -- one of the most highly anticipated fights in recent Minnesota boxing history. With the USA Minnesota State Middleweight title on the line, the two local rivals clashed in front of a packed house at Target Center. Bonsante's hand was raised after 10 entertaining rounds of boxing.
Prior to turning pro, Bonsante won five Upper Midwest Golden Gloves titles in a stellar amateur career.
In the following interview, Bonsante talks freely about his experiences on The Contender, including the time Sly Stallone invited the Minnesota boxer to his office for a cold beer, and an impromptu, early-morning sparring session with the great Sugar Ray Leonard. He also talks about working with legendary Minnesota boxing trainer Bill Kaehn, gives his thoughts on the current state of boxing in Minnesota, and much more.