ESPN, Inc., Mark Burnett Productions and DreamWorks Television announced today the contestants for the second season of the critically acclaimed boxing series The Contender. The unscripted drama follows the lives, fears and hopes of 16 professional boxers as they compete for the chance to change their lives and the lives of the people they love. Produced under the ESPN Original Entertainment banner, The Contender will debut Tuesday, July 18 with a two-hour season premiere on ESPN beginning at 10 p.m. ET. The network also plans to make additional content available across its multiple platforms, including ESPN.com, ESPN360, ESPN Motion and Mobile ESPN.

Each episode culminates in a five-round professional bout where the winner moves one step closer to the grand prize and a shot at the title of Contender Champion. The series will conclude with a finale from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Sept. 26 and aired live on ESPN.

“ESPN is a perfect fit for this show and we are excited to offer this compelling content over all of our media platforms,