Mark Chesnutt's Down with The Contender

NASHVILLE, TN. (Mark Chesnutt Fans Website) - Mark Chesnutt will be the first to admit that he doesn't spend any time keeping up with reality TV, but you can bet he'll be tuning into NBC-TV's newest television drama, The Contender. The reason? Chesnutt has a personal friend in the competition, Brent Cooper.

'Brent and I met in Nashville about five years ago at a downtown club called the Mix Factory. The Factory was hosting a fight and we bumped into each other there. We've been friends ever since.. I've knick-named him ‘Paco.' ' says Chesnutt.

Brent Cooper has been described as guy with boyish charm and male model good looks. At 5'11', weighing in at 165 pounds, Chesnutt stands behind Cooper, ' ‘Paco' (Cooper) really doesn't look like a the typical boxer but I'll be the first to say you probably don't want to mess with him. I remember one time a bunch of us (Toby Keith, Tracy Bryd, my manager and Paco) were hanging out at the lounge at the old Quality Inn, and this one guy starts going off. He was really aggravating and egging us on; there ended up being a bit of a scuffle. Brent jumps in—to our rescue—and pulls some of his fancy foot work. Instead of kicking the guy though, he kicked me. I was hobbling around for days!'

Mark adds his personal commentary on what viewers can expect from boxer Brent Cooper: 'Brent is focused and trains hard. He's passionate about boxing and he's got determination. ‘Paco' is fast and scrappy and he has an element of surprise. He'll get ‘back in the ring and take another swing.' (AC/DC) Brent Cooper will ring the bell!'