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LOS ANGELES — When Alfonzo Gomez won third place in "The Contender" inaugural finale last season, he picked up a check worth $250,000.

Nito Bravo was fighting for one-tenth that amount Tuesday. The second-year show, now on ESPN, agreed to pay the third-place match winner only $25,000 and the loser $15,000.

While Bravo was looking at a career-high payday, win or lose Tuesday, the purses were somewhat disappointing to Bravo's trainer, Mike Agredano.

Also, because Bravo had signed a season-long commitment to the show, he had no leverage in Tuesday's payout.

"We were expecting a little bit more for this, but the opportunity is good and they're showcasing him," Agredano said. "They said each contract will be negotiable after this."

Buzz over Bravo

The most photographed member of Bravo's traveling party Tuesday was not fiancée Priscilla Rios. It was the couple's 3-year-old son, Roman, who had the name "Bravo" shaved into his head.

The idea came from Priscilla's brother, Blue, who took the youngster to Tucson barber Cesar Molina for the personalized styling.

But the family did not need styled hair to catch people's attention. Rios' mother, Lily, said she's run into new Bravo fans throughout her stay in Los Angeles.

"People are coming from Louisiana, Bakersfield, all over saying they're rooting for him," she said. "We're so amazed."

Shared corner

Agredano and his father, Joe, were kept away from Bravo's corner during his three taped fights, with show trainer Jeremy Williams stepping in.

On Tuesday, the Agredanos took over the corner, with Williams serving only as an assistant.

Strange as it was, working without the Agredanos had some benefit for Bravo.

"To me, Jeremy said all the right things," Bravo said. "That was the first time I'd ever been without Joe and Mike in my corner, but I felt very comfortable with him."

Undercard results

In undercard bouts not on ESPN's show Tuesday:

Nick Acevedo (17-2-1, nine KOs) won a six-round unanimous decision over Nurhan Suleymanoglu (16-5, eight KOs); Walter Wright (12-2, six KOs) stopped Vinroy Barrett (21-6, 11 KOs) in the fifth round of a scheduled six-rounder; and Freddy Curiel (16-6-2, six KOs) earned a unanimous six-round decision over Aaron Torres (14-4, six KOs).

Afterward, Acevedo echoed many of "The Contender" participants when he expressed appreciation for the show and its fans.

"It was the best experience of my life so far — by far," Acevedo said.