Summary
He had to make a videotape about his family and his life and why he deserved to be in the show. "The most emotional moment for me was when I was invited to the conference room and there were all the big execu- tives, and Stallone with his unique voice says to me "Welcome to The Contender, you've made the final cut!" Said Salmaci, getting emotional, "It is very hard to describe the feeling, but it is like you're finally vindicated." Though Salmaci ranked 4th world-wide in his weight class in the prime of his boxing career, he never had his shot at the title because a scheduled fight had to be canceled due to injury, and now he was getting a late break.
"Despite the early elimination, it still made me more popular than if I had won a world championship," he says. "I didn't realize how big the show was until I was invited to the final episode airing live in Vegas. When I arrived I was assigned a personal bodyguard... I was in ringside seating and I saw Justin Timberlake. I walked up to him and extended my hand to introduce myself and he says: 'Hi Tarick, I know who you are...' like he'd known me forever! Then I feel somebody tapping me on my shoulder. I turn, and a lady says 'Hi Tarick, I am Cameron Diaz, Justin's girlfriend!'" With his characteristic laugh Salmaci exclaimed: "It's crazy, everybody knows you.""My family is here, my business in real estate, American Realty Group, is here, my friends are here, this is where I belong," he said as he settled back in his seat from posing with friends. "I want to use my contacts to bring the world to Dearborn," said Salmaci as he explained how he's working with a producer to do a reality show about the lives of Arab Americans, and is trying to launch a management company to manage young boxers. "I want the community to benefit from my contacts and experience," he added.See the full content of this document
Extract
Passion for Life, Not for Boxing
"Hey it is you! You photographed my wedding," yelled Tarick Salmaci from inside his white Caddy, where I was meeting him at Starbucks in West Dearborn.
"Can you believe it has been twelve years since I got married?" he added as he walked toward me. He stopped and chatted with a friend passing ...See the full content of this document
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