The Next Great Champ: The Men, The Myth, The Lawsuit, and The Preview

The Next Great Champ was almost the reality show that wasn't.

On Tuesday, August 17, Mark Burnett and DreamWorks Television, producers of NBC's The Contender, sought a court order to block The Next Great Champ from appearing on Fox. Champ, at the time set to premiere on Friday, September 10, was criticized in a report issued by the former chairman of the California State Athletic Commission, which regulates boxing in the state.

According to the chairman's report, Champ is guilty of several violations of the state business and professions code - specifically, using unlicensed promoters to stage bouts for the show. Chairman Sanford Michelman urged the Commission and the state Attorney General's Office to fully investigate the show. Deputy Attorney General Karen Chappelle said that her office would only investigate if the commission adopted the report. The lawsuit claimed that Champ engaged in unfair business practices to rush their show on the air two months ahead of the NBC show, using the report as the basis of their complaint.

On Wednesday, August 18, California judge Linda Lefkowitz denied DreamWorks and Burnett's request for a restraining order. However, Lefkowitz left open the possibility of blocking Champ, scheduling a September 8 hearing on a motion for a preliminary injunction against the show and ordered an expedited exchange of documents between the parties to the lawsuit.

As a response, Fox moved the Champ premiere up three days to Tuesday, September 7, claiming that the move was made for reasons unrelated to the lawsuit. Contender attorneys then requested an injunction to block the date change, but instead the judge rescheduled the hearing for August 27. Finally, a judge refused to halt the show, saying that such a ruling would amount to prior restraint, which is illegal under the First Amendment.

Executives at NBC have accused Fox of stealing the idea for the show. Fox has become infamous for hurrying their versions of reality shows on the air before another network's. Another example is this summer's Trading Spouses, rushed to air before ABC's Wife Swap. In the case of Champ, Fox acknowledged that it sought the rights to The Contender, but simply settled on another boxing show once they lost in the bidding to NBC.

Mark Burnett discussed the lawsuit in a conference call previewing the upcoming Apprentice 2 recently. Burnett says that he hates lawsuits, but, "we'd have been crazy not to do something when we get a 150-page report from the athletic commissioner of California, citing violation after violation."

The Athletic Commission still plans to discuss the allegations made by Michelman the week of September 20, two weeks after Champ's premiere. Fox will "get fined, majorly fined. There's no question - you couldn't have broken all those rules and laws," Burnett says. He also thinks that the quality of Champ will be hurt by the rush to air.

A Fox spokesperson says, "Mark's frustration is clearly showing, and it's obvious he'll stop at nothing in his attempts to discredit our show."

There has been a lot of big-league moving and shaking going on between the two networks. Ultimately, this battle will be settled like a championship fight - in the ring, or in this case, on the air. The best show will win out, no matter who comes first or who gets fined.

That said, The Next Great Champ starts this Tuesday, September 7, which means the faithful RNO readers demand a preview. So, leaving legalities behind us, what is the show all about and who is involved?

In The Next Great Champ, twelve aspiring boxers will compete for a professional contract and a possible title shot. They will each be joined by someone from their personal life, such as a wife, girlfriend, or family member as a confidant, so that they can cheer them on (and add drama).

The fighters will prepare for their competitions under legendary trainers Lou Duva, who has trained a number of boxers including Evander Holyfield, and trainer Tommy Brooks, whose resume includes the likes of Mike Tyson. In addition, Executive Producer Oscar De La Hoya will serve as host, guide, and mentor to the twelve hopefuls.

De La Hoya, whose professional record currently stands at 37-3 with 29 knockouts, has become almost legendary in boxing circles since winning the Olympic gold medal at the 132-pound class in 1992. His boyish good looks brought about his nickname of "Golden Boy," but his good looks belie an incredibly aggressive attitude and fearsomely powerful punches inside the ring. Oscar has defeated 17 current or former world heavyweight champions, one of them (Julio Cesar Chavez) twice.

In his latest fight on June 5, De La Hoya won his sixth title, a 12-round unanimous decision against WBO middleweight champion Felix Sturm. The decision was not without controversy, as many watching the fight claim that, regardless of the unanimous decision, Sturm actually deserved the win. De La Hoya, for his part, admits that he underestimated Sturm but did his job and got the win.