Judge refuses to halt boxing show

Oscar de la Hoya is fronting The Next Great Champ

US TV network NBC has lost its first round fight to halt a rival reality TV series about boxing.

Superior Court Judge Linda Lefkowitz turned down a request for a temporary restraining order against Fox's planned series with boxer Oscar de la Hoyer.

NBC had previously announced it was launching a search for the next boxing star in conjunction with Sylvester Stallone, called The Contender.

Judge Lefkowitz has agreed to hear an injunction hearing in September.

Although the row centres on whether boxing matches featured in The Next Great Champ were legally promoted, media watchers see it as an attempt to stop copycat shows.

NBC is seeking to force Fox to edit out what it alleges are unlawful boxing matches in The Next Champ, due to air on 10 September.

Concerns were raised about the series in a report by former chairman of the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) accusing The Next Great Champ of contravening state regulations on boxing bouts.

Sylvester Stallone is producing NBC's The Contender

But the CSAC has not made an official ruling on the issue and a review of the report will be held on 3 September.

Dreamworks, which is producing the NBC show, contends that Fox should be barred by from using "film of any boxing match that wasn't legally promoted" by the (CSAC), which is responsible for licensing and regulating boxing.

Stifle competition

The judge would not grant the request, but she did agree to a hearing on a preliminary injunction on 8 September.

After the hearing, a Fox spokesman said: "As the producers of The Contender well know, the California Athletic Commission has not made any findings or rulings.

"This is yet another in a series of never-ending attempts by The Contender's producers to stifle competition."

NBC announced plans for The Contender in April, with the promise of a young fighter winning $1m and the chance of turning professional. It is set to be aired in November.

Soon after, Fox said it had teamed up with Oscar de la Hoya to create The Next Great Champ, which will also has a prize sum of $1m but starts two months earlier.