Boxing is the new plastic surgery

While the 2003/04 season is being dubbed ‘the year of plastic surgery’, next season looks set to be the year of reality boxing, as yet another pugilistic reality show is unveiled in the US.

American Champion will air on Viacom cable network Spike TV, devised and produced by Academy Entertainment. Over an 11-week run, amateur fighters will compete for the chance to get into the ring with former world heavyweight champion Larry Holmes.

As well as a few bruises from Holmes, the winner will get a cash prize and a one-year professional boxing contract. Three judges will tour various US cities to choose the 10 American Champion contestants. These fighters will be put through a three-round sparring match and tested for speed, endurance, strength and boxing style.

Throughout the show, the 10 hopefuls will be housed in a camera-lined hotel suite, where they will watch the other fights and bond with each other. As well as Holmes, also involved in the show are head trainer Angelo Dundee, celebrity judges Jacqui Frazier-Lyde (pro boxer and daughter of Joe), Gerry Cooney, Ray ‘Boom Boom’ Mancini and co-host Michael Buffer.

Also hosting with Buffer is the show’s exec producer and creator Tommy Habeeb (Cheaters, Stag, Eye for an Eye).

Airing from September 2004, Spike TV’s American Champion joins the growing list of US reality show hoping to cash in on the popularity of the sport.

Mark Burnett, Sylvester Stallone, and Dreamworks co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg have teamed for a new reality boxing series called The Contender, which will air on NBC on Tuesday at 20.00 from mid-season. Revealed last week, Fox is also lining up The Next Great Champ for a Friday 20.00 slot from November.

Two years ago, Fox aired celebrity boxing bouts in which disgraced ice-skater Tonya Harding took on Paula Jones, one of Bill Clinton’s alleged conquests. Also hasbeen Brady Bunch actor Barry Williams fought ex-Partridge Family jailbird Danny Bonaduce, while disgraced Diff’rent Strokes actor Todd Bridges took on rapper Vanilla Ice.

In the UK, the celebrity boxing genre emerged with The Fight during BBC1’s Sport Relief events in March 2002. Comedian Bob Mortimer (Shooting Stars) took on – and beat – Les Dennis (Family Fortunes).

Ricky Gervais (The Office) later fought Grant Bovey, the millionaire husband of former TV presenter Anthea Turner. The UK boxing authorities subsequently warned trainers not to be associated with such shows as they weren’t professional bouts.

Last week, UK channel Five unveiled a new Talkback Thames commission called Boxing Academy (4×60′, wt), in which two celebrity boxers/trainers will each choose five young men to train to the Amateur Boxing Association standard in just over six weeks. It will air live on Five later this year.