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Fox fights first

The saga of the dueling reality boxing shows will see its first punch tonight as Fox debuts "The Next Great Champ."

The reality pugilist pageant, airing at 9 p.m., finds boxer Oscar De La Hoya scoping out one potential prizefighter from 12 unpolished toughs.

The fighters will train with Mr. De La Hoya and live in one big room where, the network hopes, some verbal sparring will commence.

NBC's "The Contender" is set to debut in November, but that hasn't stopped the Peacock network from suing Fox for stealing its idea and rushing it to market. Last week, a California Superior Court Judge denied NBC's request to stop "The Next Great Champ" from airing.

DreamWorks SKG and reality mogul Mark Burnett, makers of "The Contender," were trying to force Fox to edit allegedly unlawful bouts out of "Champ" before tonight's premiere, Associated Press reports.

The judge ruled that the effort would violate Fox's First Amendment rights.

DreamWorks and Mr. Burnett still can pursue the case against Fox. They allege "Champ" was produced on a "rushed and frenzied basis" to beat NBC's series to the air.

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