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The Price Is Right NBC's back in the fight game

In sharp contrast to the whopping $49.95 price tag affixed to
Oscar De La Hoya's lackluster pay-per-view pummeling of a 25-to-1
underdog last Saturday, boxing fans, for the first time in 11
years, had the option of watching free fights on NBC over the
weekend. The network, in tandem with Telemundo and boxing
promoter Main Events, aired the first of three consecutive
Saturday-afternoon boxing cards, and those who tuned in saw 2000
Olympic silver medalist Rocky Juarez (16-0, 12 KOs), a
featherweight, dismantle journeyman Frank Archuleta (22-4-1, 13
KOs).

NBC plans to control the costs of the experimental series by
showcasing nontitle bouts and coproducing them with Telemundo,
its Spanish-language network. Fight fans weary of pricey
pay-per-view events can only hope that network boxing can go the
distance. --Luis Fernando Llosa