NBC getting back into the ring

Usually this is how big-time sports television works: The network pays for the right to air an event.

The new Premier Boxing Champions series on NBC flips the model. The latest attempt to reverse the sport's decline requires some major creativity - and a major investment.

Al Haymon's management company, Haymon Boxing, is paying for PBC, betting on NBC's promotional might and the reach of old-fashioned prime-time network television. Five of this year's broadcasts will air on Saturday nights on NBC.

"We want the opportunities for the fighters in this sport to be parallel to the opportunities for athletes in other sports," Lamont Jones, vice-president of operations for Haymon Boxing, said on Wednesday.

The first card will feature Keith Thurman against Robert Guerrero and Adrien Broner versus John Molina Jr. on March 7. All the fighters are managed by Haymon.

These will be the first prime-time bouts on NBC in nearly 30 years. The sport's shift to pay-per-view has been wildly lucrative for the biggest stars. Not so much for other top boxers.

Sugar Ray Leonard will work as a PBC analyst, still a household name because he fought in an era when boxers were some of the world's biggest celebrities.

"You are relevant," he said, recalling how that name recognition made for endorsement opportunities, not just payouts for bouts. "A lot of these guys are very good fighters, but nobody knows who they are."

So for boxers such as the four taking part in March's inaugural event, the new venture is a chance to attract a wider following that translates into future profits.

Al Michaels will host the telecasts, and the network has tabbed prolific Hollywood composer Hans Zimmer to score music to set the tone.

"We have to build the storylines and make people care about something they may not have cared about the day before," said NBC Sports chairman Mark Lazarus.

"We have to educate viewers about who these gentlemen are, why they're so skilled at what they do and why their battles matter."