Description
Reality show featuring Oscar de la Hoya and 12 boxers who compete for a shot to be crowned the Next Great Champ, winning $750,000 along the way.
The 12 fighters are chosen from a variety of different socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. Each have a story to tell - the young fresh-faced kid from Nebraska with a heavy bag in his barn, the guy from a rejuvenated Harlem who's fighting for fame, or the kid who's the pride of his small Puerto Rican neighborhood.In perhaps the most unusual twist, in the ten episode series (nine episodes and a 2-hour live finale), each boxer is joined by a loved one, who is known as his "cornerman". The relationship between the fighter and the cornerman - who could be a wife, father, lover, or best friend - is a fantastic opportunity for viewers to see the sport of boxing through the eyes of a non-boxer. The cornermen helps them with their training, giving them emotional support and whatever else they need during the competition. They're together during their entire journey to the top, and they sit next to each other on the plane if they are sent home packing.Upon arrival at the training facility, the 12 fighters (and their cornermen) are split into two teams. Each team has a professional trainer who's in charge of turning the men into professional fighters. As a team, they undergo a series of unorthodox training regimens (all real methods used by professional fighters - many of whom appear as guest stars). Along the way, Oscar de la Hoya will be a mentor, friend, and critic, and ultimately the judge of who becomes our champ.Every episode, the two teams face each other in an organic competition that uses aspects of real training. The losing team's trainer nominates two fighters from the team who fights in an elimination match. These fighters are chosen on the basis of their efforts throughout the past week. Oscar and two other judges judge the fight. The loser of the match is sent home and must symbolically "hang up his gloves" on a hook as he leaves the gym and the competition for good. Also included in the format are Grudge Matches. In these matches, any fighter can "call out" a fighter from the opposite team and challenge them to a fight. The winner of the grudge match gets a personal session with Oscar. In the end, only one is left standing. Once the winner is crowned, he fights one more time... against a standing champion (foreign or domestic) in a live telecast for a chance to be recognized as the finest fighter in the world.