Is 'Champ' good? Who knows?

Just to get this out of the way, the folks at Fox insist they didn't steal the idea for their reality/boxing show "The Next Great Champ" (Tuesday, 9 p.m., Ch. 13) from NBC's forthcoming reality/boxing show "The Contender." And network president Gail Berman made some plausible arguments on Fox's behalf.

Frankly, I don't believe them. Oh, I was swayed somewhat by Berman when she tried to convince TV critics over the summer, but since then I've seen Fox's "Trading Spouses," which is a complete ripoff of ABC's forthcoming "Wife Swap," and Fox's "Renovate My Family," which is a complete ripoff of ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."

Fox's credibility isn't running really strong at the moment. (And, the "Contender" producers' lawsuit against Fox and "Champ" goes to court on Wednesday.)

But viewers don't really care who stole what from whom. They care whether a show is good or not.

As for whether "The Next Great Champ" is any good, well, I can't tell you. Fox didn't make it available for critics to review. Which is not a good sign.

We were shown a few clips back in July and told that it was going to be a great show (big surprise there), but no review tapes. Which is the norm for Fox but not for other networks.

Anyway, what we do know is that "The Next Great Champ" will be chosen from among 12 aspiring boxers — who were all given nicknames like "Marvelous," "Lone Star," "Boom Boom," "Pit Bull," "Body Snatcher," "Danger," "Perfect Storm" and "Lights Out" by the producer but who have very little (if any) professional experience. They will slug it out with hopes of winning a contract with host Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions and a "possible shot at a titleholder."

That would be a change from July, when the producers told critics the winner would for sure receive a shot at a title. "There will be a title fight sanctioned by the WBO," insisted Richard Schaefer, the CEO of De La Hoya's company.

But, tellingly, the producers couldn't quite tell us what title that would be.

Anyway, all these guys have (sob) stories and significant others (wives, girlfriends, buddies, brothers, etc.) who come along with them to advance the (sob) stories.

If there's a reason to watch "Next Great Champ," it might be the engaging De La Hoya. But we're not quite sure how much time he'll actually spend being a "mentor, friend and motivator to the chosen ones," as Fox describes it.

And if you need another reason to be suspicious of the show, it comes to us from the producers of "Fear Factor."

OK, so I'm afraid.

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E-mail: pierce@desnews.com