NBC's ratings are up for boxing; more telecasts being pondered

NEW YORK (AP) -- Boxing's return to network television has generated competitive ratings and led to talks for more weekly fights.
The second week of a three-week boxing trial on NBC received a 1.6 rating, up from the 1.4 rating of a week before and third among daytime sports on Saturday.
NBC spokesman Mike McCarley said the fight card that featured prospect Francisco Bojado in a bloody knockout win over William Adamyan got a 1.6 rating and a 4 share in overnight ratings of the top television markets.
The boxing ranked behind a PGA Tour event, which got a 2.4 rating and 6 share, and the NHL playoff game between Anaheim and Minnesota, which drew a 2.0 and a 5 share.
But boxing, which returned to network television after a decade-long absence, beat auto racing on CBS and the rain-delayed Indianapolis 500 qualifying.
"We're ecstatic. I'm walking on air," said Kathy Duva, president of Main Events, which sold NBC on the idea of a three-fight package. "It's exceeding my most optimistic projections."
Duva said her company is negotiating future network fights, hoping to bring boxing back to network television on a regular basis.
"I thought it would take a lot longer to educate people to look for it," Duva said. "People haven't been looking for boxing in this place for 10 years, and still they're finding it."