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.