Spanish & English Coverage of Pro Boxing & NBC/Telemundo.

Professional boxing returns to network television Saturday as NBC Sports begins live coverage of the Budweiser Boxing Series from the Flamingo Resort Hotel in Las Vegas, Nev. In a unique agreement, NBC-owned Telemundo, a U.S. Spanish-language broadcast network, will air a live fight in Spanish from 2:30-3:30 p.m. ET, directly followed by NBC, which has not televised professional boxing since 1992, broadcasting its live boxing card from 3:30-5 p.m. ET.

“I’m the last generation of kids that was able to grow up with boxing on network television and that’s how I became a fan and developed a passion for this sport,” Bob Papa, 38, NBC blow-by-blow commentator said. “It’s with a tremendous honor and pleasure that I’m going to be a part of the return of boxing to network television.”

Telemundo’s sports anchor, Jessi Losada, will make broadcast history by hosting live coverage in both Spanish and English. Losada will be the first sports commentator to provide live sports coverage in English and Spanish as he hosts and provides analysis with blow-by-blow commentator Rene Giraldo on Telemundo and hosts NBC’s coverage of the Budweiser Boxing Series. On NBC, Losada will be joined by Papa and analyst Raul Marquez calling the fights from ringside. Michael Buffer will be the ring announcer.

Losada said: “I’m viewing this as one long two-and-a-half hour show that just happens to start in Spanish on one network and end in English on another. It’s not only going to be an historic event in broadcasting but also an historic event for boxing because boxing is not only a very popular sport among English speaking people in the United States, but among Hispanics it’s a sport that has tremendous tradition. I would say it’s the No. 2 sport behind soccer.”

Saturday’s Main Event on NBC is a 10-round featherweight fight, featuring 2000 Olympic Silver Medalist Rocky Juarez (15-0, 11 KOs, Houston) vs. Frank Archuleta (22-3-1, 13 KOs, Las Vegas). The NBC co-feature is an eight-round, junior lightweight bout featuring Darling Jimenez (14-0-2. 6 KOs, Bronx, N.Y.) vs. Miguel Huerta (17-4-1, 13 KOs, Mexico City).