‘Celebrity Boxing’ Courts Buttafuoco, Bobbitt

Joey Buttafuoco and John Wayne Bobbitt could be the next marquee matchup as Fox seeks more scandalous or once-famous names to participate in “Celebrity Boxing,” with the next special tentatively planned for the May rating sweeps.

Sources say Buttafuoco, a central figure in the so-called “Long Island Lolita” case, and Bobbitt--who gained public notoriety after his penis was severed by his wife, then reattached--constitute one of three matches on the drawing board.

Fox declined comment Thursday, but network sources said no contracts have been finalized and that the timing of the special is contingent on lining up three appealing bouts.

In addition, the two other matches may be slightly less tabloid-esque in nature, with more legitimate celebrities and athletes being approached.

The first “Celebrity Boxing,” televised in mid-March, generated vast media attention and strong ratings. The program averaged about 15.5 million viewers, winning its time slot and gradually gaining audience during the hour.

The main event for that telecast was to have featured Buttafuoco’s onetime paramour, Amy Fisher, who was forced to withdraw at the last moment because of parole concerns. She was replaced by Paula Jones, who faced off against Tonya Harding.

Fox is hoping to turn “Celebrity Boxing” into an ongoing franchise of occasional specials, after drawing mediocre to poor ratings with a series of titillating concepts.

That roster included the network’s sequel to the dating show “Temptation Island” and the unorthodox quiz show “The Chamber,” which subjected contestants to elemental forces, including intense heat, cold and wind.

The previous “Boxing” special also pitted former child stars Danny Bonaduce (“The Partridge Family”) and Barry Williams (“The Brady Bunch”) against each other, and rapper Vanilla Ice (a.k.a. Robert Van Winkle) versus “Diff’rent Strokes” star Todd Bridges.