The Boxing Standard

No Holds Barred: A Different Kind of Pacquiao-Cotto Preview

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:33:00 +0000

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman presents a preview of the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto welterweight title fight, which takes place Saturday, November 14, in Las Vegas, and will be televised around the world, including on HBO pay-per-view in the U.S.

This is a different kind of preview, however, from that offered almost everywhere else, in that we do not limit ourselves to the question of which fighter stands the best chance of winning this fight in the ring.

We open by noting the damage suffered by the sport of boxing as a whole by placing such major fights on pay-per-view. We play an excerpt of a media conference call held prior to the November 7 Fedor Emelianenko-Brett Rogers mixed martial arts fight, which was telecast live in the U.S. on CBS and was viewed in 5.46 million households, with Kelly Kahl, Senior Executive Vice President, CBS Primetime. He opined why boxing is no longer on network television in the U.S., and why MMA is.

We next play an excerpt from the November 8 edition of The Boxing Truth Radio, hosted by Ricardo Lois and John Chavez, where Eddie Goldman explained the global economic, political, and social factors which work in Pacquiao's favor. This type of analysis is essential to understanding the historical context in which this fight is taking place, and also what factors other than who deserves to win might play a role in the outcome of the fight.

In the longest segment on this edition of No Holds Barred, we discuss this fight with our correspondent, the award-winning boxing writer Charles Farrell. He is of the opinion that Cotto has the best chance of legitimately winning this fight. Cotto, he argues, unlike Pacquiao, is a true welterweight whose power and size should have him prevail. He also dismisses Pacquiao's dominant wins over Ricky Hatton and Oscar De La Hoya as victories over shot fighters, which the 28-year-old Cotto is far from being.

We discuss these views, as well as the opposing arguments which favor Pacquiao, regarding both his skills and power as a fighter and the advantages he has with the boxing establishment. While Charles is fairly certain that Cotto will win, Eddie is not, so various possible scenarios for this fight are outlined.

We also discuss what possible fights lie ahead for both men, including the likelihood of the winner facing Floyd Mayweather Jr. and these next fights taking place in a major league baseball stadium. And we explain why we have no problem with people watching this fight for free online, even on so-called pirate streams. But we all agree that whichever fighter wins Saturday night, the real winner will be promoter Bob Arum, who promotes both men.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

GRACIEMAG, the most reliable source of information on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. GRACIEMAG represents Jiu-Jitsu philosophy and features news, profiles, history, photos, videos, and tips and secrets of the mother of all martial arts. Published since 1996 in Brazil, GRACIEMAG: The Jiu-Jitsu Lifestyle, is in both English and Portuguese, and is also online at GRACIEMAG.com.

FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.

No Holds Barred: Charles Farrell Deconstructs Haye-Valuev

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:57:00 +0000

On this edition of No Holds Barred, the first of two back-to-back shows, host Eddie Goldman speaks with our correspondent Charles Farrell about the most important boxing event of this weekend, where the former cruiserweight world champion David Haye captured the WBA heavyweight title from Nikolai Valuev in Nuremburg, Germany, Saturday, November 7.

Haye won this bout with a majority decision, but this fight was so dreadful and had such little action that during it, Sky Sports announcer and former lightweight world champion Jim Watt wondered, "Do you score the round on one punch?"

We thus deconstruct this fight with Charles Farrell, and bemoan not only what so much of heavyweight boxing has become, but also cast doubt on much of what was said regarding this fight. We discuss why Haye chose such a defensive game plan, why Haye was able to win a relatively close decision in Germany where so many fighters have been robbed, the likelihood of Haye now fighting one of the Klitschkos, the presentation of the fight in the arena, the significance of holding such a fight in Nuremburg, the superiority of the announcing on Sky Sports compared to that on the American networks, how Haye has shrewdly positioned himself in the heavyweight division, the return of John Ruiz, why the boxing establishment has had enough of Valuev, and much more.

You will not hear this type of brutally frank analysis elsewhere, so make sure to check out this edition of No Holds Barred.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

GRACIEMAG, the most reliable source of information on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. GRACIEMAG represents Jiu-Jitsu philosophy and features news, profiles, history, photos, videos, and tips and secrets of the mother of all martial arts. Published since 1996 in Brazil, GRACIEMAG: The Jiu-Jitsu Lifestyle, is in both English and Portuguese, and is also online at GRACIEMAG.com.

FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.

No Holds Barred: Charles Farrell Reviews Abraham-Taylor, Froch-Dirrell, and Rachael Cordingley

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:44:00 +0000

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with our colleague and correspondent Charles Farrell, the award-winning boxing writer and fight manager, about the somewhat disappointing first round of fights in the super middleweight tournament known as the World Boxing Classic, held Saturday, October 17.

In those fights, undefeated former middleweight titleholder Arthur Abraham (31-0, 25 KOs) won with a brutal twelfth-round knockout of former undisputed middleweight world champion Jermain Taylor (28-4-1, 17 KOs) at the O2 World Arena in Berlin, Germany, while WBC champion Carl Froch (26-0, 20 KOs) won an ugly split decision over previously unbeaten Andre Dirrell (18-1, 13 KOs) at the Trent FM Arena in Nottingham, England.

We discussed these fights themselves; why Abraham emerged as the clear winner of all the fighters Saturday night; why the devastating knockout of Taylor, the third in his last five fights, should signal the end of his career as a boxer; how both Froch and Dirrell gave dismal performances, and the supposed controversy over the outcome of their fight; an evaluation of the next fight in this tournament, when Mikkel Kessler faces Andre Ward November 21 in Oakland, Calif., as well as the second and third rounds of this tournament; why, despite its less-than-inspiring start, the tournament could still be successful; how potential dropouts in the tournament could endanger it; why so many people remain so cynical and negative about everything in boxing, as happens in the last stages of a dying romantic relationship; and why so much of the boxing public is instead talking about Carl Froch's girlfriend, Rachael Cordingley.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

MMA World Expo, an event designed for the mixed martial arts community offering hands-on instruction from professional trainers and athletes, educational sessions with the who's who of the MMA world, and an exhibit hall filled with the industry's top suppliers and services. MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, October 24th, and Sunday, October 25th, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

GRACIEMAG, the most reliable source of information on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. GRACIEMAG represents Jiu-Jitsu philosophy and features news, profiles, history, photos, videos, and tips and secrets of the mother of all martial arts. Published since 1996 in Brazil, GRACIEMAG: The Jiu-Jitsu Lifestyle, is in both English and Portuguese, and is also online at GRACIEMAG.com.

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.

No Holds Barred: Charles Farrell and Frank Lotierzo on Diaz-Malignaggi Robbery, and What It Means for Boxing

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 01:32:00 +0000

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with our colleague and correspondent Charles Farrell, and veteran boxing journalist and former fighter Frank Lotierzo.

We start by analyzing the August 22 junior welterweight fight between Paulie Malignaggi and Juan Diaz, won by Diaz by a unanimous decision which most observers have described as being unfair at best and a robbery at worst. Then, in a lengthy and lively discussion, we proceed to examine the repercussions of this hotly disputed decision for the sport of boxing, try to assess just how much damage it has caused to this already declining sport, and consider what, if anything, can be done to restore some credibility to boxing. Plus, we also discuss the rivalry between boxing and mixed martial arts. This is an unbiased and brutally frank discussion at the highest level, so make sure to check it out in its entirety.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

You can also order tickets for the 2009 ADCC World Championship, which will be held September 26-27 in Barcelona, Spain, through Ticketmaster.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

GRACIEMAG, the most reliable source of information on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. GRACIEMAG represents Jiu-Jitsu philosophy and features news, profiles, history, photos, videos, and tips and secrets of the mother of all martial arts. Published since 1996 in Brazil, GRACIEMAG: The Jiu-Jitsu Lifestyle, is in both English and Portuguese, and is also online at GRACIEMAG.com.

BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.

No Holds Barred: Johnny Bos on the Cruel Business of Boxing

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 01:12:00 +0000

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with the legendary fight agent and boxing personality, Johnny Bos.

There are few if any people alive who know more about boxing than Johnny Bos. But instead of prospering from that knowledge and wisdom, last year Johnny Bos, the quintessential New Yorker, had to leave this faded but still sometimes active center of boxing for a town not known for being a pugilistic capital: Clearwater, Florida. The main reason was that he could no longer find work in this alleged sport.

Johnny's fortunes in boxing seemed to head swiftly downhill after an incident whose consequences, ironically, brought him back to the Big Apple this week. His fighter, former world champion Joey Gamache, was slated to fight the late Arturo Gatti in Madison Square Garden Feb. 26, 2000. At the weigh-in the day before, however, Bos and many others said that Gatti hopped on and off the scale without making the contracted weight of 141 pounds. While he objected to this, officials from the New York State Athletic Commission declared that Gatti had indeed made weight, and that the fight was on.

Gatti, who reportedly weighed 160 pounds on an unofficial HBO scale the day of the bout, proceeded to score a brutal second-round knockout. Gamache had to be taken to a hospital after it, nearly died there that night, and suffers from permanent brain damage. His career, of course, was over, although he does still train fighters.

Gamache then sued the New York State Athletic Commission for negligence for allegedly permitting Gatti to fight well over the contracted weight. After years of legal wrangling, that case was finally heard this past week, and this was why Johnny Bos returned to New York, in an unusual role as a witness on behalf of Joey Gamache.

We had a chance while he was still in New York, and after the trial itself was over, to speak with Johnny Bos. (A verdict by the trial judge is expected in several months.)

In our lengthy discussion, Johnny explained what went on at this botched weigh-in, how it affected the Gatti-Gamache fight, and what it all indicated about the quality of the regulation of boxing. He also gave us some ideas on what major changes are needed in boxing, and just who may be starting to make them. And, as always, he did so in a style and tone reflective of the long gone glory days of boxing in America.

So join us on this edition of No Holds Barred for a rare behind-the-scenes look at what really goes on in the world of boxing.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.

Vin Vecchione

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Farrell) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 12:12:00 +0000

Vecchione may have been the funniest man I ever met. Before I knew him well, I asked him what he’d done for a living before he got into boxing.

“Chaales, I done some things for some guys.”

Once at a club show in Whitman, Massachusetts where we were both getting first round wins for our fighters, Vinnie approached me and, in the surprisingly formal way he had, drew me aside.

“Jesus, what a fucked up life I live,” he said. “Other guys, they go to a bar or a nightclub and try to pick up girls and have some fun. Me, I spend my time lookin’ for big, well-built white guys.”

He’d call me up in the middle of the night. If the phone rang at 3:00 AM, it was likely to be Vin.

One night, very late:

“Chaales, I just seen a TV special about Huey Long.”

“I know, Vin. Every man a king, but no man wears a crown.”

“You don’t think they’d let a guy like that stick around, do ya? See ya.” The line went dead.

We flew to NYC to meet with Al Braverman to set up the Peter McNeeley fight with Mike Tyson. Over the course of a long, funny, afternoon at Al’s antique shop, we put the whole improbable thing in motion—bribes, kickbacks, and all.

I moved to Puerto Rico before the Tyson-McNeeley fight. A couple of weeks before the fight, there was a message on my answering machine.

“Help,” Vin sang to the tune of the Beatles song. “I need somebody. Help. Not just anybody. Help. I need a friend.”

Before this, I’d lent Vin money, brought McNeeley to North Carolina to get wins, and spent hours and hours and hours laughing at everything Vecchione would say.

“You know me. Wouldn’t you say I’m pretty cute?”

When asked why he pulled McNeeley out of the Tyson fight at the 89 second mark:

“I’m saving the kid for bigger things.”

On driving cars from Massachusetts to the marshes of New Jersey for the wiseguys:

“Chaales, sometimes I had the feeling that maybe I wasn’t the only guy in them cahs.”

Or:

“After all, he’s just and Indian.”

This last was Ron Katz’s idiotic reason why Vinnie should accept a suicidal small money fight for Peter McNeeley against the genuinely dangerous Joe Hipp.

It became our code phrase for why one of our fighters should take an impossible fight for no money against a risky opponent.

‘Take the fight. After all, he’s just an Indian.”

People in the boxing business told me that Vecchione was a hustler who would take advantage of me because I was a relative newcomer.

After the Tyson fight, Vin came up to me at one of his shows and tucked an envelope into my jacket pocket. I hadn’t asked for my money back because I knew I wouldn’t have to. What was in the envelope paid for my son’s first year at college.

When McNeeley was fighting on the road with my fighters, Vin would say, “You get up in the ring with him and do the interview.”

“I hate doing interviews. You do it.”

“No, with your big words and your nice suit and your Hahvad education, it’s better if people see Peter standing with you.”

I’d tell him that I’d never graduated junior high school.

“That don’t matter. You know what I’m talkin’ about. Don’t get fresh.”

But he was one of the guys I’ve met along the way who was smarter than I was.

I’d moved out of his orbit and I hadn’t seen him in a few years. I fucking hate it that he’s dead.

Alexis Arguello

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Farrell) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:58:00 +0000

Alexis Arguello was inarguably a great fighter. And, based on everything I’ve ever heard about him (and on one brief discussion with him), was an equally wonderful man. As we know, he came to a very bad end. He may have been the kind of guy who commits suicide (he had spoken about contemplating it.) But he may just as well have been murdered. He had many political enemies, and he’d been in the drug life for an extended period of time. Either way, it’s a shame that he’s dead.

But since his death, I’ve read a number of accounts of his career, and each has alluded to his first knockout loss to Aaron Pryor in a way that suggests that there was something tainted about the fight’s outcome. Each article referred to the “little black bottle” from which Pryor drank after the thirteenth round. Pryor knocked out Arguello in the fourteenth.

I’ve been around boxing for a long time, and I’ve never found or heard of an elixir that will give a tired fighter superhuman powers. Believe me, if there was one, I’d have known about it and my fighters would have used it. Aaron Pryor knocked out Alexis Arguello because he was a bigger, stronger, faster, and better fighter.

That doesn’t denigrate Arguello in any way. Aaron Pryor was one of the greatest natural fighters I’ve ever seen. With the exception of Sugar Ray Leonard, he was better than any of his contemporaries. And I’d argue that, at his best, he was Ray’s equal.

So as much as I admire Alexis Arguello, I hate to see part of his legacy being built falsely at the expense of another genuinely great fighter. It not only diminishes Pryor, it doesn’t do Arguello any good either. Alexis doesn’t need any fiction created on his behalf. Anyone who knows anything about boxing knows how good he was.

No Holds Barred: Charles Farrell Reviews Klitschko-Chagaev Fight and Awful State of Heavyweight Boxing

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 03:44:00 +0000

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with our colleague and correspondent, Charles Farrell.

In a spirited and lengthy discussion, we review Wladimir Klitschko's predictable TKO victory over Ruslan Chagaev on Saturday, June 20, in Germany in a fight for several alphabet heavyweight belts. We critique this fight and the performance of both fighters, as well as the entire woeful heavyweight division.

We also discuss the disgraceful state of boxing journalism today, and why we do not take seriously what we read in The Ring magazine, including their recognition of Wladimir Klitschko as their "heavyweight champion of the world". And we lament the danger both to fighter safety and public health that this fight entailed, since Chagaev had tested positive for the hepatitis B antigen, and would not have been allowed to fight in many countries.

But we also explain why we do see hope for boxing in many other weight divisions, and especially outside the U.S.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.

Alfredo Angulo

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Farrell) — Sun, 31 May 2009 13:41:00 +0000

Here’s what I don’t get: HBO takes Alfredo Angulo, a guy who is no better than a tough, willing club fighter, and constructs a clunky narrative around him (even though he’s had an entirely unexceptional life—more the norm for a fighter than anything out of the ordinary), dolls this blue-collar worker up in a stupid dog collar (which totally nullifies the image they’re trying to build for him), affixes a racist stereotype to his promotional interviews (Mexican fighters are all willing to leave their hearts in the ring, apparently), doesn’t take into account the remote possibility that his opponent (a recent beneficiary of similar HBO star-building treatment, but jettisoned when he failed in his first bigtime slot) might actually beat him a non-fixed fight, and then gets him bumped off in his first major exposure fight.

Could anyone get it more wrong? Why can’t the guys at HBO tell when they don’t have a particularly good fighter in front of them? Last night, they featured this poor kid (who’ll now be summarily—and justifiably—discarded) and the athletic but clueless Andre Berto. Neither guy can fight at anywhere close to elite level. And neither ever will. I still can’t get over hearing the announcing team cautioning the audience not to expect Berto, a putative world champion, to be as good as the A-list fighters in the division. Why shouldn’t subscribers expect him to be? And if he isn’t, why use him? It’s not as if he’s an exciting fighter to watch.

Sometimes I think I take too many shots at HBO. But it’s hard for me to figure out how an organization with so much money and so many resources can have such poor instincts when it comes to their boxing development.

No Holds Barred: Charles Farrell on Boxing in Asia, Europe, and America

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Tue, 19 May 2009 02:19:00 +0000

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with our colleague and correspondent, the award-winning boxing writer and musician Charles Farrell.

We began our lengthy discussion by focusing on the curious case of matchmaking in the title fight taking place May 26 in Shanghai, China, between the veteran WBC flyweight champion Daisuke Naito (34-2-3, 22 KOs) of Japan and the inexperienced Xiong Zhao Zhong (12-1-1, 8 KOs) of China. This is reported to be the first time a boxer from China will fight for a world belt from a major sanctioning body. Xiong, however, has only one win against a fighter with a winning record, who was just 1-0, and lost a regional light flyweight title fight in November to a 13-6 fighter. Nonetheless, once Naito agreed to fight in China, Xiong was given this world flyweight title shot. Welcome to the world of professional boxing, People's Republic of China!

We also discussed fights in Europe and America including the July 18 fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez in Las Vegas and their media tour this week, the June 13 welterweight fight in New York between Miguel Cotto and Joshua Clottey, the June 20 heavyweight fight in Germany between David Haye and Wladimir Klitschko, the little-anticipated May 30 heavyweight fight in Finland between Nikolai Valuev and Ruslan Chagaev, the May 16 fight in California between super middleweights Andre Ward and Edison Miranda, and more.

We also read an e-mail about the "One World Champion" video sent by none other than former heavyweight champion of the world, George Foreman. And we comment on the recent writing awards announced by the Boxing Writers Association of America, and how the woeful state of boxing journalism hurts the sport.

This will be the last edition of No Holds Barred until after the May 23 Art of War Fighting Championship mixed martial arts card in Beijing, China, which we will be attending, so now is a good time also to catch up on those episodes of the show where we discussed this important event.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.

Fair Deal for Atlantic City Dealers, a campaign organized by an alliance of casino workers and unions in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to fight for justice in the gaming industry and achieve a fair deal for all casino workers.

No Holds Barred: Frank Lotierzo on Pacquiao-Hatton

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Sun, 03 May 2009 21:33:00 +0000

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with boxing writer, historian, and former boxer Frank Lotierzo about the crushing second-round knockout victory by Manny Pacquiao over Ricky Hatton Saturday night, May 2, in Las Vegas.

In a lengthy and pointed interview, we discuss the Pacquiao-Hatton fight itself, the historical significance of Pacquiao's victory, whether Pacquiao can be considered an all-time great, the return to boxing of Floyd Mayweather Jr., the July 18 Mayweather-Juan Manuel Marquez fight, a potential Mayweather-Pacquiao showdown, what fights of note are coming up in the next few months, and much more about the always intriguing and often perplexing world of boxing.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.

Fair Deal for Atlantic City Dealers, a campaign organized by an alliance of casino workers and unions in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to fight for justice in the gaming industry and achieve a fair deal for all casino workers.

Chris Arreola

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Farrell) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 14:53:00 +0000

Is there any reason, in light of last night's HBO win over Jameel McCline, to pay attention to Chris Arreola?

He's not going to improve much. He's a lazy motherfucker who relies on his power. He's relaxed enough in there so that he can go rounds without being in the best of shape. It'd take a trainer who not only understood that about him but who was also a master of psychology to bring out the best in him. The way you deal with this kid when he gets hurt isn't to tell him too much technical stuff, but to mention his daughter to him. You know, these fighters nowadays aren't true professionals.

And he's going to get knocked out now and then. Part of the problem with contemporary marketing is that there's no room for a guy who gets knocked out. That's stupid. This kid swings for the fences, punches hard, is in entertaining fights, comes off the canvas swinging, and takes his chances. That's a fighter I want to watch. He's not a great fighter. So what? Among today's heavyweights, he's way up there in the mix, and people will always be curious about how he'll do. Doesn't that make him more interesting than Valuev, Povetkin, Chambers, Peter, Chagaev, Rahman, Maskaev, and damn near anybody else in the current top ten?

I'd like to see him get his chance at either Klitschko brother now that there's a buzz around him. He's as ready as he'll ever be. And the division needs this kind of wildcard matchup.

Shane Mosley

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Farrell) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 15:17:00 +0000

How good was Shane Mosley’s performance last night? Does it stack up as one of boxing’s best ever?

I’m inclined to say that it does. In order to beat Antonio Margarito, Mosley had to makes stylistic changes almost unheard of in any older fighter with an established modus operandi. His use of strategic clinching—which he did masterfully, by the way—was an almost entirely new part of his arsenal.

He showed surprising physical strength too, pushing the ostensibly stronger Margarito back at will. He also judiciously used his head, causing his normally stoic opponent to look to the referee for help from an early point in the match.

Although it was no surprise that Shane jumped to an early lead, I assumed that by the halfway mark the physical pressure put on him would cause him to wilt (and although he didn’t take much punishment, it was evident in the post-fight interview that his face was very badly swollen.) But somewhere around the sixth round, I noticed Margarito beginning to back up. At that point, the fight was essentially over.

For me, Mosley’s showing last night was even more impressive than the two Hopkins wins over Tarver (since Dawson’s equally one-sided beating of him suggests that Antonio maybe was never that much to begin with) and Pavlik. Pavlik, for all his strength and punching power, was still an early work in progress, hyped way too quickly. Margarito was extensively battle tested. We didn’t have to guess about how good or how tough he was. And there was no question about his preparedness for last night’s fight.

Mosley’s combination of applied intelligence, solid technique, and confidence (his plan required him to work on the inside throughout the fight: a safe harbor that only a sure-minded pro would recognize as being such) was the kind of overall showing that only a great fighter could have provided.

A Little of This and That

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Farrell) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 11:08:00 +0000

Michael Ezra sent two separate emails, asking a question in each. Everything that follows is in response to these questions. Some of the answers are a bit difficult to follow, in that they may refer either to question #1 (talent) or question #2 (who’s overrated.) Context generally sorts out the responses on the thread though.

Mike Ezra:

1.) When I think of the best fighters in the last 20 years, I think of Lopez, Barrera, Morales, Whitaker, and Hopkins (am I missing any obvious ones?).

When I think of the most talented fighters I've seen in the last twenty years, I think of Whitaker, Roy Jones, and Paul Williams.

Am I too easily impressed with Williams or is he that damn good?

2.) Who is the fighter that you wildly overrated? You were sure he'd be awesome, and he just wasn't.

Charles Farrell: (on overrating) Hector Camacho. I thought he'd be one of the greatest fighters ever.

Mike Ezra: Why do you think he didn't turn out that way? Las drogas? Or something more complex? Lack of hitting power doesn't seem to be an utter barrier to all-time greatness, so what do you think it was it that prevented him from going all the way? Afraid of war after tasting Rosario's power?

Charles Farrell: The Rosario fight certainly fucked him up in an inexorable way. Drugs and drinking without question contributed to his demise, as did his lack of serious training. He punched hard enough so that it wouldn't have hindered him (he was a better puncher than Whitaker or Mayweather, for example.) It may have been that things were too easy for him right up until the time he got nailed by Rosario, at which point he became dispirited. Actually, I'd add Rosario to the short list of people I vastly overrated. When he was a teenager, he was an absolute monster.

Rich O’Brian: Donald Curry comes to mind.

Mike Ezra: Curry's an interesting one because he really was awesome, just for not very long. He's the poster boy for disappointment, but he did achieve hispotential for a short period.

Brian Moore: Jeff Lacy leaps to mind.

Charles Farrell: For some reason, I got Curry right. It's surprising, since he was such a flawless fighter. I sensed some small congenital dysfunction.

Lacy, I saw too often in training. His liabilities were more apparent in the gym than in his real fights.

Charles Farrell: (regarding talent) Mike McCallum, James Toney, Azumah Nelson might all be worth considering. I think Lopez was the best of the bunch though. Closer to perfect than anyone else I can think of. And Beristain's truest masterpiece.

Williams is awfully good. Frank and I both noticed that he doesn't know how to jab though. It's something he needs to learn. But he can really fight. There's something about his demeanor that suggests he's a genuine fighter.

Carlo Rotella: (on overrating) I was going to say Paul Spadafora and Zab Judah, two guys I saw very early in their careers and thought had what Colonel Stingo called the divine inflatus--especially back then, when Spadafora was hurting people with judicious body shots. But I don't know that I thought they would be truly great. I thought they would be champions, but I guess I didn't really trust my judgment enough to go beyond that. But it's worth mentioning them to bring up the point about seeing fighters in the flesh. It can go either way: Charles saw Lacy in the gym and heard alarm bells; I saw Gatti seem to come back from the dead in a fight from a few feet away and therefore thought against all sense or logic that he might find a way to get Mayweather's attention. Seeing fighters live has a strong effect on you, one way or the other, and one possible effect is to overrate them. There's an argument to be made that I overrate Holmes, and if I do it's because I've seen so much of him up close.

Mike Ezra: It is not possible to overrate Larry Holmes, at least as a fighter.

Charles Farrell: I think it would be hard to overrate Holmes. Unless you tried to make the point that he was unquestionably, indisputably the greatest heavyweight who ever lived, and that no one would have stood a chance against him, there's only so much exposure you face for being lavish in your praise of him. I would imagine that, at this point, it's generally understood that he was somewhere in the top five of all-time great heavyweights.

I know that my friend Bill Clancy refereed a couple of Holmes's post-fifty fights, and he claimed that, watched from inside the ring, Larry's jab was by far the best he'd ever seen.

Carlo Rotella: You know, a lot of sports writing has been lavished on that jab that doesn't really get at what was great about it--timing, heaviness, regular irregularity. "Piston-like" is entirely inaccurate. Part of the whole point was to throw it off the beat, just before or after when it was supposed to arrive. And the quality that always got to me was what a heavy punch it was; not just hard, but heavy. I have to say that to this day I don't really understand _how_, exactly, he got so much more on it than other great heavies got on theirs. The leverage of a cross or a hook seems more obvious. Having a great jab seems more opaque to me, like a drummer who does great things with the bass drum. I mean, you just step on the pedal and it goes boom. How do you get to be better than other people at that? So I never really have tried to describe the heaviness of Holmes's jab for publication, because I don't get it. But I do get the timing, and have always admired it. When he's really going, it seems as if the other guy is--against his will--erratically darting his head forward into Holmes's fist over and over again. The first is already there every time he moves his head. It's terrible and beautiful.

Charles Farrell: One of the things that Holmes did with his jab (and it was nearly a lost art even back when he was starting out) was to use it to lead people where he wanted them to go. Carlo, you make a really good point about how his timing was always just slightly unpredictable. He had a kind of stutter to his jab, almost like a slight pump action (often preceded by a small head feint.) That made it very hard to know exactly when the jab would arrive. He also took pains not to land it in any one place too consistently. And he was a much bigger guy then people realized (until he was so old that he really had become a very big guy.) I remember Coetzee saying that, when he met Holmes in South Africa for the first time, he couldn't believe how big Larry was. Most of that weight was in Holmes's trunk and in his ass. He was almost built like a great fastball pitcher. That kind of foundation, in conjunction with a good snap and good speed, will give you a powerful jab.

But all of what I just wrote only suggests that I don't really know how to explain it either.

Carlo Rotella: He was big even when he was young, as you say, and, as you say, it wasn't in his chest and shoulders. It really was in his ass and thighs and torso, so it was invisible to most people. And when he got old he was huge. Big head, too, and oddly planed. The thing about the jab that I can't quite say--because I can't really see it in a way that leads to understanding--is the way he stepped into it. This is going to be wrong, but I'll just say it to communicate a recurring impression: it looked like he was stepping _down_ off a ledge with his lead foot, which gave his jab special force and heft. I can't explain the particular sequence of leverage and timing that led to that impression, but that's the way it always felt to me: he's up on a ledge about six inches above the ring surface, and when he throws the jab he steps down, and that gives it extra pop. He didn't flick it or flash it at all. If anything, the step seemed a little ponderous, a little more footwork than others' jabs require, but his timing was so good that the other guy still couldn't get out of the way. All I can say that isn't entirely useless is that he stepped into his jab differently than other fighters I've seen, and I've always associated its heaviness with that.

RE: Holmes's strength. I think I've said it before on this list, but I wassurprised when Holmes easily wrestled Tyson around on the inside duringtheir fight. Tyson punched immensely harder than Holmes by then, butHolmes was still the stronger man.

Carlo Rotella: I've spent a lot of my time as an academic trying to trace how people get good at things (boxing, music, writing, etc.), and what comes out most times is that getting really good at something depends on pouring a talent into an institutional vessel of some kind--a gym, a record label, a magazine, a local style--at a moment when it can still mature. That's hard to do these days in boxing--not impossible, but hard to do. Often, what happens is that you get _either_ first-rate natural talent or excellent preparation, but not both, and usually one is plenty. Some version of this has probably been true of boxing for a long time, or forever, but what's more apparent these days is that the institutional structure--fewer gyms, a TV setup that doesn't reward full development as a fighter, etc.--is particularly unlikely to produce honed, mature craftsmen who marry talent to training.

Charles Farrell: I think that's why the Marquez brothers and some other of Beristain's finished products impress me so much: they're such a rarity. There's a combination of good natural ability (although not genius, except possibly in the case of Ricardo Lopez), hard work, wonderful training and conditioning, all filtered through an entirely professional mind-set. There are fighters out there with as much talent as either Marquez, but no one else nowadays knows what Beristain knows, and he routinely turns out elite fighters.

Carlo Rotella: I think the ideal situation would be 1) natural talent, plus 2) excellent teacher wired into the field's body of knowledge, plus 3) sustaining institutional frame (a gym, a network, whatever), plus 4) other similarly well-developed practitioners to learn from, test yourself against, etc. Take the blues scene in Chicago in the late 50s. It had all 4 elements going strong, and it produced serial and multiple greatness that carried along not only stone geniuses but also good solid craftspeople. I think in boxing these days you'll never get all 4, but you can get kind of close. Maybe Beristain's best fighters, if they're lucky in finding good opponents, might be most likely to get as close to the ideal as is possible these days. But there's a lot going against them, including the negative side of #3 (networks that don't reward progress as a craftsman) and #4 (rushing along to fights with stars who are incomplete fighters but who do one thing spectacularly well, or who just look real good with their shirt off, or who happen to excite crowds precisely because of their incompleteness--a la Gatti, Duddy, mid- and late-period Tyson). And, of course, there's the #2 problem: the decline of the class of teachers, which is maybe the most dire part. But it could well be that plenty of #1 is still out there, even if less boxing talent is going into the boxing pipeline (big men taking up football, e.g.).

Carlo Rotella: So the question, for me, then becomes: is pure talent visible no matter what the circumstances (is it, in other words, unbound by historical conditions in that sense), or in this particular historical moment can we say that we're no longer confident that talent could express itself fully enough early on in a fighter's career to be truly visible?

Charles Farrell: Talent is pretty apparent, assuming a trained eye is cast on it. I don't think it's bound in any way by historical conditions. The next step seems more problematic. With so few competent trainers, fighters with immense natural talent have trouble learning out how to actually fight. I guess I'd say that the talent part is visible, but finding its expression might be difficult.

Williams is a good case in point. Clearly he has talent. And, by beating Margarito, he has at least some measure of achievement. But he can't even throw a jab properly (and unlike, say, Roy Jones, Williams would be helped immensely by adding a jab to his arsenal.) This kind of disconnect between talent, success, and thoroughly integrated technique might be what constricts the full expression of a fighter's ability.

Gary Moser: I know we're all frickin' STARVED for talent in current-day boxing, but REALLY....BEST WINS IN FIRST 37 BOUTS---------------------------ROY JONES JR: Jorge Castro Bernard Hopkins James Toney Mike McCallum Virgil HillPERNELL WHITAKER: Roger Mayweather Azumah Nelson Buddy McGirt Julio Cesar Chavez [ even though officially a draw ] Julio Cesar VasquezPAUL WILLIAMS: Antonio Margarito Carlos Quintano ??? Sharmba Mitchell ???
Charles Farrell: Let's all agree to restrict Gary's access to all printed boxing material. He's dangerous when he gets his hands on things.

The most impressive youngster fighting today is Jorge Linares. I like Williams quite a bit, but I don't think he's nearly as developed as Jorge.

Carlo Rotella: I like the cruel specificity of "first 37 bouts." On the other hand, I still say we have to clarify the age old question of standards--talent vs achievement--here. Are Mike and Gary talking past each other here, or do they have fair grounds for an argument?

Charles Farrell: Aside from fighters with no managerial or promotional clout, exactly how much can a prospect achieve in his early career in today's boxing climate? Marketing and its concomitant obsession with cautious matchmaking render legitimate achievement very difficult. We now routinely see fighters becoming multiple belt holders without having beaten anyone of note. The guys who can be said to achieve early are usually fighters who didn't start from a privileged position.

Hopkins-Pavlik

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Farrell) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 15:59:00 +0000

There's a lot to be said both culturally and generationally about last night's fight. Two things jump out at me. The first is that Bernard Hopkins is never going to be snookered into a loss. You've got to really know how to fight in order to beat him. He's a terrible choice as an opponent for someone on the verge of stardom who hasn't been entirely tested. The second thing (and I think it's a very sophisticated point regarding a fighter's development) is that Kelly Pavlik's fate was probably sealed before the fight by the kind of "blue collar hero" marketing that was done on his behalf (to say nothing of Bob Arum's vast overestimation of him.) This type of pigeonholing (which made it necessary for Kelly to stick with an amateur trainer when he could have had a pro) forced Kelly Pavlik to be one kind of fighter. He's capable of learning (witness the vast improvement between his first and second Taylor fights), but can't do that if he's supposed to fight in a specific manner.

Pavlik-Hopkins: Hopkins wins, Hopkins wins

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Lotierzo) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 14:28:00 +0000

This weekend Bernard Hopkins will earn another significant pay-day participating in a fight he probably can't win, but also is not likely to get hurt. On top of that, a loss to 26 year-old Kelly Pavlik won't tarnish the legacy of the 43 year-old Hopkins. And lastly, a win by Hopkins really shouldn't be considered an upset.

The last time we saw Hopkins, he was out-hustled by Joe Calzaghe en-route to losing a decision and his light heavyweight title. However, Calzaghe is a veteran of 20 plus title fights, was a south-paw, and is more versatile than the bigger punching Pavlik. This will be Pavlik's fourth title bout, and it's a fact that he's never been in the ring with another fighter like Hopkins. That said, Pavlik's strength and youth should be enough to get by Hopkins, who can fight no more than four or five rounds out of a 12-round bout.

Pavlik's punching power will no doubt keep Hopkins focused, and fighting more to make Pavlik look bad, instead of beating him up. Most likely Hopkins attack plan is to bring Pavlik to him, while making himself to appear to be right there, but hard to reach. Hoping to force Pavlik into over committing and leaving him vulnerable to Hopkins counters. Pavlik is pretty vanilla style-wise, which is a big tactical advantage for Hopkins.

I expect Pavlik to win the fight, but I do believe because of styles, Hopkins will get more clean shots at Pavlik than he did Calzaghe. I just don't think it will be enough. Bernard Hopkins is just too smart and good to get his ass kicked by Kelly Pavlik. He's just not good enough in 2008 to beat him. Having said that, I wouldn't bet on this fight unless it was with someone else's money.

Regardless of the out-come, Hopkins wins. If he loses, he'll leave the ring with another big pay-day along with his legacy. If he wins, he'll leave the ring with a bigger legacy, and set up for another huge pay-day against a fighter who will be favored to beat him, but one he's capable of beating.

Hopkins Wins, Hopkins Wins!

What's So Funny?

noreply@blogger.com (Richard O'Brien) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 23:18:00 +0000

Several weeks ago I went to see Tropic Thunder, the big-budget action-comedy Ben Stiller vehicle that topped the box-office charts for a while this summer. I confess that I laughed fairly often throughout. (What’s not funny about black-face, retards, flatulence and Tom Cruise in a fat suit? And, honestly, Robert Downey Jr. is pretty amazing.) But I can’t say the movie exactly stayed with me. Then this past week I happened to watch (again) W.C. Fields’s 1934 masterpiece It’s a Gift. I laugh every time I watch it and what’s more I always come away with a sense of wonder and fulfillment. It just occurred to me that there is a very clear parallel between the state of film comedy today as compared to the films of earlier eras and the state of boxing now compared to the past.

Consider Stiller. Isn’t he essentially the Floyd Mayweather Jr. of comedy? Stiller grew up in the business, schooled by a family of old pros. He’s got a fine record and is producing astronomical numbers at the box office. But is he a bona fide all-time great? I’d say no. The stumpy, simian Stiller has undeniable comedic chops (think of him battling the little dog in Something About Mary, or his self-mockery in the episode he did of Extras) but there’s a hit-or-miss, nothing-subtle, bigger-and-louder-is-funnier approach to most of what he does. Put him in a bare-budget, scratchy 80-minute black-and-white film with no sadistic makeup gags or leering T&A and those gaps between laughs are going to feel much larger.

And what of Seth Rogen or Will Farrell? Admittedly, I haven’t seen most of their ouvre, but in my tortured conceit here, these two current film heavyweights strike me as Klitschko-esque: blown up to super-size by big budgets and special effects, but far less complete or resourceful than the smaller-scale champs of the old days. Take a look at this scene from It’s a Gift (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y189-69cQPs). It’s modest and simple, but Fields works with such exquisite control that he invests every moment, line and gesture with great, funny shit. It’s not just about waiting for something to blow up or for the next fart and/or snarky comment, and to me it’s a wonder to behold.

Fields, of course, had spent years on the Vaudeville circuit, honing every move and expression in front of small, demanding audiences (becoming an astounding juggler in the process, by the way, something that gave his physical comedy added punch). It’s the same path that the Marx Brothers, Stan Laurel, Buster Keaton and so many other all-time greats followed in their development. A couple of seasons on SNL is hardly commensurate. The earlier perfomers simply had so many more resources to draw upon, so many more moves, so much more experience. The analogy to boxing is obvious. Nobody in the game today is fighting 100, 150, 200 bouts. What’s lost as a result is something we’ve all written about before.

So, just as the boxing message boards are full of misspelled hyperventilating assertions that Mike Tyson is the greatest heavyweight champion of all time or that Money Mayweather is the best-evah P4P, a whole generation of moviegoers likely thinks The 40-Year-Old Virgin or Knocked Up is the height of cinematic comedy brilliance.

All in all a rather obvious observation, I realize. But at least it gave me something to think about while enduring a commercial recently for the DVD release of You Don’t Mess With the Zohan. Namely, that I’d like to see Harry Greb beat the shit out of Adam Sandler.

Is Vitali Is or Is Vitali Ain’t?

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 11:17:00 +0000

(Photo by Eddie Goldman)

Here they are above, at the kickoff New York news conference on August 27. The contracts have been signed, the TV deals have been set, the media conference call has been held, and the words have flown. Supposedly, WBC heavyweight champion Samuel Peter will face WBC heavyweight champion “emeritus” Vitali Klitschko this Saturday, October 11, in Berlin, Germany.

But will their fists actually fly October 11? I wonder not what the odds are for who will win and how, but if there will be a fight and a winner at all.

We already recently had the Sept. 13 Nate Campbell-Joan Guzman fight cancelled when Guzman was too far over the lightweight limit, and the Oct. 4 Arthur Abraham-Raul Marquez fight cancelled when Abraham claimed he had the flu.

The brittle elder Klitschko is now 37 years old, hasn’t fought since December 2004, and had a few fights after that cancelled with Hasim Rahman, before retiring in 2005. Now he claims that he is all healed from his ailments and ready to fight.

This is boxing, so not only expect the unexpected, but count on it. At least Showtime also has the Antonio Tarver-Chad Dawson light heavyweight title fight from Las Vegas scheduled for their telecast in case the heavyweights fall through. And if the whole card goes bust, there’s always “The Grand Ole Opry” on GAC.

No Holds Barred: Charles Farrell on Boxing This Week, UFC, and More

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 05:15:00 +0000

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

NO HOLDS BARRED on DojoRadio.com

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman is joined by our correspondent, the award-winning boxing writer Charles Farrell. Eddie and Charles are also the editors of The Boxing Standard.

In a lengthy, candid, and animated discussion about fights this past weekend and those scheduled for next weekend, we comment on the knockout loss of Chuck Liddell by Rashad Evans at UFC 88 and what it says about mixed martial arts fighters and MMA, the 54-second knockout of British lightweight boxer Amir Khan by little-known Breidis Prescott and what it says about both fighters, the victory of former lightweight champion Juan Diaz over Michael Katsidis, the much-anticipated Joel Casamayor-Juan Manuel Marquez and Nate Campbell-Joan Guzman lightweight title bouts, the prevailing anti-technology culture in boxing, and more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here or here. You can also download it here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by musician Ian Carpenter.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

Gladiator Challenge, shaking up the mixed martial arts world since 1999, and now with 30 shows per year. For more news and info, check out their web site, GladiatorChallenge.com.

FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
http://eddiegoldman.com

Team Ruiz Alleges “Corruption” in Valuev Fight

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:05:00 +0000

Robbed of his WBA title when he first fought Nikolai Valuev December 2005 at Berlin’s Max Schmeling Halle, The Boxing Standard’s favorite heavyweight, John Ruiz, had a rematch with the seven-foot Russian August 30 in the same building for the vacated WBA belt.

Perhaps Ruiz had little choice but to return to the scene of the crime at this point in his career, since he has been attacked for years by all the media “experts” who have been writing him off for over a decade now, and he is not considered to be a major drawing card on American TV. So when the sadly predictable verdict of this rematch was announced, originally a split decision win for Valuev which was later “changed” to a unanimous decision by the WBA officials claiming a clerical error in adding up the scorecards, the accomplices in this latest heist are those who have had John Ruiz effectively banished from American TV.

But fuck TV. Who needs it these days, anyway? This fight was broadcast in Germany on the ARD network, and streamed on various peer-to-peer sites for free around this world, and any others which might be nervously watching how we handle our affairs on Earth.

I thus watched the fight under these imperfect but acceptable conditions, and scored at least seven of the 12 rounds for Ruiz. Plus, Valuev was deducted a point for shoving Ruiz to the canvas in the tenth round. Also, in the second round, Valuev was hurt by Ruiz and knocked to the ropes, which was the only thing holding his huge frame up. The referee did not rule it a knockdown, but the round still should have been scored 10-8 for Ruiz.

While the judges ruled against him, the German fans largely cheered Ruiz after the fight, showing that they are far fairer than those who ran this show. This was clearly visible and audible on the telecast, even to those of us who do not know German.

Now, perhaps just as predictably, John Ruiz’s team has issued a news release alleging corruption in this fight, and calling on the WBA to review the fight and declare it a no contest.

Somehow I think the WBA’s response to all this will be just as predictable.

Here is the Team Ruiz news release:

Deck stacked against “The Quietman”

Team Ruiz protests outcome vs. Valuev

LAS VEGAS (September 8, 2008) – Two-time World Boxing Association heavyweight champion John “The Quietman” Ruiz (43-8-1, 29 KOs), as well as his advisor/attorney Tony Cardinale and head trainer Manny Siaca, Sr., believe they faced sizable unfair disadvantages August 30 fighting Nikolai Valuev (49-1, 34 KOs) for the WBA heavyweight title in Berlin.

Valuev recaptured the WBA belt by way of a 12-round decision clouded in controversy.

Team Ruiz is demanding a full videotape of Valuev-Ruiz II to further review for evidence of alleged corrupt practices.

Points of contention include the following issues:

1. Judge Takeshi Shimakawa improperly kept a running score during the fight, which is prohibited by the WBA, as well as the only way he could have “corrected” his scorecard after the scores were announced (Shimakawa’s scoring changed from 114-113 in favor of Ruiz to 114-113 for Valuev.

2. Ruiz was not credited with a legitimate knockdown when he floored Valuev in the second round. Ruiz blasted Valuev with punches, knocking “The Giant” into the ropes, but the referee incorrectly ruled a slip when Valuev’s knee hit the canvas after he careened off of the ropes. Scoring that round would have been different, in Ruiz’ favor, if it was ruled a knockdown.

3. Judge Antonio Requena scored two rounds even, despite WBA instructions that there should be no even rounds scored in championship bouts. Ruiz would have been declared the winner if the two even rounds had been awarded to Ruiz in addition to the aforementioned second round scoring snafu being sorted out.

4. Most importantly, throughout the fight Valuev’s cornermen received judges’ scoring results as the rounds went on, something that happens regularly only in Germany, yet clearly constitutes major corruption in boxing.

In addition to demanding a full videotape of the fight for review, Team Ruiz plans to petition the WBA to rule the bout a no-contest and Valuev be stripped of the WBA title for a blatant violation of WBA rules. Team Ruiz will also seek sanctions against any officials involved in permitting these violations to happen, whether it’s enforced by the WBA or German Boxing Federation.

“The WBA needs to resolve this matter as quickly as possible,” Ruiz said. “Non-officials are not allowed to handle or read scorecards during the fight. Valuev should be stripped and a rematch ordered. It seems like everything possible has happened to me in boxing. Whether it was defending my title by disqualification (Kirk Johnson), my opponent testing positive for steroids (James Toney), or scores changed after a fight like this. It was chaotic after the fight. With all of the confusion going on, at one point while waiting to hear the results, I thought I was in Florida and the ‘hanging chads’ during the 2000 election.

“The WBA must investigate the judges and who was running the show, Sauerland. Everything was very weird at the end of the fight. The German people are wonderful and they’ve treated me very well each time I’ve fought there. They cheered loudly after the fight, but only when Valuev announced he was going to give me a rematch (He has since changed his tune and is talking about fighting an unnamed opponent in December.) They should hold Sauerland and the German Boxing Federation accountable. The great German boxing fans deserve much better. Things have to change in Germany, where everybody knows foreigners don’t have a chance of winning a close decision. I’m terribly disappointed with what went on over there. Boxing suffered another black eye.”

The Puerto Rican-American Ruiz is the first and only Latino heavyweight champion of the world. He has fought in 10 world championship fights and defeated three world heavyweight champions -- Evander Holyfield, Hasim Rahman and Tony Tucker – in addition to beating top contenders such as Andrew Golota, Fres Oquendo, Kirk Johnson and Jameel McCline during his 15-year pro career.

Why we're getting De La Hoya - Pacquiao

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Lotierzo) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 19:05:00 +0000

Over the years I've been a huge defender of Oscar De La Hoya. That said, I've never considered Oscar an authentically great fighter, for one reason, he's not. Having said that, I like the fact that Oscar never ducked a fighter who was a perceived threat, nor has he ever fought not to lose or avoid getting hurt. Make no mistake, De La Hoya is tough and has plenty of heart.

In his big fights from 147 an up where the outcome wasn't conclusive, (I say 147 because I feel Oscar won a majority of his fights on the scales from 130-140) I think he drew with Whitaker, pulled the Quartey fight out with a 2-point 12th round, clearly beat Trinidad, and clearly lost to Mosley. I had him beating Mosley by a point at 154 (I saw it on TV, not live), and drawing with Sturm at 160.

I have always felt that De La Hoya thought if he could've beat Bernard Hopkins in 2004, he would've insured and secured his legacy. And since he was stopped by him, he's been looking for a fight to secure his legacy the way Sugar Ray Leonard did by beating Marvin Hagler. Remember, Sugar Ray Leonard is the fighter Oscar most compares and measures himself with.

In my opinion this all stems from De La Hoya never having won one of his signature fights in an impression fashion. I believe that Oscar is still looking for that career defining win, and that was the reason he fought Floyd Mayweather last year, and the reason he's fighting Manny Pacquiao this year. Like Mayweather then, Pacquiao is now considered the top pound-for-pound fighter in boxing. What a great way for Oscar De La Hoya to go out, beating the best fighter in boxing two months before he turns 36. That's why he's fighting Manny. See, Pacquiao is the perfect fit. He's a draw, along with being an exciting fighter, who's fearless and some see him as having a punchers chance....Wrong.

Oscar is too big, strong, and just fluid enough in style to decision Manny Pacquiao on December 6th 2008. He'll make another fortune, and he'll retire having defeated boxing best fighter. To which will cloud the judgment of many fight observers, and enhance his legacy to the ill informed or those having cookbook boxing insight. That's why he's fighting Manny Pacquiao! In a way, he goes out of boxing the way he entered it, beating up on guys smaller than him.

Professional Crooks in Amateur Boxing

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 02:18:00 +0000

On the eve of the gold medal finals coming up this weekend at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, it all started to fall apart in public for the justifiably beleaguered International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) and their absurd and universally condemned scoring system.

Inside the ring, NBC’s Bob Papa and Teddy Atlas called the scoring during Friday’s semifinals “the worst” so far in this tournament, which began Saturday, August 9, ran though Wednesday, August 20, and resumed Friday, August 22. On Friday afternoon’s CNBC telecast, the last of these daily doses of Olympic boxing on this cable network, video replays of numerous instances of awful scoring were shown.

In a light welterweight semifinal, Manus Boonjumnong of Thailand was shown repeatedly holding Roniel Iglesias of Cuba without being penalized. Boonjumnong won, 10-5. But in the other light welterweight semifinal, Alexis Vastine of France was penalized twice, for a total of four points, for holding against Felix Diaz of the Dominican Republic, who was doing much holding himself. Those four points made the difference of who advanced to the finals and who went home, as Diaz was awarded the victory, 12-10.

The scoring was even erratic and irrational when the fighters of the host country China were involved. In a light flyweight semifinal, the popular returning world champion Zou Shiming was awarded a shutout victory by a score of 15-0 over Ireland’s Paddy Barnes. The NBC video replay, however, clearly showed Barnes landing a clean punch without it being counted, while Zou was the one awarded a point. Barnes did admit that he had legitimately lost the fight, as, like so many boxers at this year’s Olympics, he could not establish a jab and outbox Zou, but the shutout score was preposterous.

In a welterweight semifinal, China’s Silamu Hanati landed numerous solid, effective, and legal body shots against Cuba’s Carlos Banteaux without getting credit for them. Banteaux was awarded the win by an insane 17-4 margin.

Outside the ring, AIBA itself began to become unhinged. A news conference was held by Rudi Obreja of Romania, an AIBA technical delegate to the Olympic Games, charging “AIBA officials improperly manipulated the random assignment of referees and judges to suit particular boxers,” and more.

Obreja singled out AIBA secretary-general Ho Kim, alleging, “Under AIBA rules the names of referees and judges come out of a computer but here in Beijing that rule was broken. Ho Kim, who calls himself secretary-general of this tournament, has changed 60-70% of those names.” He added, “I expect to be expelled from AIBA for what I'm telling you,” which was about the only predictable outcome today.

AIBA responded with a statement alleging that they had uncovered their own conspiracy, saying they had heard two months ago of an attempt to manipulate the officiating, and that they had “also notified the IOC sports department of the issue and the IOC provided an independent observer to overview the competition.” AIBA provided no names, so it was not even clear if they were alleging that Obreja was involved in any wrongdoing.

So apparently both sides agree that there was manipulation, although it is now unclear just who are the real crooks, or what their motives may be.

If all this chaos and corruption sounds familiar to those who follow professional boxing, get ready for the lords of amateur boxing to try their hands at becoming pro boxing promoters. AIBA has just announced they will be forming an organization called the World League of Boxing. According to AIBA president Dr. Ching-Kuo Wu, “The World League of Boxing will revolutionise the sport of boxing like never before providing a universal form of entertainment which will capture the imagination of boxing fans around the world.” So he already has the hype part down.

Besides partnering with the marketing company IMG, and promising to set up an actual world league, AIBA’s hook seems to be that they will work with the national amateur boxing federations with the “intention that boxers that compete in the WLB will be allowed to compete also in future Olympic Games.” Rival promoters, of course, need not apply.

According to the boxing page on NBCOlympics.com, the gold medal finals in boxing will be broadcast in the U.S. on NBC and Telemundo (in Spanish) both Saturday and Sunday.

The boxing will be interspersed with other sports both days. Here is the schedule so far, with all times EDT:

Saturday, August 23

NBC -- 10:00a - 4:00p
Women's basketball gold-medal game: USA vs. Australia (LIVE ET/CT). Also, gold-medal finals in individual rhythmic gymnastics, team synchronized swimming, boxing and flatwater canoe/kayak.

Telemundo -- 6:00a - 2:00p
Baseball gold-medal game: South Korea vs. Cuba (LIVE ET/CT). Also, finals in boxing and track and field, and the men's 10m platform diving semifinal.

Sunday, August 24

NBC -- 12:00p - 4:00p
The men's water polo gold-medal game: USA vs. Hungary. Also, rhythmic gymnastics and boxing finals. Medal Event

Telemundo -- 6:00p - 7:00p
Boxing Coverage to be determined.

We know you will be watching, even if the judges aren’t.

NBC Muffs First Day of Olympics Boxing Coverage

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 00:18:00 +0000

What an embarrassingly poor presentation of this year’s Olympic boxing by NBC so far!

The first afternoon telecast on CNBC, which was taped earlier Saturday, August 9, began by showing the same fight, between middleweights Emilio Correa of Cuba and Jarrod Fletcher of Australia, twice, from start to finish.

Although Correa deservedly won easily, he had an eight-count called against him in the fourth and final round when he kneeled to the canvas after a combination to the head by Fletcher, although those punches did not seem to do much damage. Even though they showed this fight twice, and it was pretaped, they never showed a replay of this knockdown.

Announcers Bob Papa and Teddy Atlas did correctly point out that the punches Fletcher landed which caused Correa to kneel down did not even result in one point being tallied by these judges. Generally they did a good job savaging these supposedly reformed Olympic boxing rules. They even had a nice replay of a Chinese boxer getting smashed directly in the face, without a point being scored for his opponent. And they now even have open scoring in Olympic boxing.

The fight they likely skipped involved Russian middleweight Matvey Korobov, a 2005 and 2007 amateur world champion, who outpointed Naim Terbunja of Sweden, 18-6. Korobov is a favorite to win a gold medal this year. Plus, for the American-centric NBC, his parents and older brother reportedly live in Florida, and he plans to turn pro after the Olympics.

The NBCOlympics.com boxing page, with schedules, results, etc., is at http://www.nbcolympics.com/boxing/index.html.

The boxing page on the official Beijing 2008 Olympic Games page is at http://en.beijing2008.cn/sports/boxing/index.shtml.

Most of the boxing in the U.S. will be on CNBC, live at about midnight EDT (more likely with the boxing part of those shows beginning around 1:30 AM EDT) and taped starting at 5 PM EDT most days. The boxing competition runs from August 9-20 and August 22-24, with the finals on August 23 and 24.

Interestingly, although NBCOlympics.com will stream a lot of the action (supposedly only available in the U.S.), there are no plans to stream any boxing – perhaps because they know that so many people in boxing love to brag that they are too lazy or stupid to use the Internet. Of course, this will only encourage more people to seek out these videos online, whether or not the sites offering them are provided by rights holders or by people who just decide to stream them for free.

Here are some links to articles which will help you do that, assuming, of course, that you are not one of boxing’s proud technophobic idiots:

Watch the Olympics Online

How To Watch The Beijing Olympics LIVE On The Web -- Even If NBC Doesn't Want You To

Ready to watch the 2008 Beijing Olympics?

Watch Beijing 2008 live

Writers and Dummies

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:08:00 +0000

Can you even imagine a boxing article appearing in print or online in America with the title “Blood, bravado and a life-long bout of guilty pleasure”? This piece, posted Tuesday, July 29, by The Guardian of the UK, and written by David Foot, begins, “It is no bad thing to examine our conscience from time to time.”

With the exception of the hearty few associated with this blog, and perhaps a handful more, there is no boxing writer in America who can pack more insight into 1000 words than David Foot has done in just those 13 words. And that is just the start of his piece.

I have come to the conclusion that the editors and publishers of both the online and print boxing media, and those general and sports publications which occasionally feel obliged to go what they believe to be slumming by dabbling in the sweet science, all studied at the Fred Sanford School of Journalism. That comedic character, played by Redd Foxx, barked at almost everyone, “You big dummy!”

That is the attitude of our editors and publishers, that everyone is a big dummy, and that they should be treated as such.

Of course, Redd Foxx was a comedian and an actor, which seems lost on these types. Perhaps we now know who the real big dummies are.

Some fighters are just too strong for others to box

noreply@blogger.com (Frank Lotierzo) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 21:29:00 +0000

Antonio Margarito was simply too strong for Miguel Cotto to box or fight when they met on July 26, 2008. For the first four or five rounds, while he could sprint for most of the round, Cotto could pick his spots, flurry and get away from Margarito. But a fighter can only maintain that pace for so long. Eventually, he has to come up for air. The problem is, when he has a fighter like Margarito in front of him, he pays a price for trying to catch a breather.

Cotto was forced to let his hands go, or try to get distance between himself and Margarito. When he was fresh and letting his hands go, he was able to keep Margarito off him and occupied. However, not having the punch to deter Margarito, sapped his stamina. Being forced to either cut-loose, or try and get away takes a lot out of a fighter physically, and just as importantly, mentally too.

Once Cotto started to wind down, Margarito was met with less resistance as he plowed forward and worked Cotto's head and body. That was followed by Cotto accepting that he couldn't hold him off, therefor his next best thing was to try and get away from him so he couldn't be further worked over. The trouble with that was, with his stamina depleting, he couldn't get away fast enough. Obviously, a slow fighter can move faster going forward than a faster fighter can go back. Once Cotto couldn't fight Margarito off or escape his aggression, it was just a matter of time until he has nothing left to draw from mentally or physically. Adding to Cotto's problems were the fact that, Margarito is very unusual in that, in addition to being strong, he throws 100 punches per round. So his pressure is intensified by his work rate.

Miguel Cotto is a better boxer, faster of hand and foot, and capable of putting his punches together better than Antonio Margarito. He's also a bigger puncher. Yet he was stopped by him. And the reason for that is, Margarito is simply too strong for him physically, which translates into mentally as well as the fight progresses. Miguel Cotto fought the best he could versus Antonio Margarito. There's nothing anyone could've told him to do that would've made a difference in the outcome of the fight.

Bottom line: Some fighters are just too strong for others to box. If one need any proof of that, watch the replay of Antonio Margarito vs Miguel Cotto.