The Boxing Standard

No Holds Barred: A Tribute to Johnny Bos

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Mon, 13 May 2013 01:35:00 +0000

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman pays tribute to the legendary fight agent and boxing personality Johnny Bos, who passed away Saturday, May 11.

Johnny, a native New Yorker who had to relocate to the Clearwater, Florida, area, was visiting his hometown in July 2009 to testify in the lawsuit brought by his former fighter, Joey Gamache, against the New York State Athletic Commission. That stemmed from the botched weigh-in for the Gamache-Arturo Gatti fight at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 26, 2000. We spoke with Johnny on July 21, 2009, in New York, and that interview is reposted here in its entirety.

After our interview, in April 2010, Judge Melvin Schweitzer of the New York State Court of Claims ruled in favor of Gamache, saying that there indeed had been negligence in the weigh-in. However, the judge did not award Gamache any monetary damages, as he claimed that it had not been proved that this negligence had necessarily affected the outcome of the fight.

Here is the original introduction to our July 2009 interview with Johnny Bos:

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 and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

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

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.

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/.

No Holds Barred: Why They Do Not Have To Fix Boxing Matches Anymore

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Sun, 05 May 2013 18:40:00 +0000

(Photo by Tom Casino/Showtime)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the major fights in boxing held Saturday, May 4, and why, despite some brilliant performances, they were all showcase fights, and the fighters who were supposed to win all won, one way or another.

In those fights, welterweight and pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. won a unanimous decision over Robert Guerrero in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, while heavyweight champ Wladimir Klitschko scored a sixth-round knockout over Francesco Pianeta in Mannheim, Germany. Also in Las Vegas, Abner Mares won by a somewhat controversial ninth-round TKO over Daniel Ponce De Leon, Leo Santa Cruz stopped veteran Alexander Munoz with a TKO in the fifth round, and J'Leon Love survived a knockdown to win a controversial split decision over Gabriel Rosado.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

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

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.

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/.

No Holds Barred: Charles Farrell on Guillermo Rigondeaux, Mayweather-Guerrero, the Klitschko Era, and Bad Boxing Writers

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Thu, 02 May 2013 23:30:00 +0000

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

Charles is also co-editor of The Boxing Standard.

The eyes of the combat sports world and the sports world in general will be focused on boxing this weekend, as two of the top fighters in the world are in action Saturday, May 4. Welterweight and pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. will face Robert Guerrero in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, while heavyweight champ Wladimir Klitschko will fight Francesco Pianeta in Mannheim, Germany.

Charles, however, reserved his highest praise for the top 122-pound fighter in the world, Guillermo Rigondeaux, who won an impressive decision victory over Nonito Donaire April 13 in New York.

"I was more than impressed," Charles said of this fight, in an interview recorded Thursday by phone. "I'm comfortable saying that it's the best performance I've seen by anybody in the last half-decade." He added, "That was a performance for the ages. It was a virtuoso performance."

We discussed why and how Rigondeaux was so brilliant in this fight, as well as the myriad of supposed boxing experts and writers who panned it and just did not understand what Rigondeaux was doing to dominate Donaire.

Neither of us expect anything close to an upset in the Mayweather-Guerrero or Klitschko-Pianeta fights, which we also discussed, as well as the careers of both Mayweather and Wladimir and his brother, Vitali Klitschko. We also discussed whether more people will watch Mayweather-Guerrero or Klitschko-Pianeta, why the Abner Mares-Daniel Ponce de Leon featherweight fight might steal the show featuring Mayweather, a relatively impressive performance by heavyweight Bermane Stiverne against Chris Arreola last week, why the best TV boxing commentary in the U.S. is by present and former fighters, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

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

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.

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/.

"BEAUTIFUL BOXER": BEAUTIFUL STORY, BEAUTIFUL MOVIE

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 23:36:00 +0000

Note: The issue of transsexual athletes in the combat sports is still being debated, especially among their most backwards sector, North American MMA circles. This controversy has been covered in depth on No Holds Barred, with recent interviews with transsexual athletes Fallon Fox, Alaina Hardie, Ryka Aoki, and Donna Rose, as well as a commentary supporting Fallon Fox's right to fight in women's MMA.

But this issue is neither new for combat sports nor for my coverage of them. Back in 2005, for the now-defunct and dearly departed BoxingRanks.com site, I reviewed the movie "Beautiful Boxer", about transsexual muay Thai fighter Parinya Charoenphol, also known as Nong Toom. Since that site has totally closed down, I actually had to use the Internet Archive to retrieve it, here.

And since that time, the entire film "Beautiful Boxer" has been uploaded on YouTube, at http://youtu.be/ibZMW6AKe4o.

Take the time to watch it, and you will feel rewarded.

Below is the text of the original article I wrote in 2005 on the film "Beautiful Boxer", minus the links at the end to sites about the movie since they seem outdated as well. Just remember that it was originally written for the audience of what was then a major boxing web site, and that the article also received praise and appreciation from those involved in that site.

"BEAUTIFUL BOXER": BEAUTIFUL STORY, BEAUTIFUL MOVIE
by Eddie Goldman (March 6, 2005)

The fight game is once again emerging as the undisputed champion of cinematic drama. The Clint Eastwood film "Million Dollar Baby" made a big haul at the 2005 Academy Awards, winning four Oscars. The highly-acclaimed documentary "Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story" will debut on the USA Network on Wed., April 20, after a run at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. Another boxing movie called "Black Cloud" is set for its national debut on March 11.

And now from Thailand comes "Beautiful Boxer," a very different kind of story about a different kind of fighting and a different kind of fighter.

If you are expecting "Raging Bull," "Requiem for a Heavyweight" (my personal favorite), "Rocky," or any other of the traditional boxing films, this one is something quite different.

"Beautiful Boxer" is a dramatization of the story of Thai kickboxer Parinya Charoenphol, also affectionately known as Nong Toom. Thai boxing, or muay Thai as it is known internationally, is a brutal form of kickboxing that combines punches, kicks, elbows, fighting while clinching, and even some throws to the mat. And that's just the legal stuff. "Beautiful Boxer" is partially subtitled in English with most of the dialogue in Thai and some in English as well. Once you get past all that, you will find a very human story that will be hard to forget.

The reason is that Parinya Charoenphol, or Nong Toom, was a champion Thai boxer, and a transvestite who eventually had surgery to become a woman.

The film starts with the telling of Nong Toom's life story through flashbacks. Nong Toom is played by Asanee Suwan, himself a champion muay Thai fighter.

As a young boy Nong Toom was brought up to face a very hard life with dirt poor parents. Yet even then he was attracted to girls' clothing.

In an array of seeming contradictions, at least to prevailing stereotypes about gender, he ends up going to a fighting camp to learn muay Thai, and does very well. As his career develops, he starts to fight competitively and win almost all of his fights. An exception is a hometown decision given to a fighter whom he sliced and diced in the ring. Yes, corruption in boxing knows no bounds either of country or style of fighting.

While building a reputation as a top fighter in this brutal combat sport, he also remains gentle on the inside. This film is filled with his strikingly sensitive and haunting observations, with statements made in an increasingly feminine-sounding voice like, "I don't like to hurt strangers. But in the ring you have no choice." If you don't react to these types of statements, and the way they are delivered in this film, then you have a smaller heart than the tin man in "The Wizard of Oz."

Soon it is made clear that Nong Toom's main motivation for fighting as a professional is to earn enough money to pay for what is clinically known as sexual reassignment surgery, or more popularly as a sex change operation.

By this time Nong Toom is taking female hormones and openly appearing at his fights as a transvestite. He comes into the ring wearing women's makeup. This only adds drama to the matches, and many regard this, incorrectly, as simply a gimmick to add heat to the matches.

In the film, the underlying contrast of his success at this seemingly male and brutal style of fighting and his increasingly female appearance and psyche is highlighted, all the while decking and staggering preconceived notions about the nature of masculinity, femininity, and gender as effectively as Nong Toom's punches and kicks are stopping his opponents in the ring.

Eventually Nong Toom's success earns him a fight in Bangkok's famed Lumpinee Stadium, the Madison Square Garden of muay Thai. Despite his growing success as a fighter, he never loses sight of his main goal: To earn enough money for a sex change operation.

Nong Toom continues to take female hormones as part of that transition, while also continuing to fight. Yet the female hormones begin to transform his body and sap his muscle power. Now, as he is growing breasts and has to wear a bra into the ring, he starts losing fights to male opponents.

Women are banned from this style of fighting in Thailand. Even before his surgery, Nong Toom is shown the door from the muay Thai ring.

Yet he still needs cash for his surgery. So he goes to Japan in 1988 to participate in what is essentially a freak show match to face female pro wrestler Kyoko Inoue in the Tokyo Dome. The movie portrays their encounter as a real fight involving mixed styles. In the film, Kyoko Inoue plays herself, and performs various moves from the fake pro wrestling that are not known to work in real fights. In both the film and in the real fight, however, Nong Toom wins by a TKO as Inoue is cut and bleeding from his many blows. According to Tadashi Tanaka of Japan and Dave Meltzer of the U.S., both expert journalists in pro wrestling and the mixed martial arts, this was indeed a real fight and not a fake or staged one, even if it was very strange.

A key scene in the film takes place after this fight. A cute female groupie camps out by Nong Toom's hotel room awaiting him. When he arrives, she tells him that she believes that all this transvestite stuff is merely a gimmick, like some fictional pro wrestling persona. In his room she begins to disrobe and throw herself at him. He tries to be polite, but looks distraught and is obviously not sexually interested in her. At no time in the film do we see Nong Toom having sex or expressing sexual interest in anyone, male or female, but this scene touchingly makes clear that the direction he is heading in is as real as real can be.

Eventually Nong Toom has the sex change operation and becomes a woman. The real Parinya Charoenphol, who is now a successful model and actress in Thailand, makes a cameo appearance as a makeup artist in the film, as a sort of a visual endorsement of the authenticity of this dramatization.

In the U.S., "Beautiful Boxer" has made the rounds at some gay film festivals as well as some independent movie theaters. The fact that it is not an easy movie to pigeonhole, as a gay movie or a martial arts movie or what, led a reviewer in the Village Voice to complain that "some fences just can't be painlessly straddled."

Yet "Beautiful Boxer" is beautiful precisely because of its universality. It transcends all those social barriers that segregate transgender people from everyone else. Nong Toom could be the kid next door, or the fighter on the card you just watched, or anyone else. And that is precisely its point, that it is as natural for transgender people to be who they are as is the grass that grows underneath all our feet.

You will undoubtedly root for Nong Toom as you watch this film. Hopefully it will instruct you, if you didn't already realize it, that the issue of gender needs to be approached with reason, science, logic, history, and compassion, and not superstition, fear, ignorance, prejudice, and hatred.

Do you want a parallel? Look at how Black people were characterized just a century ago, as documented in "Unforgivable Blackness." Race and gender, of course, have very different histories and natures. For one thing, we know that race is not even a scientific category. For another, slavery, apartheid, segregation, and racial discrimination have a different social significance and history from gender discrimination. But the ideological prejudices are similar. The justifications of the persecution and oppression of all these groups use similar religious fundamentalist texts, which support the buying and selling of slaves, and the suppression of anything other than heterosexual relations.

This beautiful movie, "Beautiful Boxer," begins to break down these barriers with this dramatization of this real-life story. It is but one of countless real-life stories which demonstrate that the path taken by Nong Toom is not some "lifestyle," and not a mere "choice," but as natural as the sun that shines above us all.

Only the most heartless, the most prejudiced and bigoted, and the most empty- headed religious fanatics will fail to empathize with the very human dilemma which faced Nong Toom. And only the densest and most closed minds will fail to notice the contradiction between Nong Toom's brutal profession and his gentle and pacific nature.

It will indeed be a shame if this movie gets labeled as simply a gay movie. It is a movie for everyone -- everyone that is compassionate and open-minded, that is. Bigots can stay home and hate themselves as well as everyone else.

Efficiency is the Least Admired Skill in Boxing

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Farrell) — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 17:34:00 +0000

Last night Guillermo Rigondeaux was the best boxer, hands down, in the world. Whether he remains so (he's old, after all; a good deal older than his promoters would tell you) is neither here nor there. He was operating at a level of sophistication, while reducing Nonito Donaire to a novice, that viewers (one of whom was Donaire's trainer, Robert Garcia) were ill-equipped to decode. Unfortunately, boxing fans have been taught to value effort--the visible trappings of a struggle--more than they do consummate efficiency. It's not enough that a fighter is trying; he has to look like he's trying. So if a fighter doesn't move too much, doesn't throw more punches than are necessary, feints and drops his shoulders in subtle ways, and doesn't put himself at risk if there's a way not to, viewers grow restive, which is what they did last night. I admit that it bothered me to hear the crowd booing the best performance in recent years. People were disappointed that Rigondeaux didn't engage enough. Why should he have? He won every minute of every round, with the exception of being tagged with a hard shot that dropped him in the 11th (also largely unnoticed was that he was unhurt, and handily dominated the remainder of the round). It's worth noting, too, that when Donaire opened the final round by going for broke, Rigondeaux immediately upped the ante and nearly scored a knockout (had there been a 13th round, it would likely have been the last of the fight).

Bernard Hopkins Wins in a Walk

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Farrell) — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 12:49:00 +0000

It must be strange to be one of Bernard Hopkins's opponents at the end of a twelve round fight. You're not hurt in any way. You've spent forty six minutes in the ring with a guy who's slow, who doesn't hit very hard, who doesn't give you much movement, and who looks to the referee for help even when no infraction against him has been committed. You're bigger and stronger than he is. You punch a lot harder. You look to be in better shape than Bernard, who, although a world class trainer, is beginning to have an old man body. But somehow you didn't do any of the things that you normally do in a fight, any of the things that you know you can do. You realize that you lost the fight; there's no sense of having been robbed by the judges. And so you wonder, “How did this old guy keep me from fighting my fight?”

Bernard Hopkins only needed to do four or five simple (okay, maybe not simple; no one else seems to know how to do them anymore) things to beat the programmed to do two things only robot Tavoris Cloud. It took Bernard exactly zero seconds to figure out what those things were. And since young fighters are brought to titles these days before they actually know how to fight, Hopkins had his new title in the bag the moment the bell rang. Here's what he did: He kept Cloud off balance by walking to his (Hopkins's) right, while poking out the jab (which he didn't worry about landing). This allowed him a free right hand (which he was careful to land) all night long. He made sure to have the final slow word in every exchange, which made Cloud worry about exchanging, even though he wasn't getting hurt. He inveigled Cloud into a game of quid pro quo, inviting him to see who was the better fighter at the “you hit me, I hit you” game, which, since Hopkins is an accurate puncher, allowed him to barely have to throw any punches in order to win rounds.

Bernard Hopkins was allowed to lounge around in his living room all night. He might just as well have been wearing bedroom slippers. He's now within challenging range to Archie Moore as boxing's greatest ever near fifty year old.

No Holds Barred: Bernard Hopkins, Tavoris Cloud, Don King, and Reflections on Real Steel

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 20:35:00 +0000

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews the fight between the unbeaten IBF champion Tavoris Cloud (24-0, 19 KOs) and the 48-year-old legend Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins (52-6, 32 KOs), and discusses its significance in the context of the lessons of the 2011 science fiction film "Real Steel".

The Cloud-Hopkins fight takes place Saturday, March 9, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, and will be televised live in the U.S. on HBO.

In "Real Steel", set in the year 2020, robot boxing has replaced human boxing and, apparently, MMA. This film was just repeated on Showtime in the U.S. on Saturday, March 2 -- right before the live Showtime boxing card headlined by the wild Abril-Bogere fight.

The film "Real Steel" is loosely based on the 1956 short story "Steel" by Richard Matheson, which was made into a 1963 episode of "The Twilight Zone" TV series starring Lee Marvin. In both the short story and the TV show, boxing had been banned; the movie is more ambiguous about the future legal status of the human fighting sports. In the U.S., the debut show of the Robot Combat League on the Syfy network last Tuesday, February 26, featuring 12 eight-foot robot boxers in a tournament format, drew over 1.35 million viewers, with a total of nine weekly episodes already filmed.

Even before all this buzz about robot fighting, boxing has long been a largely tragic sport. It is a slowly dying sport that is killing its own people, but which we still sometimes love. Therein lies the degree of sadness with which we approach it, especially when a 48-year-old fighter is involved.

We spoke with Bernard Hopkins, Tavoris Cloud, Cloud's new trainer Abel Sanchez, and Cloud's promoter, the one and only Don King, about this fight on a media conference call this past Wednesday.

"It's going to be a barnburner on March the 9th," promised Don King on this conference call. "Get ready. We coming. We coming to Brooklyn. And no one could be prouder. And if you cannot hear us, we'll say it a little louder."

We shall see whose barn burns down Saturday night.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

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

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.

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/.

Camacho in the Half Life

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Farrell) — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 16:50:00 +0000

“Can I do anything for you?”

He’s small and kind of fat and a little jowly. His skin sags, yet he looks much younger than his fifty years.

“Can you get me some coke?” He laughs a little bit.

We’re sitting in my rented car on a warm night in Carolina. I’ve got the top down.

“Maybe that’s not such a good idea. I think it’s gonna be a long night.”

Camacho giggles. “Aw shit, man. I know where we’re at. I been here before. I know a girl lives in this barrio. Probably don’t live here no more though.”

He’s dead now. Kind of dead. Almost dead. I’m not sure why he’s in my car. Maybe because we had some of the same friends for a little while, years ago. I didn’t know Camacho, although I’d seen him fight.

“Can we at least get something to eat? Potato chips, corn chips, some nachos or some shit. I’m hungry, dude.”

There’s a bodega on the corner, one of those bunkers where everything is locked down, money passing through a slot in bulletproof Plexiglas. It’s a high crime neighborhood with a lot of shootings, not far from where Camacho was killed.

Two young girls pass the car, and Hector quietly says “it’s Macho time” to them, but they keep on walking. It’s hard to know whether they don’t see him or just don’t care.

“Looks like I ain’t gonna get laid no more.”

“Were you getting laid before all this?”

Camacho pokes me in the ribs. “More than you, dude,” he says. “A whole lot more than you.”

For such a safety first, survival minded guy in the ring, I’m surprised by how little he’s learned about protecting himself on the street; he’s still fucking up in exactly the way that wound up getting him killed.

Where Not To Look For Young Fighters

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Farrell) — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 17:06:00 +0000

Has anyone noticed that what were once two reliable barometers for predicting a fighter’s success in the pros—an Olympic medal and being a top NY prospect—have turned into the exact opposite over the course of the last ten or fifteen years? These days, whenever a ring announcer begins his introduction with “and from the mean streets of…” and you know you’re about to see a glaring but inept softie with a sob story. Last night on HBO’s “Boxing After Dark,” we were introduced to a sad string bean named Alex Perez, who was pounded at every turn by Antonin Decarie, a competent and unruffled professional from Canada. It was evident about thirty seconds into the fight that Perez wasn’t very good, and about thirty seconds later that he was going to lose. It’s a cliché to talk about how only the hungry make good fighters, but’s also the truth. Olympians and would-be Olympians are now always pampered (at least here in the US). And almost nothing of quality emerges from New York anymore, least of all good fighters.

No Holds Barred: Chavez Jr.-Martinez and Canelo-Lopez Previews with John Perretti

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 20:38:00 +0000

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again speaks with lifelong martial artist, former UFC and Battlecade Extreme Fighting matchmaker, TV commentator, and our senior correspondent, John Perretti.

On Saturday, September 15, during the weekend of Mexican Independence Day, the sport of boxing, if you can call it that, will have two major, televised, competing cards taking place in the same city, Las Vegas, at the same time.

The show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena will be headlined by the unbeaten WBC super welterweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez defending his belt against rising star Josesito Lopez, who earned the title shot with an upset TKO win over Victor Ortiz in June. Also on that card, WBC featherweight champion Jhonny Gonzalez fights Daniel Ponce De Leon, Marcos Maidana faces Jesus Soto Karass in a 12-round welterweight fight, and IBF bantamweight champion Leo Santa Cruz fights Eric Morel. This card will be televised live on Showtime in the U.S., BoxNation in the U.K., and Televisa in Mexico.

Not far away, at the Thomas & Mack Center, recognized linear middleweight world champion Sergio Martinez will fight WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Also on that card, Roman Martinez will fight Miguel Beltran Jr. for the vacant WBO super featherweight title, WBA super bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux will defend his belt against Robert Marroquin, and Matthew Macklin will fight Joachim Alcine in a ten-round middleweight fight. This card will be televised live on HBO pay-per-view in the U.S., Primetime pay-per-view in the U.K., and Azteca in Mexico.

We spoke with John Perretti by phone Thursday about these fights.

Asked if he had to choose just one of these cards to watch live, perhaps surprisingly he replied that it was "a no-brainer" that he would choose the one headlined by Chavez Jr. and Martinez.

As for a prediction, he said in this interview, "If, indeed, this Martinez-Chavez fight is real and not a debacle, and not another uproar, a burning at the stake of Pacquiao, if it is real, I will tell you that Martinez will go down from a body shot and it will be a TKO for Chavez."

We also discussed the practice of Top Rank, Chavez Jr.'s promoter, of only booking fights when they are virtually certain that their fighter will win, which is why Chavez Jr. has not fought the 37-year-old Martinez until now. Top Rank boss Arum wants to build Chavez Jr. into a superstar on the level of Mayweather and Pacquiao. We discussed how these plans may or may not factor into what happens in this fight and the possibility of - gasp - another major controversy in boxing.

We also discussed the Canelo-Lopez fight, which John Perretti believes is harder to predict. We talked about how that entire televised card actually is stronger than the one headlined by Chavez Jr. and Martinez, the $100,000 bonus on that card for the best knockout, how he was the one who initiated bonuses when he was a matchmaker in MMA, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

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

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

MMA World Expo. The mixed martial arts community comes to New York City December 1 and 2 for the fourth annual MMA World Expo, featuring an amateur MMA tournament, the Renzo Gracie BJJ Open 2012 tournament, the Big Apple No-Gi tournament, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, and much more. The 2012 MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, December 1, and Sunday, December 2, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.

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/.

Managing Fighters

noreply@blogger.com (Charles Farrell) — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 02:46:00 +0000

This is a terrible thing to say, but boxing management and promotion are both patently paternalistic activities. I wish there were a way that they could not be, but there isn't. Boxers have been encouraged to be children; that they are is in the best interests of those who control the business. So, as managers, we make decisions that often overlook the fact that we are acting as agents for grown men. In a deeply codified system--a deeply entrenched culture--there is almost no mechanism available that lets you have an adult business partnership with a fighter. One of the reasons a guy like Bernard Hopkins is so despised within the industry is that he makes adult decisions on his own behalf. That kind of behavior works in opposition to the conventional boxing hierarchy. It's a good reason to love Bernard Hopkins.

No Holds Barred: Olympic Boxing Corruption, Teddy Riner Superstar, Combat Sports at London 2012 Olympics So Far

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 10:43:00 +0000

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman comments on some of the developments at the 2012 London Olympic regarding the combat sports after the first full week of competition.

Among the topics discussed are the latest Olympic boxing scandal involving the Satoshi Shimizu-Magomed Abdulhamidov fight whose verdict was overturned, the need for a World Anti-Corruption Agency for sport, Olympic heavyweight gold medalist judoka Teddy Riner of France as an international superstar, doping at the Olympics, the disgraceful Olympics coverage by NBC, the xenophobia and narrowness in American sport, amateur MMA and the Olympics, the role of social media, and much more.

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.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

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:

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.

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/.

No Holds Barred: Adrien Broner, Vicente Escobedo

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 00:44:00 +0000

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with boxers Adrien Broner and Vicente Escobedo, who meet this Saturday, July 21, for Broner's WBO junior lightweight title. This fight will be televised live in the U.S. on HBO and takes place at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The 22-year-old Broner (23-0, 19 KOs) is considered to be one of the rising stars of boxing. The 30-year-old Escobedo (26-3, 15 KOs), a 2004 U.S. Olympian, has recently fought as a lightweight and has never lost at junior lightweight.

We spoke with Adrien Broner and Vicente Escobedo on a media conference call on Wednesday to get their views on what to expect in what is the biggest fight this coming weekend. We also examine the careers of both fighters, why this is likely to be the biggest test yet for Broner, why Broner is being pushed as a budding superstar, and why this fight has all the earmarks of being particularly noteworthy.

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.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

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:

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.

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/.

No Holds Barred: A Splendid Day for Boxing

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 23:50:00 +0000

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses why the Amir Khan-Danny Garcia and David Haye-Dereck Chisora fights, held July 14, more than lived up to expectations and actually resulted in a splendid day for the beleaguered sport of boxing.

After a buildup marked by much trash talk and the opposition of the British Boxing Board of Control to this matchup, David Haye knocked out Dereck Chisora in the fifth round of their heavyweight fight, held at Upton Park, London. Both fighters congratulated each other after the fight.

In an upset, Danny "Swift" Garcia stopped Amir Khan in the fourth round of their fight in Las Vegas, Nevada, to unify two of the 140-pound titles. Khan had originally been scheduled for a rematch with Lamont Peterson in May, but Peterson had tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug in a prefight test conducted by VADA, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association.

Despite all the controversy leading up to both of these fights, we explain why, when the battles actually began in the ring, the results were good for the sport of boxing and for the fans.

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.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

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:

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.

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/.

No Holds Barred: Charles Farrell of The Boxing Standard

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 00:02:00 +0000

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with our colleague, correspondent, and award-winning boxing writer, Charles Farrell. Charles is also co-editor of The Boxing Standard.

"Boxing as part of our culture as an ongoing event or series of events doesn't exist anymore," said Charles Farrell in this phone interview, which was recorded Wednesday. "I think the whole notion of professional behavior has moved outside of our culture."

Among the topics we discussed in light of this were the Nonito Donaire-Jeffrey Mathebula, Wladimir Klitschko-Tony Thompson, and Kell Brook-Carson Jones fights of July 7; the Amir Khan-Danny Garcia and David Haye-Dereck Chisora fights scheduled for July 14; the Saul "Canelo" Alvarez-Josesito Lopez fight on September 15; how fans are not trained in, and are even discouraged from critically assessing what they see on television; a little bit about MMA and boxing; and much more.

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.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

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:

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.

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/.

No Holds Barred: Paul Johnson on Protesting Solitary Confinement of Floyd Mayweather

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 01:12:00 +0000

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with former boxer and long-time activist for boxers' rights, Paul Johnson.

Although based in Minnesota, Paul Johnson is now in Las Vegas, Nevada, holding a one-man protest in front of the Clark County Detention Center, where boxer Floyd Mayweather is serving a three-month sentence for domestic violence. Even though the charge for which Mayweather was convicted is only a misdemeanor, Mayweather has been placed in solitary confinement, which Paul Johnson calls "unfair and inhumane treatment."

We spoke with Paul Johnson by phone Wednesday afternoon about why he feels so strongly on this issue that he has traveled to Las Vegas to protest in front of this facility.

Paul Johnson also has long been involved in the struggle to form a boxers' union. We discussed the prospects for that, and his views on the proposal by U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) to form a United States Boxing Commission (USBC) to oversee professional boxing in the U.S.

The view of Paul Johnson is that what is needed instead of a USBC is the formation of a corporation like the NFL, NBA, etc., which would involve promoters, boxers, trainers, managers, sanctioning bodies, and officials, and have collective bargaining for boxers. We thus discussed how that could occur and how likely it is to happen.

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.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

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:

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.

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/.

Boxer Protests Unfair Treatment of Floyd Mayweather

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 19:05:00 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Paul Johnson

June 14, 2012

Former middleweight boxer Paul Johnson feels so strongly about the treatment of Floyd Mayweather by correction officials in Las Vegas that he left his home in Minnesota to protest in front of the Clark County Detention Center.

Mr. Johnson believes that Floyd Mayweather should serve the full three month sentence imposed by the court for domestic violence. However, the court determined that his actions were a misdemeanor and Mr. Johnson says he should be treated the same as other misdemeanor offenders. He is not. Floyd Mayweather is put in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day, which Mr. Johnson believes is unfair and inhumane treatment. His protest is designed to urge the Clark County Detention Center to find an alternative.

Correction officials in Las Vegas say that Floyd Mayweather is in solitary confinement for his own protection from other inmates in the general population. Johnson’s response is that if the Clark County Detention Center can’t facilitate Mayweather’s isolation other than solitary confinement they should transfer him to a facility which can. After all, the bird man of Alcatraz was isolated from the general population and was not put in the solitary confinement.

Johnson also says that he has been informed that inmates have died while in solitary confinement because of the conditions.

No Holds Barred: Mike Tyson, Keisha Morrisey

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 02:18:00 +0000

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman presents the June 18 news conference in New York featuring former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson, director Spike Lee, and producer James L. Nederlander to announce the opening of the show called "Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth". This one-man, autobiographical show, featuring Mike Tyson and also marking the Broadway directorial debut for Lee, will run for a limited engagement from July 31 to August 5 at the Longacre Theater in Manhattan's Theater District. At the news conference, the media present participated in an extended question-and-answer session with the speakers.

After the news conference, we spoke with our correspondent Keisha Morrisey, who has known Mike Tyson for over 25 years. We discussed whether or not this show, which premiered in Las Vegas in March but may be altered for Broadway, will actually provide the undisputed truth about the controversial life and career of Mike Tyson both inside and outside the ring.

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.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

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:

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.

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/.

No Holds Barred: John Perretti on the Pacquiao-Bradley Debacle and Scandal

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 01:23:00 +0000

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with our senior correspondent and the veteran martial artist John Perretti.

This past Saturday, June 9, once again we saw an outrageous decision in a major boxing match held in Las Vegas, Nevada. With about 99 percent of those watching the Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley fight agreeing that Pacquiao had clearly won the 12-round fight, two of the three judges incredibly gave it to Bradley, giving him a split decision victory, and again exposing the horrific governance in the sport of boxing.

We spoke with John Perretti Monday afternoon by phone about boxing's latest debacle and scandal. We discussed the issue of whether this absurd verdict was the result of incompetence or corruption, and what we actually know now. We examined the role of gambling in fixing results in sports in general. We discussed why having the Nevada authorities investigate this, as promoter Bob Arum has called for, is, in John Perretti's words, like having "Hitler investigate Mussolini."

We also discussed the role of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, the need for the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate this matter, and the need for a U.S. National Combat Sports Commission to oversee professional boxing, mixed martial arts, and kickboxing. We noted the importance of social media in recording and mobilizing popular outrage about this scandal, why this will make it much harder for this debacle to be forgotten with time, and much more.

In addition, we open by presenting an update on the memorial activities for Grand Master Roger Clark, who passed last week at age 47 from a heart attack. In his honor, there will be a free memorial martial arts seminar this Saturday, June 16, at I.S. 292 at 301 Vermont Street in Brooklyn, New York.

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.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

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:

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.

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/.

No Holds Barred: Lateef Kayode, Antonio Tarver, Winky Wright, Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillin, Froch-Bute Classic

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Mon, 28 May 2012 04:28:00 +0000

(Photo courtesy of Showtime)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks previews the Lateef Kayode-Antonio Tarver, Winky Wright-Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillin, and Vusi Malinga-Leo Santa Cruz fights scheduled for June 2, and reviews the dramatic fifth-round TKO by Carl Froch over previously-unbeaten Lucian Bute on May 26.

Lateef Kayode and Antonio Tarver headline a four-fight card to be held at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, and shown in the U.S. on Showtime.

The 43-year-old veteran Antonio Tarver (29-6, 20 KOs) will face the 29-year-old unbeaten Lateef Kayode (18-0, 14 KOs), who was originally from Nigeria, in a 12-round cruiserweight fight, with major title implications. After losing his last two fights and taking a three-year layoff, the 40-year-old Winky Wright (51-5-1, 25 KOs) will return to action to fight the undefeated 28-year-old Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillin (26-0, 20 KOs) in a middleweight bout. Also on that card, 32-year-old South African Vusi Malinga (20-3, 12 KOs) fights the 23-year-old unbeaten Leo Santa Cruz (19-0-1, 11 KOs) for the vacant IBF bantamweight title, and unbeaten WBA super welterweight champ Austin Trout (24-0, 14 KOs) takes on challenger Delvin Rodriguez (26-5-3, 14 KOs).

With the return of the veterans Tarver and Wright, the appearance by African fighters Kayode and Malinga, and the presence of unbeaten rising stars Quillin, Santa Cruz, and Trout, plus the always-exciting Rodriguez, this show has the makings of an historic night of boxing.

We have comments and discussion by Lateef Kayode, Antonio Tarver, Winky Wright, Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillin, Vusi Malinga, and Leo Santa Cruz from their media conference calls held last week. There are many story lines here which will begin to be played out in the ring.

In addition, we open with a commentary on the instant classic between Carl Froch and Lucian Bute. Froch, fighting in his home town of Nottingham, England, but the underdog against the then-unbeaten IBF super middleweight champ Bute, completely dominated this action-packed fight, finishing with a fifth-round TKO in a fight of the year candidate.

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.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

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:

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.

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/.

No Holds Barred: Charles Farrell on Mayweather-Cotto, the Consolation-Prize Fight

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Fri, 04 May 2012 03:41:00 +0000

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

While our main topic was the Floyd Mayweather-Miguel Cotto fight scheduled for May 5 in Las Vegas, our lengthy discussion, which took place by phone Wednesday night, countered the mythology and general propaganda which are widely spread in what is laughingly called the boxing media.

Regarding this fight, likely to be the biggest boxing event of the year, Charles Farrell said, "It's a consolation-prize fight." While he did add, "It's a worthy fight," he elaborated on this theme: "But this isn't the fight that people want. I think it's the fight that we get in light of not being able to get the fight that people want."

We discussed what and who are real in boxing and who are not, including fighters and media, and what is the likeliest outcome of the Mayweather-Cotto fight. We examined the options for both fighters after this fight, especially if Mayweather wins as expected, and why the stigma of losing has prevented many fighters from facing riskier opponents than they often do. We also discussed the many controversial and even absurd verdicts of many boxing judges, how and why boxing especially in America continues to decline, and much more.

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.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

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:

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.

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/.

No Holds Barred: Roger Mayweather, Leonard Ellerbe, Bryan Perez, Richard Schaefer, Keisha Morrisey, and the New Era in Boxing

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 09:44:00 +0000

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the significance of the May 5 fight between Floyd Mayweather and Miguel Cotto being promoted by their own promotional companies with several key figures in this fight.

The unbeaten Mayweather (42-0, 26 KOs), who holds the WBC welterweight title, will be moving up a weight class to face Cotto (37-2, 30 KOs), the WBA super welterweight champion. Mayweather last fought at this weight in 2007, defeating Oscar de la Hoya for the WBC title, before moving back down.
The Mayweather-Cotto fight, slated for Saturday, May 5, in Las Vegas, Nevada, has the distinction of being presented by Mayweather Promotions, Golden Boy Promotions, and Miguel Cotto Promotions.

At the New York news conference for this fight held February 28 at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, we discussed the significance of this promotional arrangement with Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions; Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions; and Bryan Perez, Executive Director of Miguel Cotto Promotions. The consensus seemed to be from all parties in this fight that this represents a new era in boxing. We also asked Richard Schaefer about the drug testing for Mayweather-Cotto, which will be conducted by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

We also spoke about this fight with the outspoken trainer of Floyd Mayweather, his uncle, Roger Mayweather, who discussed the place of his nephew in boxing history.

And we discussed with our long-time colleague and correspondent Keisha Morrisey, who has been invaluable to No Holds Barred, this fight and this new era in boxing, as well as some of the numerous problems plaguing the declining sport 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.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

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:

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

DARE Championship. Based in Thailand, DARE is a mixed martial arts event where fighters from all over the world compete to become the DARE Champion. DARE is one of the first MMA promotions in Thailand, and has been televised in many countries and online. For more information, go to their web site, at DareFightSports.com.

Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

No Holds Barred: Bernard Hopkins, Brother Naazim Richardson, Kristal Hart

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 06:18:00 +0000

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with light heavyweight boxing champion Bernard Hopkins and his trainer, Brother Naazim Richardson, about the rematch between Hopkins and Chad Dawson scheduled for April 28 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. We also speak with New York TV host Kristal Hart of Manhattan Neighborhood Network about this fight. All these discussions were recorded Wednesday at the kickoff New York news conference for this fight.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

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:

No Holds Barred: Andre Ward, Carl Froch, and Boxing Governance

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 15:09:00 +0000

(Photo by: Tom Casino / Showtime)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Super Six World Boxing Classic finalists Andre Ward and Carl Froch, and discusses why the bad governance in boxing made this super middleweight tournament necessary.

On Saturday, December 17, WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward (24-0, 13 KOs) will face WBC super middleweight champion Carl Froch (28-1, 20 KOs) in the finals of the two-year-long Super Six World Boxing Classic. This fight will take place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and will be televised live in the U.S. on Showtime and in the U.K. on Sky Sports. The winner will earn the right to be called the best super middleweight in the world.

We spoke with both Andre Ward and Carl Froch at the kickoff news conference in August for this fight, which had originally been scheduled for October 29 but had to be postponed after Ward suffered a cut during training. We discussed what to expect in this fight, as well as the need for a boxers' union. We also previewed this fight with New York TV host Kristal Hart, whose show airs on Manhattan Neighborhood Network.

In addition, we open with a commentary on why it took an American television network, Showtime, to organize a tournament of the top fighters in the world in this division, when legitimate sports regularly have competitions pitting the best against the best.

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.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

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:

Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman
EddieGoldman.com

No Holds Barred: Amir Khan, Lamont Peterson, Seth Mitchell, Timur Ibragimov

noreply@blogger.com (Eddie Goldman) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 11:03:00 +0000

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews the Amir Khan-Lamont Peterson 140-pound title fight and the Seth Mitchell-Timur Ibragimov heavyweight fight. These bouts will take place Saturday, December 10, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., and will be telecast live in the U.S. on HBO, with the Khan-Peterson fight also being shown live on Sky Sports in the U.K.

Khan (26-1, 18 KOs), from Bolton, Lancashire, U.K., will be defending two major titles against Peterson (29-1-1, 15 KOs), who is fighting in his hometown. Mitchell (23-0-1, 17 KOs) will have the highest profile fight of his career against Ibragimov (30-3-1, 16 KOs).

We spoke with Amir Khan, Lamont Peterson, Peterson's trainer Barry Hunter, Seth Mitchell, and Timur Ibragimov on recent media conference calls. They each revealed their mindsets and told us what to expect in these fights.

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.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

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:

Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.

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/.

The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.