NO HOLDS BARRED

I’m heading down to Atlantic City, NJ, for Saturday night’s debut show of the International Fight League (IFL) at the Trump Taj Mahal. This group is attempting to establish the first mixed martial arts league.

We have had several preview shows of this event on NO HOLDS BARRED. You can hear our interviews with IFL co-founder Kurt Otto and team coaches Pat Miletich and Maurice Smith on the NO HOLDS BARRED page PodOMatic.com or iTunes.

As usual, these shows are free to hear.

While I won’t be taking a computer there, I may be able to put up an audio post after the show, which may be unlabelled until I return home.

And I hope to see some old and new friends at this show.

Every major sport has its featured attractions: The World Cup, the Olympics, the World Series, the Super Bowl, and so on. Despite the absence of a unified heavyweight champion or any vehicle on the horizon to crown one, which is a huge detriment to boxing, and the lack of a consensus number one in this division who is both charismatic and seemingly indomitable, the heavyweights are still battling it out in the ring, and often in entertaining fights. The April 1 Liakhovich-Brewster and April 22 Klitschko-Byrd title bouts certainly provided good evenings of viewing for those of us who crave seeing talented big guys punch each other in the head and body.

While the scandalous activity of boxing’s rulers still prevents the corwning of an undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, there is much more to the heavyweight scene than that defect, however major. That is the theme of my column this week on TheSweetScience.com, called “Stop Whining About the Heavyweights”.

Check it out and leave some comments.

As we have been reporting, the biggest news in the world of combat sports this week involved the biggest athletes in these events: the sumo wrestlers.

Building upon the success of this past October’s World Sumo Challenge at Madison Square Garden, Big Boy Productions, which put on that event, announced that it would be promoting an ambitious 60-plus stop world tour from May 19 to Oct. 21. They also announced the formation of the World Sumo League, with its championships to be held on that final show, also at Madison Square Garden.

The best way to explain how successful this group has already been is to repeat a pilot for our NO HOLDS BARRED show, which covered both the World Sumo Challenge and Mayhem on Mulberry Muay Thai events held in October 2005 in New York. That show, originally called the “No Holds Barred Special Preview 1” and first posted on Dec. 27, 2005, is now presented here in its entirety as a podcast. We also added updates about the new World Sumo League.

Interviewed on that show were former yokozuna Musashimaru, boxing trainer Tommy Gallagher, New York City Sports Commissioner Ken Podziba, Big Boy Productions CEO Noah Goldman, sumo and judo coach Yoshisada Yonezuka, sumo wrestlers Ronny Allman and Sydney Carty, judo legends Teimoc Jonston-Ono and Mike Swain, and muay Thai fighters Brian Robertson and Willow Chanthavong.

To listen to NO HOLDS BARRED, just click here or here or here.

Also, NO HOLDS BARRED is now available through iTunes.

The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

NO HOLDS BARRED is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

Underhook, with Next Level Apparel, the tops in grappling shorts, rashguards, and more.

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

Throwdown Magazine, action lifestyle for extreme sports and the best in combat sports journalism.

King of the Cage, the number one cage fighting promotion on the planet.

Jeff Jarvis of BuzzMachine has written a quite useful op-ed piece in Sunday's Philadelphia Inquirer called “New technology offers solutions”. It discusses the very rocky transition from print to online media which is taking place in all areas of journalism, and has many print cavemen in denial.

Although Jeff has written elsewhere that he dislikes sports, nonetheless his comments on journalism and technology are important to all. Much of the boxing world in particular acts as if the days of the predominance of the daily newspapers will somehow come back, just like Rocky Marciano and Sugar Ray Robinson will once again fight in Yankee Stadium.

Even though print journalism is being eclipsed by the Internet, once in a while they still produce a winner. The cover story in Rolling Stone called “The Worst President in History?” has a classic cover:



Of course, it took almost all of the mainstream media for one historical and cataclysmic disaster after another, from Iraq to New Orleans, to come to this conclusion. The battles against the influence of the corporate and political liars will no doubt continue in the age of Internet journalism, but at least the technology provides the public and the truthtellers with an easier means of communicating with the world.

On this week's edition of SecondsOut Radio, we speak with the brothers Lamont Peterson (16-0, 7 KOs) and Anthony Peterson (16-0, 13 KOs), and their trainer, Barry Hunter. We discuss the lessons of the incredible and inspiring story of how the Petersons, who were homeless children on the streets of Washington DC, rose to become undefeated junior welterweight prospects. Both Lamont and Anthony Peterson fight in separate featured bouts Friday, April 28, on “ShoBox” in the U.S.

We also speak with three victorious fighters from the “Broadway Boxing” show of April 20 in New York: top bantamweight contender Silence Mabuza and his trainer Nick Durandt; up-and-coming undefeated super middleweight Curtis Stevens; and reinvigorated super middleweight Jerson Ravelo.

It is free to listen to SecondsOut Radio, but you must register to gain access to it. Just click here, and listen, learn, and enjoy.

This is the start of a very busy week in the combat sports. If my plans work out, I will be covering the debut show of the International Fight League (IFL) this Saturday, April 29, in Atlantic City, NJ.

So before reporting on the deluge of coverage of boxing and mixed martial arts this week on No Holds Barred, I have been updating my links, to the right of this column.

Here are most of the recent additions to these links, some of which have already been posted. Make sure to check them out and bookmark them:

No Holds Barred on iTunes

AccessWorld

Alertbox: Current Issues in Web Usability

Sophia Ramos

Sophia Ramos on MySpace

COCKTALE CONFESSIONS - Jo Holliday

Doc Holliday's Bar on MySpace

Alyssa of Doc Holliday's on MySpace

Angela of Doc Holliday's on MySpace

Queen Genevieve of Doc Holliday's on MySpace

World Sumo League

Scientific Wrestling Blog

Kenny Rogers

Kenny Rogers on MySpace

NYC Podcasting Association

In a one-sided beatdown, Wladimir Klitschko stopped Chris Byrd at 41 seconds of the seventh round Saturday in Mannheim, Germany, to capture the IBF heavyweight belt.

Klitschko, landing huge straight right hands all night, knocked Byrd down and almost out in the fifth round, and continued to batter him. Klitschko opened the seventh aggressively, dropping Byrd, now cut and bleeding around the eyes, again. Byrd arose unsteadily, retreated to the ropes, and referee Wayne Kelly stopped the fight.

This was a rematch of their fight of October 14, 2000, also in Germany, in which Klitschko won a 12-round unanimous decision after dropping Byrd twice.

Klitschko is now 46-3 with 41 KOs. Byrd is now 39-3-1 with 20 KOs, and suffered his first loss since that first fight with Klitschko.

After the fight, which was shown live in the U.S. on HBO, Byrd admitted, “I was never in the fight.” Klitschko said he next wants to add another heavyweight belt to his collection.

The fight will be rebroadcast on HBO at 10 PM ET/PT Sat. night.

So you think that the American economy is just rolling along, do you? Check out a recent article called “Nuking the Economy” by Paul Craig Roberts.

The article argues – using a method much-ignored in what passes as journalism these days of analyzing FACTS – that “Over the past five years the US economy experienced a net job loss in goods producing activities.”

For those obsessed with examining ideology first rather than facts, consider this: Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration, an Associate Editor of the Wall Street Journal editorial page, and a Contributing Editor to the conservative National Review. The article appears on the predominantly left wing web site CounterPunch which calls itself a “muckraking newsletter edited by Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair” which is pleased that their “readers write in to say how useful they've found our newsletter in their battles against the war machine, big business and the rapers of nature.”

So read this piece and analyze what it says and advocates for yourself. And DO SOMETHING.

You can now listen to, download, and subscribe to "No Holds Barred" at the iTunes Music Store, and, of course, still for free.

Just click here.

The feed URL is also here.

Starting May 19 at Foxwoods, going all over the U.S. and through Europe, South America, Australia, and New Zealand, and ending Oct. 21 at Madison Square Garden, the new World Sumo League announced an ambitious world tour Thursday for its debut season.

Judging from how well-run their World Sumo Challenge event was this past October in Madison Square Garden, this new league has the potential to establish itself quickly as one of the major leagues in the world of combat sports.

Coverage of that October sumo event was featured on a special preview show of "No Holds Barred" in December. Interviewed about that event were former yokozuna Musashimaru, boxing trainer Tommy Gallagher, New York City Sports Commissioner Ken Podziba, Big Boy Productions CEO Noah Goldman, sumo and judo coach Yoshisada Yonezuka, and sumo wrestlers Ronny Allman and Sydney Carty, as well as judo legends Teimoc Jonston-Ono and Mike Swain, and muay Thai fighters Brian Robertson and Willow Chanthavong, about the Mayhem on Mulberry Muay Thai event also held in October 2005 in New York.

You can still listen for free to that show by clicking here.

The World Sumo League also has a new web site, at http://www.ultimatesumo.com/ .

Below is the press release about the World Sumo League’s world tour. (FYI, Noah Goldman, President and CEO of Big Boy Productions, which is putting on these events, is no known relation to me.)

WORLD SUMO LEAGUE ANNOUNCES 2006 MEGA TOUR OF NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, THE UK AND EUROPE

New York, NY -- Building on the success of its first World S.U.M.O. Challenge at Madison Square Garden in New York City on October 22, 2005, the New York-based sports and entertainment production company Big Boy Productions, LLC. has formed the World Sumo League (WSL), a worldwide sports organization that will promote professional Sumo matches at first-class venues in countries all over the world. The WSL will launch this spring with a 2006 Mega Tour that will bring champion Sumo wrestlers to over 60 professional Sumo events and competitions in cities worldwide, including London, Paris, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Amsterdam, Berlin, Budapest, Warsaw, Las Vegas, Santiago, Sydney, Auckland, Buenos Aires, Detroit, Oakland, CA, and New York.

The WSL Mega Tour will feature many of the world’s best Sumo wrestlers from countries including Japan, Mongolia, Poland, Germany, Bulgaria, the United States, Great Britain, Republic of Georgia, The Netherlands, Ukraine, Hungary and Norway. The Sumo wrestlers will be competing for total prize money of over $1,000,000! The ultimate winner has a chance to be crowned the World Sumo League Champion at the Finals on Saturday, October 21, 2006, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Each tour stop will feature round-robin matches with 24 Sumo wrestlers. The WSL will have a Grand Prix Bonus System with points awarded to each of the Sumo wrestlers who win a match in competition. As a Sumo wrestler advances in each round of an evening’s competition, there will be additional bonus points awarded. For example, one (1) point will be awarded for the opening match won; then two (2) additional points for the second match won; five (5) additional points for winning the quarter-final match, ten (10) additional points for winning the semi-final match; and twenty (20) additional points for winning the evening’s competition. The top 24 ranked Sumo wrestlers based on their point standings will be seeded into the season ending WSL Championships at Madison Square Garden on October 21, 2006.

The 2006 WSL Mega Tour will begin with matches at Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Mashantucket, CT, on Friday, May 19, and the Mid Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, NY, on Saturday, May 20. The tour will continue with engagements at The Palace at Auburn Hills, MI, on Friday, May 26; Allstate Arena in Chicago, IL, on Saturday, May 27; Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA on Saturday, June 3; Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, NJ, on Friday, June 9; Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, CA, on Friday, June 16; and Oakland Arena in Oakland, CA, on Saturday, June 17. (Other U.S. tour dates in May and June are awaiting confirmation.)

Following the North American leg, the WSL World Mega Tour will resume in August in Australia and New Zealand; early September in South America; mid to late September in Ireland and the United Kingdom; and conclude late September – mid-October in Europe. The top 24 point-earners on the World Mega Tour will be invited to compete for the 2006 WSL World Championship title at Madison Square Garden in New York City on October 21, 2006.

Tour matches will be taped for television in the US and abroad. Big Boy Productions has an agreement with NBD Television Ltd. in London, England, to distribute the programs worldwide. NBD TV has already sold two 90-minute specials and 26 hour specials from the WSL Mega Tour to Flextech in the UK which will broadcast the series in the summer on its Challenge Channel.

Big Boy Productions, LLC is a New York-based sports and entertainment company that is dedicated to developing world-class Sumo wrestling in the United States and around the globe as a professional sport, and to present professional Sumo competitions in first-class venues worldwide. The company’s chief officers are Noah Goldman, President and CEO, and Jeffrey Daniels, Chairman and COO/Corporate Counsel.

“Sumo has been the fastest growing sport in countries worldwide over the past decade,” said Mr. Goldman. “World-class International sumo is a global phenomenon and there are professional Sumo organizations in more than 80 countries. Because of this growing international appeal, the sport may be added to the Olympics, possibly as early as the 2012 Summer Games.”

“Big Boy is proud to introduce professional Sumo wrestling to audiences all over the world,” said Mr. Daniels. “Sumo wrestlers are amazing athletes who combine power, speed and agility steeped in ancient tradition and spirituality. Big Boy is committed to keeping all the tradition and excitement of the sport alive and creates a recognizable brand which will further enhance the popularity of Sumo worldwide.”

Sumo wrestling is one of the oldest forms of martial arts and Japan’s national sport. The most notable feature of the sport is the size of the athletes, ranging from 200 to 600 pounds. Sumo opponents battle barefoot and wear a mawashi, a traditional loin cover. The object is to throw your opponent outside an 18-foot ring, called a dohyo, or knock him to the ground. Wrestlers use many moves, including the oshi-dashi, or push, to drive an opponent backward, and the tzuki-dashi, or slap, to upset an opponent’s balance.

A typical Sumo match lasts less than one-minute; if a bout goes as long as three-minutes, there is a short pause after which the combatants go at each other again. In addition to fierce aggression, Sumo is a sport with solemn traditions, including a pre-fight ritual where opponents squat facing each other and open their hands to show they have no weapons.

The WSL is dedicated to presenting Sumo wrestling all over the globe as a first-class professional sport. The WSL Mega Tour competitions are spectacular events presented in dramatic fashion. Although the event contains all the spirituality and mystique inherent in traditional Sumo wrestling, it is punctuated by special effects as well as live music provided by Taikoza, a thunderous percussion group that features taiko drums – large barrel-like drums that produce a magnificent sound -- creating a visual and audio treat for spectators.

The WSL Mega Tour will be produced and directed by Ted Kurdyla who has amassed a varied list of credits in film, television, cable and live entertainment throughout his producing career. He has produced and directed live entertainment productions in major venues across the U.S.A., including the World Sumo Challenge at Madison Square Garden in October 2005

The WSL Mega Tour television series and specials will be produced by Ron Honsa, President and Executive Producer of Moving Pictures, the New York-based award-winning creative production company for original programming and a post production leader in nonlinear editing. His company produced the television production of World Sumo Challenge in New York in October 2005, which was subsequently broadcast on numerous occasions on the ESPN Television Network in late 2005 and early 2006.

Big Boy Productions has also established working partnerships with world class leaders in their individual fields to maximize the revenue streams to WSL. They include:

Abrams Gentile Entertainment, Inc (AGE, Inc.), a full service entertainment company which develops, creates, and produces youth consumer products and family brand entertainment, is in charge of licensing the Ultimate S.U.M.O. brand. Founded in 1986, AGE has created and developed many best-selling products and programs including the Power Glove, Sky Dancers®, Dragon Flyz® Kinder-Garden Babies®, Bucky O™Hare, and Shining Stars. AGE has also created and produced over 150 half hours of award-winning children's television and family programming as well as the prime time comedy Diresta for Disney, The Rumsfords for PAX and The Magnificent Ambersons and NY At The Movies for the A&E Network.

Anthill Trading, a New York based global merchandising company that represents some of the most prestigious icons and trademarked properties in music, entertainment, and lifestyle, is in charge of merchandising for the WSL Mega Tour. Its exceptional roster of bands bridges the rock ‘n roll landscape with AC/DC, Blondie, Breaking Benjamin, David Bowie, Deep Purple, Gavin DeGraw, Iggy Pop, Neil Young, Pearl Jam, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, Roxy Music, Sting, and Velvet Revolver. Acclaimed for creative innovations and expertise in music apparel, accessories, collectibles and specialty items, Anthill’s commitment extends brand positioning internationally.

UltraStar Entertainment, LLC, which specializes in providing marketing and content services to major entertainment clients and their fans through community-based subscription clubs delivered over the web, has been engaged to create and maintain WSL’s dynamic new website, www.ultimatesumo.com. Clients include David Bowie, Sting, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and the Rolling Stones. UltraStar infuses each of its online properties with a unique blend of marketing, technology and management expertise. Stars and fans interact in new ways everyday through UltraStar’s communities.

The WSL Mega Tour is being booked worldwide by The Agency Group Ltd., the leading tour booking agency in the world, with offices in London, New York, Los Angeles, Toronto and Scandinavia. The Agency represents a wide variety of artists in all genres of music. Clients include David Gilmour, Nickel back, Alice Cooper, Art Arundel, Foo Fighters, Jurassic 5, Lanyard Skinnier, Method Man, Pink Floyd, Reel Big Fish and The Starting Line.

NBD Television, a leading music specialist in the world TV and DVD rights market, represents the worldwide TV sales of the WSL Mega Tour. NBD has a diverse catalogue including Sports Entertainment, Film and arts documentaries as well as various film categories offering a large selection of classic movies.

When you talk sports with Mo Lawal, who just won his second straight U.S. national freestyle wrestling championship at 185 lbs./84 kg, don’t expect the discussion to stick to just one discipline. Although his greatest notoriety is in the world’s oldest sport of wrestling, and he is one of wrestling’s most colorful and entertaining athletes, Mo also avidly follows many other combat sports, in particular boxing and mixed martial arts, which he points out are all ”cousins.”

On this week's edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, Eddie Goldman speaks with Mo Lawal. We discuss his victory at the 2006 U.S. National Wrestling Championships and his preparation for the U.S. World Team Trials in May and the World Championships in September in China. We discuss the new international wrestling rules. We also discuss the development of Real Pro Wrestling leagues in the U.S., in which Mo was also a champion last season, and in Iran. And we discuss boxing and its relation to wrestling, as well as mixed martial arts.

To listen to NO HOLDS BARRED, just click here or here or here.

The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

NO HOLDS BARRED is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

Underhook, with Next Level Apparel, the tops in grappling shorts, rashguards, and more.

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

Throwdown Magazine, action lifestyle for extreme sports and the best in combat sports journalism.

King of the Cage, the number one cage fighting promotion on the planet.

My latest weekly column on TheSweetScience.com has been posted.

It is titled “‘Broadway Boxing’ Gets a TV Home of Its Own”.

The article discusses the new arrangement between DiBella Entertainment’s “Broadway Boxing” series in New York and the new television network SportsNet New York (SNY), which debuted in March of this year and primarily features New York Mets’ games. Interviewed are both Lou DiBella, president of DiBella Entertainment, and Jon Litner, president of SportsNet New York.

The article goes on to critique HBO’s replay of the April 8 Mayweather-Judah fight for not providing more discussion of that fight’s tenth-round in-ring brawl, as well as the resulting disciplinary hearing held last week by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

And it closes with another blast at Sports Illustrated for poor reporting on boxing by labeling all the recent heavyweight title victors and challengers from Eastern Europe as being “Russians.”

On this week's edition of SecondsOut Radio, host Eddie Goldman discusses the April 22 IBF heavyweight title fight in Mannheim, Germany. Headlining that card will be champion Chris Byrd facing challenger Wladimir Klitschko. These two first fought Oct. 14, 2000, also in Germany, with Klitschko winning a 12-round unanimous decision and knocking Byrd down twice. Since then, however, Byrd has not lost a fight, while Klitschko, in 12 subsequent fights, has been stopped by Corrie Sanders and Lamon Brewster.

We speak with both Chris Byrd and Wladimir Klitschko, as well as Klitschko’s trainer, Emanuel Steward.

It is free to listen to SecondsOut Radio, but you must register to gain access to it. Just click here, and listen, learn, and enjoy.

It is now official, y’all: I, yours truly, am the King of the Trailer Park of Doc Holliday’s Bar!

The lovely and very perfect Alyssa, pictured to the right, announced it on her MySpace blog Monday afternoon, at a packed press conference in an alley on East 9th St., or something like that.

Anyway, here is her post:

Monday, April 17, 2006

KING OF THE TRAILER PARK!

Current mood: bouncy

the ballots are in... the votes have been casted.........Doc Hollidays King of the Trailer Park is (drum roll please........) Eddie Goldman!!!!

If I knew how to put pictures in my blog, I would post a giant picture of him....

With his General Lee t shirt, and his overalls, and his mullet,all those redneck jokes and his body hair, it just is unfair for me to call it a competetion. Hands down, Eddie is officially King of the Trailer Park.

To Eddie: come next week to claim your prize. hee hee hee. and if you would like to stick a redneck joke or 2 in the comment section of the blog feel free..... Sorry it took me so long to get this out. xoxo~ alyssa

NEXT WEEK: well be looking for his Queen... Ladies, dress the part!!!

This is very humbling. I’ve been training in bars for four decades for this moment. I want to thank everyone who made this moment possible, especially those professionals who work behind the bar who kept the beer cold, the conversation hot, and the vibes cool. And in particular the ones who showed me their …. never mind.

Just a few minor corrections to Alyssa’s proclamation are in order: I wasn’t wearing overalls, but my fancy jeans, the Wrangler’s, and not the K-Mart Route 66 brand (they were dirty). My hair is long, but not really a mullet, more Big Kenny or Shooter Jennings long (where it still grows anyway). Several of my friends have advised me not to cut it, so it’s easier to listen to them than waste time with someone pointing a scissors at my neck. And the body hair, thank you, is all natural and came with the package. No waxed metrosexuals need apply to the Trailer Park.

As Alyssa said, this coming Thursday will see the crowning of a Queen, assuming she doesn’t get tossed out of the bar before her coronation. I plan to be covering the fights at the Manhattan Center that evening, so will try to get over when they are done. In the meantime, since Alyssa requested it, below is my brief redneck monologue, already approved by a friend who says she knows plenty of people just like this:

I was gonna go out tonight after I got my sister out of jail. She was busted for stealing DVD’s at the mall. And of Larry the Cable Guy movies!

I said, “Sis, why did you steal THOSE? We taped them already from the TV!” She answered, “I know, but I hocked the VCR for some beer money.”

So she was kinda embarrassed about it all and tried to make it up by jerking me off. Well, just a little. Until our cousin came over. She hadn’t seen him in a while, and they wanted to be alone, so I left.

Sis and I are going to visit our ma and pa in the cemetery tomorrow. That’s where they work. They sell flowers. These crying rich folks come in and all the time forget to bring flowers. So ma and pa sell some to them, wait till they leave, and take ‘em back off the grave and re-sell them again. Hell, these folks ain’t coming back before a couple of years anyway, and how are the dead ones gonna know at all?

Me and sis once got it on in a grave. But we got caught. By our cousins, who were doing the same thing. And they ain’t even married!

The 2006 U.S. National Wrestling Championships were held this past weekend in Las Vegas. USA Wresting has all the results in its special section on this event.

There will be a two-hour special telecast of this event on CSTV starting this Friday, April 21. Here is the schedule, all times EDT:

Fri., Apr. 21 9:00 PM
Sat., Apr. 22 2:00 AM
Sat., Apr. 22 8:00 AM
Sat., Apr. 22 9:00 PM
Sun., Apr. 23 6:00 AM
Wed., Apr 26 7:30 PM
Thurs., Apr. 27 8:00 AM
Fri., Apr 28 2:30 PM

Make sure to check your local listings.

The 2006 U.S. National Wrestling Championships got underway Friday at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The finals in Greco-Roman wrestling and men’s and women’s freestyle wrestling are set for Sat., April 15.

USA Wrestling, which still easily runs the best wrestling web site in the world, has an extensive special section explaining all the details. It is here, so check it often.

The Nationals is the main qualifying event for the World Team Trials, which in turn produce the U.S. World Team which will compete in the World Championships. The Men’s World Team Trials will be held in Sioux City, Iowa, May 27-28. The Women’s World Team Trials will be held in Colorado Springs, Colo., June 30. The World Championships of Wrestling in all three styles will be held this year Sept. 25-Oct. 1 in Guangzhou, China.

The finals of this year’s Nationals will be webcast live by LiveSportsVideo.com.

The times are from 6-8:30 PM PDT/9-11:30 PM PDT, Sat., April 15. Click here to find info on how to buy the event, which goes for just $4.95.

New York's best bartender has a new blog.

Jo Holliday of Doc Holliday's Bar has started a regularly updated blog called COCKTALE CONFESSIONS.

Ain't it funny how they have the same last name – is she married to her job?!?

Make sure to drink this all in. You will learn all sorts of behind-the-scenes info about the bar world, as well as keen insights on what is going on in the minds of your favorite or would-be favorite bartenders.

And when you get to Doc's, which is a must-visit journey, tip her very, very well.

Once again my weekly column on TheSweetScience.com has been posted.

It is called “My Sworn Enemies”. It explains how the Time Warner Cable monopoly once again failed to deliver properly a pay-per-view, this time last Saturday’s Mayweather-Judah fight, thus causing me to miss it. And it goes farther and discusses the damage being done to boxing by another arm of this same media monster, HBO, by calling this fight “Sworn Enemies”, as well as other destructive actions taken by them.

Not surprisingly, as I arrived home after Wednesday’s Baldomir-Gatti press conference, one of my two very legal and expensive Time Warner digital cable boxes went out. The phone rep, even when she bothered listening to what I was saying rather than whomever else she was chatting with at the time, was of no help. I asked to be put through to a supervisor and was told I would be transferred to one when one was available. As I write this, I am hanging up after being on hold for several minutes.

On this week's edition of SecondsOut Radio, we discuss the upcoming June 10 card at New York’s Madison Square Garden, headlined by the undefeated WBO 140-pound champion Miguel Cotto of Caguas, Puerto Rico, taking on the undefeated Paulie Malignaggi of Brooklyn, NY. We hear the statements of both Cotto and Malignaggi at the recent pre-fight press conference. We also speak with Malignaggi after the formal part of the press conference. We speak with Lou DiBella, Malignaggi’s promoter. We get comments from journalist and former light heavyweight world champion Jose Torres. And we speak with Notre Dame football safety Tommy Zbikowski, who is making his pro boxing debut on this card.

It is free to listen to SecondsOut Radio, but you must register to gain access to it. Just click here, and listen, learn, and enjoy.

On this week's edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, Eddie Goldman speaks with former UFC, Extreme Fighting, and world heavyweight kickboxing champion Maurice Smith.

Maurice is now the coach of the Tiger Sharks team in the new mixed martial arts league, the International Fight League (IFL).

This organization has its debut show Sat., April 29, in Atlantic City, and will be televised on tape delay on Fox Sports Net in the U.S.

To listen to “No Holds Barred”, just click here or here or here.

The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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

Underhook, with Next Level Apparel, the tops in grappling shorts, rashguards, and more.

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

Throwdown Magazine, action lifestyle for extreme sports and the best in combat sports journalism.

King of the Cage, the number one cage fighting promotion on the planet.

Once again our local cable company, Slime Warner Cable of New York City, proved its worth.

I tried to be a good boy for once and encouraged people to have a Mayweather-Judah pay$per$view party Saturday night. I then went over to watch this show with Aaron Braunstein in his snazzy Upper West Side apartment. We were to be joined by my friend and media colleague, Cynthia Chaplin.

But for some still unknown reason, we couldn’t order the show through his legal, digital cable box.

Worse, all the pay$per$view channels displayed the same phone number to call to place an order – (718) 358-0900. That number was busy for over an hour-and-a-half, till after 10:30 PM. So we all got disgusted and gave up.

It is one problem after another with this evil cable monopoly. It is just too bad that part of the purse of the fighters is tied to the total amount of buys. If you can’t order it, they get less money on their big payday. Time Warner, of course, is still there to suck its customers dry for the next one and the next one and the next one.

So I ended up going home and speaking on the phone to freestyle wrestling champion Mo Lawal, who is also a huge boxing fan. He was watching the fight with friends at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, so I got the play-by-play over the phone of the last few rounds of Mayweather-Judah, including the brawl after the tenth round, and the results.

This coming weekend in Las Vegas, Mo wrestles in the U.S. National Wrestling Championships. As the defending national champion, he is ranked number one at 185 lbs./84 kg and favored to repeat.

After this little adventure, I did get a chance to head down to the 12th anniversary celebration at Doc Holliday’s Bar. Now that was a load of fun and everything that it was cracked up to be, unlike anything involving the politician-supported cable monopoly.

HBO did announce a replay schedule of Mayweather-Judah. It will be rebroadcast Sat., April 15, at 9:30 PM ET/PT on HBO. It also will be replayed on HBO2 on Sunday, April 16, at 8:00 AM and 5:30 PM, and Tuesday, April 18, at 11:00 PM, all times also ET/PT.

That is, unless your cable goes out again.

So you don’t want to fork over $44.95 to watch tonight’s pay$per$view headlined by the fight between welterweights Floyd Mayweather Jr., almost everyone’s top pound-for-pound fighter, and Zab Judah, he who holds that tainted belt which he retained after losing to Carlos Baldomir Jan. 7 in Madison Square Garden. Even a hot undercard, featuring flyweight slugger Jorge Arce facing former champ Rosendo Alvarez, and exciting and undefeated WBA lightweight champ Juan Diaz against undefeated Jose Miguel Cotto, don’t do it for you.

With a mountain of fees just to receive cable or satellite, to subscribe to premium networks, and even to keep the electricity on where you live, the omnipresent blizzard of pay shows in boxing and other forms of combat sports real and imagined makes it easy to pass up all but the most scintillating. Plus, the main event will likely be on HBO next week anyway, and available to you assuming that you pay the fee for that service.

So what to do, fight fans, if you want to see it live but don’t want to jack up your bill into three digits?

Here’s a suggestion, one I follow many times: Have a pay$per$view party! Have some people over or go over to someone else’s place. Share the cost of the show. Share the cost of refreshments and munchies. Share the fun and excitement of seeing it live. And, of course, all this is perfectly legal and even expected by the millionaire moguls who put on these shows on these billion dollar networks.

That’s what I plan to do tonight. And if we get done in time, I may even be able to catch the end of the celebration of the 12th anniversary of Doc Holliday’s Bar.

Plus, you can still listen to our discussions with both Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Zab Judah on SecondsOut Radio.

It is free to listen to SecondsOut Radio, but you must register to gain access to it. Just click here, and listen, learn, and enjoy.

Plus, since you're probably smart and/or savvy since you're reading my blog, check out my latest column on TheSweetScience.com entitled “Victorious Sons of a Fallen Empire”.

My latest column on TheSweetScience.com is up.

Entitled “Victorious Sons of a Fallen Empire”, it not only explains the background to the recent success of so many Eastern European heavyweights such as Sergei Liakhovich of Belarus, who captured the WBO heavyweight belt from Lamon Brewster last Saturday, but also delves much deeper.

Let’s just say that it is a capsule “History of the 20th Century and 21st So Far as Seen Through Boxing's Prism”. And in about 1700 words.

A video showing highlights of Wednesday’s press conference for Tom Brands being named head wrestling coach at Iowa is available to watch for free on youtube.com here.

As we discussed on this week’s edition of No Holds Barred, the University of Iowa Hawkeyes named Tom Brands head wrestling coach Wednesday.

Here is the Iowa Wrestling press release:

Wrestling Contact: Traci Wagner
April 5, 2006

IOWA WRESTLING
BRANDS NAMED HEAD COACH

IOWA CITY, IA -- Former Hawkeye wrestler Tom Brands, a 1996 Olympic gold medalist and four-time all-American has been named head wrestling coach at the University of Iowa. The three-time national champion and member of wrestling’s Hall of Fame was introduced to the media by Iowa Director of Athletics Bob Bowlsby at a press conference this afternoon. He is only the eighth wrestling coach at the University of Iowa.

“We are very pleased and proud to have Tom Brands returning to lead our wrestling program,” said Bowlsby. “The Iowa program is one of the most decorated sports programs in all of intercollegiate athletics and with that comes very lofty expectations. We feel that Tom is capable of meeting those expectations and further contributing to our achievements. We also feel that Coach Brands will lead the program with high integrity and that he will support our team members in all areas of their experiences on our campus.”

Brands served as head coach at Virginia Tech University for two seasons (2005-06), recording a 17-20 dual mark. In his first season with the Hokies, Brands led the team to the 2005 regular season Atlantic Coast Conference title, set a school record for dual meet wins (16) and had a school-record five wrestlers qualify for the NCAA Championships. During his tenure, Virginia Tech crowned five conference champions and two all-Americans. Senior heavyweight Mike Faust was named 2006 ACC Wrestler of the Year.

Prior to taking the helm at Virginia Tech, Brands was an assistant coach at Iowa for 12 seasons (1993-2004). He helped the Hawkeyes to a 177-27 dual record, seven NCAA and eight Big Ten titles, while crowning 23 NCAA Champions, 73 all-Americans and 36 Big Ten Champions. He was named National Wrestling Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year in 2000.

In 2004, he was one of three coaches for the U.S. Olympic freestyle wrestling team, participating in Athens. Brands also served as assistant coach for the 2002 and 2003 U.S. Freestyle World Teams, earning Freestyle Coach of the Year honors from USA Wrestling both years. He was also a member of the U.S. coaching staff at the 2001 World Championships, and has coached a number of other U.S. teams in international competition.

As a competitor, Brands won the 1996 Olympic freestyle gold medal at 136.5 pounds in Atlanta, GA. He also won a gold medal at the 1993 World Freestyle Championships in Toronto, two World Cup gold medals (1994, 1995) and was the 1995 Pan American Games champion. He won four U.S. Nationals titles (1993-96) and made four straight U.S. World or Olympic teams (1993-96). Along with his twin brother, Terry, Tom was named 1993 USA Wrestling Athlete of the Year, the 1993 John Smith Outstanding Freestyle Wrestler and 1993 Amateur Wrestling News Man of the Year. He was inducted into wrestling’s Hall of Fame in 2001.

Brands was a four-time all-American at Iowa (1989-92). During his Hawkeye career, he won three NCAA titles and was named Outstanding Wrestler of the 1992 NCAA Championships. Also a three-time Big Ten champion, Brands won 95 percent of his matches at Iowa. His career mark of 158-7-2, included an undefeated season in 1991 (45-0).

The Sheldon, IA, native was born April 9, 1968. He earned his B.S. degree in physical education from Iowa in 1992. He and his wife, Jeni, have three children, Madigan, Kinsee and Tommy.

Tom Brands At Iowa

1989-92 -- 126-134 pounds
· Won gold medal at 1996 Olympics
· Four-time all-American
· Three-time NCAA Champion
· Three-time Big Ten Champion
· Outstanding Wrestler at 1992 NCAA Championships
· Career record was 158-7-2
· Holds school record for best season winning percentage (1.00 in 1991 and 1992) with 12 other Hawkeyes
· Ranks second in school history in season wins (45 in 1991) and career wins (158)
· Ranks third in career winning percentage (.952), seventh in career pins (46) and eighth in season wins (41 in 1992) in school history.

Year W-L-D (Wt.) NCAA Finish Big Ten Finish
1988-89 32-4-2 (126) 4th 1st
1989-90 40-2-0 (134) 1st 2nd
1990-91 45-0-0 (134) 1st 1st
1991-92 41-1-0 (134) 1st 1st
Career 158-7-2

If you haven’t yet checked out the rockin’ and innovative acts of the “Redneck Woman” Gretchen Wilson and Big & Rich, or you just can’t get enough of their countrified soul, they each will be performing tonight, Wed., April 5, via mass media.

At 9:30 PM EDT, Gretchen Wilson will headline a live performance from Atlanta to be webcast on AOL via Network Live. The info is here.

Also tonight, Big & Rich will be performing on NBC’s “The Tonight Show”, which starts at 11:34 PM EDT (yes, that’s the start time listed on NBC.com’s schedule). Make sure to check your local listings.

Now, with all this massive mainstream media attention, don’t you think it is time for them to be booked at Madison Square Garden? They’d sell the joint out, no doubt.

On this week's edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, we have a special all-grappling show.

Host Eddie Goldman speaks with Kid Peligro, both a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and a leading journalist in that sport and art, about this weekend’s PanAmerican Jiu-Jitsu Championship being held April 7-9 in California State University Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. We also discuss Rickson Gracie’s Budo Challenge, held this past October in Los Angeles, and the state of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

We speak as well with former college wrestler and veteran wrestling journalist Bob Mayeri about the recent coaching changes at two legendary college wrestling powerhouses, the University of Iowa and Iowa State, and the state of college wrestling in the U.S.

To listen to "No Holds Barred", just click on one of these links:

http://www.kingofthecage.com/videos/nhb5mp3

http://nhbnews.podomatic.com

http://www.nowpublic.com/node/40664

The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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

Underhook, with Next Level Apparel, the tops in grappling shorts, rashguards, and more.

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

Throwdown Magazine, action lifestyle for extreme sports and the best in combat sports journalism.

King of the Cage, the number one cage fighting promotion on the planet.

When Zab Judah was upset on Jan. 7 at Madison Square Garden by the unheralded Carlos Baldomir, the plans for an April 8 showdown between Judah and the unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr., atop most observers’ pound-for-pound lists, almost imploded. The unanimous decision victory by Baldomir earned him Judah’s WBC welterweight belt, but since he had only paid sanctioning fees to them and not the WBA or IBF, whose belts Judah also, we were told, was defending that night, he did not win those titles. Instead, Judah lost his distinction of being the WBA “super champion” since he no longer held multiple belts, but did retain his IBF belt for reasons so absurd which only perhaps Lewis Carroll or Dr. Seuss could explain.

But promoters Bob Arum and Don King, along with HBO Pay$Per$View, all decided to go ahead with this Judah-Mayweather fight anyway. From the start, its justification to the public and the media was fraught with nonsense. The fight was billed as being for the “world welterweight championship,” and is still described by HBO as being “a blockbuster showdown for Judah's IBF welterweight title”. Yup, and Saddam Hussein is still the president of Iraq.

Then the marketing types came up with the moniker “Sworn Enemies!” for this fight. To their credit, both Mayweather and Judah repeatedly stressed that they each respect the other, that they do not hate each other, but that they do have a job to do in the ring April 8. Someone must have thought that they were promoting this past Sunday’s major pay-per-view, “Wrestle”-mania.

After this very bad start for this promotion, however, it soon began to sink in that this indeed may be a worthwhile fight, despite the aforementioned rubbish.

Mayweather, 29, has a record of 35-0 with 24 KOs, but is only in his second fight at welterweight. Whether or not he can be as successful in this division as he has been at lower weights remains to be seen in the ring.

Judah, 28, is 34-3 with 1 no contest and 25 KOs. As has been pointed out numerous times in the build-up to this fight, the loss to Baldomir puts him on the hot seat. He must fight well, or his next stop might be Palookaville, Margaritaville, or anywhere other than the main event in places like the major Las Vegas casinos and Madison Square Garden, and major television exposure on pay-per-view. He thus should, if logic can ever be our guide in boxing, be expected to perform far, far better than he did in January in his listless outing against Baldomir.

In addition, while Judah’s retention of the IBF belt was a preposterous move by this alphabet soup body, almost all the independent rankings polls have both fighters rated in the top four at welterweight (except The Ring, which still, as of March 29, 2006, inexplicably has Mayweather at 140). Thus, if you look beyond this title madness, you end up with a fight between two top fighters, with one, Judah, desperate to stay at the top of the sport, and the other, Mayweather, already there but trying to meet new challenges.

Further, the HBO pay-per-view, perhaps because of the tainted title situation of its main event, has at least two worthwhile and intriguing fights as co-features.

Jorge Arce, 43-3-1 with 32 KOs, from Los Mochis, Mexico, and one of the most exciting fighters in all of boxing today, takes on the veteran former two-division champ Rosendo Alvarez, 37-2-2 with 24 KOs, from Managua, Nicaragua. This fight will be for Arce’s WBC interim flyweight belt, but more importantly it could be another step in the emergence of Arce as a star with electrifying punching power reminiscent of a young Mike Tyson, while being a better boxer, and without the drama.

Also on this card will be the undefeated University of Houston student Juan Diaz, 28-0 with 14 KOs, from Houston, TX, defending his WBA lightweight belt against the undefeated Jose Miguel Cotto, 27-0 with 19 KOs, from Caguas, Puerto Rico. This Cotto is the older brother of the undefeated WBO junior welterweight champ, Miguel Cotto. Both Diaz and Cotto are known as bangers, so expect some fireworks here as well.

On this week's edition of SecondsOut Radio, host Eddie Goldman speaks with both Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Zab Judah about their fight Sat. night, April 8, in Las Vegas.

It is free to listen to SecondsOut Radio, but you must register to gain access to it. Just click here, and listen, learn, and enjoy.

The New York Times has just redesigned their web site.

They asked for comments, so this is what I sent late Sunday night to the address they gave, feedback@nytimes.com , about their new design and the issue of accessibility:

The new nytimes.com design is more cluttered than previously and uses lighter fonts which make it harder for people with vision problems such as myself to read. At first glance, it appears a step backwards in terms of accessibility.

These are all far cleaner and easier to read:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/global/

http://www.latimes.com/

All I have received back so far is an automated response. We’ll see in due time how seriously they take the issue of accessibility.

Usually I get asked what I want for my birthday, which was March 22, the week before last. And usually I tell folks to save their money, as I detest rituals.

But now, belatedly, I have found something that I want: A real cowboy hat made from a real beer case.



And who said I ain't into fashion?!?

Photo by:Tom Casino/SHOWTIME(c)

Showtime caption: Sergei Liakhovich (right) connects with an overhand right to the head of Lamon Brewster (left) during their world title bout Saturday on SHOWTIME.

Despite being a huge underdog and having remained inactive for the past 16 months, Belarus native Liakhovich shocked the sports world by scoring a 12-round unanimous decision (117-110, 115-112 and 115-113) over champion Brewster to capture the WBO heavyweight crown.

One of the most thrilling heavyweight fights in recent years aired live on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT from the Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University in Cleveland, Ohio, and was presented at a special time to accommodate fans who tuned in to the NCAA’s Men’s Final Four on CBS. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING broadcast also was part of a SHOWTIME Free Preview Weekend (March 31-April 3) in which the network opened its signal to 45 million TV households nationwide.

Using a good jab, rights to the body, and outworking his opponent, Sergei Liakhovich survived a seventh-round knockdown to win a 12-round unanimous decision and upset Lamon Brewster to capture the WBO heavyweight title Saturday night in Cleveland, Ohio. Scores were 115-113, 115-112, and 117-110, all for Liakhovich.

Each fighter had the other in trouble several times in what was one of the most action-packed heavyweight title fights in years. There is already talk of a rematch, although what happens next remains to be seen.

In the U.S., this fight was shown live on Showtime. The replay schedule will be posted soon.

From Don King Productions:

BREWSTER vs. LIAKHOVICH
World Boxing Organization Heavyweight Championship
Wolstein Center ● Cleveland ● Saturday, April 1, 2006

UNDERCARD POST-FIGHT QUOTES

Ray Austin: "They don't recognize me but I'm the IBF No. 2 ranked contender. Byrd or Klitschko, either one I don't care. It's time for some rain and I'm gonna bring it."

Kevin McBride: “My timing was off a wee bit not having fought in 10 months but this man was not going to hurt me. I’m just glad to be back in action and fighting for Don King. Every fight I gain experience. I’m on the road to winning a world title. I want the Russian giant Nicolai Valuev.”

“I dedicate this fight to Charlie Ross, the Boston fight writer that died this week that gave me the name Clones Colossus.”

LAMON BREWSTER-SERGEI LIAKHOVICH POST-FIGHT QUOTES

LAMON BREWSTER:

“Liakhovich deserved to win. He earned it. I take my hat off to him. He won and we have a rematch. I cannot wait to do it again. He fought a good fight and is a good fighter. We both deserve to be at the top.

“I stayed on my feet in round nine from sheer will.”

BUDDY McGIRT: “I’m sorry Lamon lost the title but we’ll go back to the drawing board. We’ll be back.”

SERGEI LIAKHOVICH:

“Lamon was a real great champion. I know he hits real hard with power and has lots of will but I answered him every time. Then he felt my power.

“After the fourth round I knew I was controlling the fight but Lamon hits like a mule. I felt like I did the right thing when I took a knee at the end of round seven. I almost sent him down twice too.

“I would love to fight Wladimir Klitschko. They say I’m scared in the Russian press. I am afraid of nobody.”

KENNY WELDON (Sergei’s trainer):

“Sergei Liakhovich is the best boxing heavyweight in the world and he punches with power in both hands. He is a complete fighter that has come into his own. Remember, he did this to Lamon Brewster after a 16-month layoff.

IVAYLO GOTZEV (Sergei’s manager): I will personally send trucks to the doorsteps of the television networks and pay the dumping charges after they’re loaded with all of the older heavyweights so the public can see the new generation of heavyweights like Sergei and see for themselves what they have been missing.”

Showtime press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LIAKHOVICH UPSETS BREWSTER TO WIN WBO HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE BY SCORING 12-ROUND UNANIMOUS DECISION ON SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING

From The Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio

World Championship Bout Will Be Replayed First Time on SHO Extreme Monday, April 3, At 11 p.m. ET/PT

CLEVELAND (April 2, 2006) – The Cold War may be over, but the Russians refuse to go away. Despite being a huge underdog and having remained inactive for the past 16 months, Belarus native Sergei Liakhovich shocked the sports world by scoring a 12-round unanimous decision over champion Lamon Brewster to capture the WBO heavyweight title Saturday on SHOWTIME.

One of the most thrilling heavyweight fights in recent years aired live on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT from the Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University in Cleveland, Ohio, and was presented at a special time to accommodate fans who tuned in to the NCAA’s Men’s Final Four on CBS. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING broadcast also was part of a SHOWTIME Free Preview Weekend (March 31-April 3) in which the network opened its signal to 45 million TV households nationwide.

Liakhovich (23-1, 14 KOs), of Scottsdale, Ariz., by way of Vitebsk, Belarus, won the last five rounds on one scorecard, the final four on another and three out of the last four rounds on the third scorecard to win his first world title. Judge Phil Rogers scored it 117-110, Tom Miller had it 115-112, while Dana DePaolo tallied it 115-113.

“I answered Brewster every time,” Liakhovich said. “Then, he felt my power.”

The new WBO heavyweight champion overcame a seventh-round trip to the canvas and utilized both a punishing left jab and overhand right to take control in the late stanzas. After the bout, Liakhovich had nothing but praise for his counterpart.

“Brewster was a real great champion,” Liakhovich said. “He hits real hard with power and has lots of will. After the fourth round, I knew I was controlling the fight, but Brewster hits like a mule. I felt like I did the right thing when I took a knee at the end of round seven. I almost sent him down twice, too.”

Brewster (33-3, 29 KOs), of Los Angeles, scored the lone knockdown when he sent Liakhovich to one knee with only seconds remaining in the seventh round. Despite seeing his nine-bout winning streak come to an end, Brewster displayed the heart of a champion throughout and was gracious in defeat.

“Liakhovich deserved to win,” Brewster said. “He earned it. I take my hat off to him. He won and we have a rematch. I cannot wait to do it again. He fought a good fight and is a good fighter. We both deserve to be at the top.

“I stayed on my feet in round nine from sheer will.”

SHOWTIME broadcasters Steve Albert and Al Bernstein praised the heart displayed by both fighters.

“This was one of the best heavyweight championship fights in years,” Albert said. “It was even more pronounced because it comes on the heels of recent heavyweight fights that have been lackluster. Boxing needed this – an exciting, competitive and compelling heavyweight fight. It clearly got it.”

“Liakhovich gave a tremendously complete performance and he needed to,” Bernstein said. “Brewster hit him with some tremendous punches. This fight was not only exciting, but it was skillfully fought. That is something we do not always see in the heavyweight division.

“I cannot wait for the rematch.”

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING’s Albert and Bernstein called the action from ringside with Karyn Bryant serving as roving reporter. The producer of the SHOWTIME telecast was David Dinkins Jr. with Bob Dunphy directing.

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING celebrates 20 years of hard-hitting, explosive programming in 2006. In March 1986, SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING was born when “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler defeated John “The Beast” Mugabi in a spectacular and unforgettable 11th-round knockout in Las Vegas. Since that time, the network has aired some of the most historic and significant events in the sport including both Holyfield-Tyson bouts.

Always at the forefront of boxing, SHOWTIME has set itself apart by telecasting “great fights, no rights” on the first Saturday of every month. SHOWTIME is the first network to regularly deliver live boxing in High Definition. In addition, SHOWTIME continues to be a pioneer in sports television with a number of interactive features across multiple platforms making SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecasts the most enjoyable, immersive viewing experience for the boxing audience.

For information on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING and “ShoBox: The New Generation” telecasts, including complete fighter bios and records, related stories and more, please go the SHOWTIME website at http://www.sho.com/boxing.