Tuesday, August 08, 2006
NO HOLDS BARRED: Jim Lampley, Thomas Hauser, Jose Torres, Damon Dash - Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts
On this week's edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman, who lives in both these worlds, discusses boxing and mixed martial arts.
We speak with two critics of mixed martial arts who are primarily from the world of boxing, Jim Lampley of HBO and Thomas Hauser of SecondsOut.com. They state their opinions, which are both discussed and also analyzed for some of their positive and negative points.
We also speak with former light heavyweight boxing champion Jose Torres about what he is doing today.
And we speak with hip-hop entrepreneur Damon Dash about why he has recently entered the world of boxing on the promotional side.
To listen to NO HOLDS BARRED, just click here or here or here.
Also, NO HOLDS BARRED is available through iTunes.
The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.
The NO HOLDS BARRED theme song is called "The Heist", by musician Ian Carpenter.
NO HOLDS BARRED is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
Chinchek Sports Wear, your online store for mixed martial arts, boxing, and kickboxing clothing, including shirts, fight shorts, hoodies, hats, and more. Wear what the pros like Frank Shamrock, Chris Lytle, and Ron Waterman wear.
BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.
King of the Cage, the number one cage fighting promotion on the planet.
The only person to address in this interview is Lampley but then again he is so old school that he doesn't want to recognize that there is a shift coming for combat sports. I like to think of MMA as an American Martial Art. Much like how BJJ took from Japanese JJ and made changes.. MMA took from all martial arts and became refined in the US. The idea and concept of integrating ground martial arts and standup martial arts may be new but the components have been around for many centuries.
Sure you can argue that vale tudo is the original MMA but you can also say that catch or the old time carny shows where a toughman took on all comers is just as legitimate a precursor to MMA.
I really think the best way to educate the boxing population is by shows like Spike's Ultimate Fighter. The fight at the end of the night is interesting but its the training and the people on the show that is really pushing the sport forward. Lampley's argument about the "sweet science" doesn't hold up as much when you watch these fighters train and see there is a lot more science to what they are doing than he fully understands. I had this same problem as a wrestler in high school. There are a lot of people who just see two guys rolling around pushing and pulling.. they don't see the footwork.. the use of leverage.. action/reaction of movement. Jiujitsu/judo/catch just adds more layers to wrestling and the ground game that the uninitiated can comprehend.
Lampley obviously has spent some time at boxing matches and in boxing gyms.. I would like to learn about his opinion after spending some time cageside and at MMA gyms. I really think his opinion would change.
Keep up the good work. Keep pushing ahead.
--Alex
: 4:49 PM1 Comments:
Hey Eddie.. good show. This debate can definitely go on and on. I really wanted to hear their opinions but at the same time it was frusterating because they seemed very unknowledgeable about the sport. Lampley probably has a better idea of MMA but is still lacking info. Hauser's knowledge is still from UFC 1-5. He needs some updating. Jose Torres didn't seem to understand a single thing you were saying or he was dodging the question. I think as a boxer the damage he took is affecting him today. Damon Dash is an interesting pick because I did watch his reality TV show which was supposed to be like Trump's The Apprentice but a little more ghetto. I really think an entrepeneur like Dash could really bring MMA on board especially in the East Coast because he has the money, the business skills and contacts and the passion for boxing (which hopefully could be transferred to MMA).
The only person to address in this interview is Lampley but then again he is so old school that he doesn't want to recognize that there is a shift coming for combat sports. I like to think of MMA as an American Martial Art. Much like how BJJ took from Japanese JJ and made changes.. MMA took from all martial arts and became refined in the US. The idea and concept of integrating ground martial arts and standup martial arts may be new but the components have been around for many centuries.
Sure you can argue that vale tudo is the original MMA but you can also say that catch or the old time carny shows where a toughman took on all comers is just as legitimate a precursor to MMA.
I really think the best way to educate the boxing population is by shows like Spike's Ultimate Fighter. The fight at the end of the night is interesting but its the training and the people on the show that is really pushing the sport forward. Lampley's argument about the "sweet science" doesn't hold up as much when you watch these fighters train and see there is a lot more science to what they are doing than he fully understands. I had this same problem as a wrestler in high school. There are a lot of people who just see two guys rolling around pushing and pulling.. they don't see the footwork.. the use of leverage.. action/reaction of movement. Jiujitsu/judo/catch just adds more layers to wrestling and the ground game that the uninitiated can comprehend.
Lampley obviously has spent some time at boxing matches and in boxing gyms.. I would like to learn about his opinion after spending some time cageside and at MMA gyms. I really think his opinion would change.
Keep up the good work. Keep pushing ahead.
--Alex
By , at
4:49 PM
