NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Tim Smith, Vice President of Communications for Haymon Boxing, which puts on the live televised boxing series, Premier Boxing Champions (PBC).

This week, the PBC announced its plans for the rest of 2016 and for its third season in 2017. These include continuing its broadcast deals in the U.S. with FOX, FS1, Spike, NBC, ESPN, SHOWTIME/CBS, and Bounce TV. PBC also promises to air more primetime network shows in 2017 than in either of its first two seasons. There also are plans to show PBC events online.

We spoke with Tim Smith by phone Thursday.

"We're looking at every possible way to get boxing in front of people, to expand the audience to people that aren't really boxing fans right now," he said. "We're looking at building the sport back into a mainstream sport. That's the goal, to build it into a mainstream sport again."

As for the future, he said, "I think 2017 is going to be a great year." But he was also critical of those who have said that 2016 has been a bad year for boxing.

"Again, I think 2016 was a very good year for boxing," he said. "I don't see the doom and gloom that people are talking about for 2016. I just don't see it."

We also discussed his role as "conduit" between Haymon Boxing head Al Haymon and the media; the role of legitimate journalists and the failure of many in the boxing media who were claiming that PBC was "dead"; plans for title fights and virtual tournaments in the 126, 147, and 154 pound divisions, as well as potential heavyweight title unification fights; the many upsets which have taken place on PBC shows; the importance of having boxing on non-pay and non-premium TV; how PBC can eventually make money through getting rights fees for televised shows; and much, much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link does not work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is available at Google Play Music.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web here.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player app is available for free, both for Android at Google Play, and for iOS on the App Store.

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:

The Boxing Tribune, boxing's independent media. Unlike every other major boxing website, The Boxing Tribune is not funded or owned by promoters, managers, or networks, and is fully independent and free to write the truth. For independent boxing news and views, go to http://boxingtribune-news.com.

The North American Catch Wrestling Association, a grassroots organization designed to help rebuild the sport of catch-as-catch-can-wrestling. For more information, go to their Facebook page at facebook.com/NorthAmericanCatchWrestlingAssociation.

The National Registry for Wrestling, whose mission is to increase wrestling's fanbase, to build a registry of all wrestling fans, to serve as a connecting point for all wrestling fans, and to provide TV and Internet listings for wrestling. For more information, go to NR4W.com.

Labels: Al Haymon, Eddie Goldman, journalism, media, No Holds Barred, PBC, Premier Boxing Champions, Tim Smith

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses what we know as of late Sunday night regarding the confusing situation in boxing's heavyweight division since heavyweight champion Tyson Fury relinquished his belts and was suspended by the British Boxing Board of Control pending hearings on multiple positive drug tests. Who will next fight for the various belts and when is discussed, based on the information available, as well as an analysis of the failure of boxing's well-known dysfunctional system of governance to rectify this situation quickly, publicly, and fairly.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link does not work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is available at Google Play Music.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web here.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player app is available for free, both for Android at Google Play, and for iOS on the App Store.

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:

The Boxing Tribune, boxing's independent media. Unlike every other major boxing website, The Boxing Tribune is not funded or owned by promoters, managers, or networks, and is fully independent and free to write the truth. For independent boxing news and views, go to http://boxingtribune-news.com.

The North American Catch Wrestling Association, a grassroots organization designed to help rebuild the sport of catch-as-catch-can-wrestling. For more information, go to their Facebook page at facebook.com/NorthAmericanCatchWrestlingAssociation.

The National Registry for Wrestling, whose mission is to increase wrestling's fanbase, to build a registry of all wrestling fans, to serve as a connecting point for all wrestling fans, and to provide TV and Internet listings for wrestling. For more information, go to NR4W.com.

Labels: Anthony Joshua, boxing, Eddie Goldman, heavyweight, No Holds Barred, Tyson Fury, Wladimir Klitschko

(Photo of Gavril and Brooker by Idris Erba/Mayweather Promotions)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with our colleague and correspondent Keisha Morrisey.

On October 8, she covered the debut card of a new monthly boxing series, the Sin City Showdown, which was promoted by Mayweather Promotions, and took place at Sam's Town Live in Las Vegas, Nevada.

We spoke with her by phone Saturday.

In the main event, Ronald Gavril (17-1, 13 KOs) arose from a fifth-round knockdown to score two knockdowns of his own in the tenth round against Christopher Brooker (11-2, 5 KOs), after which referee Tony Weeks stopped the fight, resulting in a TKO victory for Gavril. With this win, Gavril captured the vacant NABF super middleweight belt. This was an exciting, competitive, back-and-forth fight, which put Gavril in the mix to fight for a WBC title.

The rest of the card featured up-and-coming fighters trying to make their marks in boxing. The co-main event saw welterweight prospect Ladarius Miller (12-1, 3 KOs) score a second-round TKO over Ronald Rivas (5-5-1 3 KOs).

"They presented an excellent night of classic boxing bouts," Keisha Morrisey said. She stressed "the importance of the club fights night in the sport of boxing."

She noted, "For me, the club fights are always the best fights, because that's where you get the most action."

We discussed why such cards often provide "the best fights in town", the TMT fighters on this card, what the future might hold for Floyd Mayweather, the next show in this series on November 4, and much, much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link does not work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is available at Google Play Music.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web here.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player app is available for free, both for Android at Google Play, and for iOS on the App Store.

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:

The Boxing Tribune, boxing's independent media. Unlike every other major boxing website, The Boxing Tribune is not funded or owned by promoters, managers, or networks, and is fully independent and free to write the truth. For independent boxing news and views, go to http://boxingtribune-news.com.

The North American Catch Wrestling Association, a grassroots organization designed to help rebuild the sport of catch-as-catch-can-wrestling. For more information, go to their Facebook page at facebook.com/NorthAmericanCatchWrestlingAssociation.

The National Registry for Wrestling, whose mission is to increase wrestling's fanbase, to build a registry of all wrestling fans, to serve as a connecting point for all wrestling fans, and to provide TV and Internet listings for wrestling. For more information, go to NR4W.com.

Labels: club fights, Eddie Goldman, Floyd Mayweather, Keisha Morrisey, Las Vegas, No Holds Barred, Ronald Gavril, Sin City Showdown

Donald Trump on wrestling:

I'm a star wrestler, believe me. I've trained with my buddies Putin and Mamiashvili, and can beat any Muslim or Mexican except they cheat. Wrestling women is easier because you just grab 'em by the *****. When we build that wall, and we will, we'll make American wrestling great again!


Hillary Clinton on wrestling:

I was just talking about wrestling with my BFF Lloyd Blankfein of Goldman Sachs. He said he could buy me the best wrestling team in the world. I told him that Wall Street executives make the best wrestling coaches, and should be in charge of all wrestling programs. They are so altruistic!


Gary Johnson on wrestling:

What is a wrestling?


Jill Stein on wrestling:

It is not safe for children to play wrestling. The tachyon beams it emits are almost as dangerous as Wi-Fi. We should also investigate the connection between wrestling and 9/11 since the 2001 World Championships had to be postponed because of it. What are they not telling us?

Labels: Donald Trump, Gary Johnson, Hillary Clinton, Jill Stein, presidential candidates, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with wrestling historian and author Mike Chapman.

Based in Iowa, Mike Chapman has been to 45 NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championships, created W.I.N. Magazine and the museum now known as the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum, created the Dan Hodge Trophy awarded each season to college wrestling's best wrestler, and has written 28 books including 16 about wrestling. But he also has what he calls "a passion for the olden days of wrestling", when professional wrestling was a real competitive sport a century ago in the days of Frank Gotch, and used the rules of catch-as-catch-can, or catch wrestling, where victory is attained by pin or submission.

We spoke with him by phone Saturday.

What we mainly discussed was how today's revived catch wrestling can advance and become a popular spectator sport once again.

"I hope some of your listeners will even take some notes, not because this is written in stone, but at least it's a starting point," he said.

"I think there's four things that a catch organization needs:

"It needs a planning structure. And by that I mean a five-year plan and a ten-year plan. What do you hope to accomplish, where do you want to be in five years, and where do you want to be in ten years?

"Second of all, they need financing. No plan, no good will, nothing can survive and grow without some financial backing.

"Third, it needs leadership, people who are willing to step up and provide the leadership in legal areas, in structuring, like you've been saying for the last year, sports marketing, things like that.

"And here's the last of the 'big four'. I call these the 'big four'.

"Unity.

"None of these are more important than the other. You need a five- and ten-year plan for the structure. You need a financial prospectus. You need leadership. And then you need unity.

"Everybody needs to work together."

We discussed these points in depth, including: why catch wrestling must remain independent of the existing corrupt and incompetent international and national wrestling organizations; how catch wrestling organizations can still do what they want while working together; the need for a face-to-face conference or conferences of people and all the groups involved in catch wrestling to turn these plans into reality; and much, much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link does not work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is available at Google Play Music.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web here.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player app is available for free, both for Android at Google Play, and for iOS on the App Store.

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:

The Boxing Tribune, boxing's independent media. Unlike every other major boxing website, The Boxing Tribune is not funded or owned by promoters, managers, or networks, and is fully independent and free to write the truth. For independent boxing news and views, go to http://boxingtribune-news.com.

The North American Catch Wrestling Association, a grassroots organization designed to help rebuild the sport of catch-as-catch-can-wrestling. For more information, go to their Facebook page at facebook.com/NorthAmericanCatchWrestlingAssociation.

The National Registry for Wrestling, whose mission is to increase wrestling's fanbase, to build a registry of all wrestling fans, to serve as a connecting point for all wrestling fans, and to provide TV and Internet listings for wrestling. For more information, go to NR4W.com.

Labels: catch wrestling, Eddie Goldman, Mike Chapman, No Holds Barred, plan

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the latest developments in the ongoing saga of the reign of heavyweight boxing champion of the world Tyson Fury. Among the topics discussed are his recent positive drug test for cocaine, what it may reflect about him as a person, the possibility he is heading for tragedy, the cancellation of his rematch with Wladimir Klitschko, how all this seemingly will lead to him being stripped of his belts, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link does not work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is available at Google Play Music.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web here.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player app is available for free, both for Android at Google Play, and for iOS on the App Store.

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:

The Boxing Tribune, boxing's independent media. Unlike every other major boxing website, The Boxing Tribune is not funded or owned by promoters, managers, or networks, and is fully independent and free to write the truth. For independent boxing news and views, go to http://boxingtribune-news.com.

The North American Catch Wrestling Association, a grassroots organization designed to help rebuild the sport of catch-as-catch-can-wrestling. For more information, go to their Facebook page at facebook.com/NorthAmericanCatchWrestlingAssociation.

The National Registry for Wrestling, whose mission is to increase wrestling's fanbase, to build a registry of all wrestling fans, to serve as a connecting point for all wrestling fans, and to provide TV and Internet listings for wrestling. For more information, go to NR4W.com.

Labels: boxing, cocaine, doping, Eddie Goldman, No Holds Barred, Tyson Fury, VADA, Wladimir Klitschko