NO HOLDS BARRED

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

We spoke with him by phone Thursday.

With two important catch wrestling tournaments scheduled for July and August, there appears to be some life left in this latest but small and struggling incarnation of catch wrestling. However, as we discussed, much, much more needs to be done, and very soon.

"I just hope that somebody out there will say, 'Catch wrestling is a cultural part of American history that deserves to continue to exist,'" he said.

"And that somehow, with all your cajoling and all my cajoling, that we can get this done. You and I are out there telling people that there's a formula for this. And we're both willing to work with anybody. I think we'd both serve on a board if somebody came up with some kind of a platform and plan.

"You have invaluable knowledge that you'd like to share, and I'd like to think that I do, too."

We discussed how undefeated catch wrestler Curran Jacobs has become "the face of catch wrestling" to many younger people, and these upcoming catch tournaments.

In addition, we discussed how Mike will be a guest speaker and part of the "Joe Stecher Days" event on July 14-15 in the village of Dodge, Nebraska, Stecher's hometown. Joe Stecher was a world heavyweight wrestling champion in the days before professional wrestling ceased to be a sport. His two matches with Earl Caddock, with Caddock winning the first and Stecher the second, are still talked about. A video of highlights of that second match, held at Madison Square Garden on January 30, 1920, still survives today.

And we discussed the passing at age 89 of 1952 Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medalist Bill Smith; the planning of several wrestling media projects including a full-length dramatic film; his offer to sell his inventory of books and posters; why we don't really retire; and much, much more.

(Photo by Phil Monson, courtesy of Catch Wrestling Alliance.)

You can play or download No Holds Barred here.

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 sponsored by:

The Catch Wrestling Alliance, resurrecting and promoting the sport of authentic catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance provides tournaments, seminars, and training as well as education about catch wrestling. Join the movement and keep real wrestling alive. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.com.

Skullz Double-End Bags, the perfect bag for your combat sports training. Skullz Double-End Bags provide a realistic striking target, and help improve timing, distance, and hand and eye coordination. Hang it and hit it right out of the box! No pump required. For more information, go to SkullzDeBags.com.

Labels: Bill Smith, catch wrestling, catch-as-catch-can, Eddie Goldman, Frank Gotch, Joe Stecher, Mike Chapman, No Holds Barred, retiring

by Eddie Goldman

Another day, another fiasco for boxing, UK Anti-Doping, and the New York State Athletic Commission.

On May 22, 2018, UKAD announced that, after a tribunal hearing of the National Anti-Doping Panel, American heavyweight fighter Eric Molina had received a two-year ban for taking Dexamethasone, a corticosteroid which is a banned substance. The positive test came from a urine sample collected right after Molina's fight with Anthony Joshua in Manchester in the U.K. But that fight was on December 10, 2016.

It thus took a year-and-a-half to adjudicate this case, not dissimilar to the length of time it took to adjudicate the cases of Tyson Fury and Hughie Fury.

Molina had been "provisionally suspended since 27 October 2017" according to UKAD, in other words, about ten months after his fight with Joshua. But then, even though he had been "provisionally suspended", Molina fought again on November 4, 2017, in Brooklyn, New York, against Dominic Breazeale, and was stopped at the end of the eighth round.

So why did the New York commission allow a fighter who had been "provisionally suspended" by UKAD to fight? Was there no communication between the bureaucrats of the New York and U.K. commissions? Did nobody bother to check, or did no one care? Or does the New York commission not recognize a provisional suspension from UKAD?

Because of the delay in this case, the start date of Molina's suspension was backdated to October 28, 2017, and runs through October 27, 2019. Molina had been scheduled to fight Mariusz Wach this Friday, May 25, in Warsaw, Poland, on a card that was scheduled to be televised there. That card was, according to BoxRec, sanctioned by the Polish Professional Boxing Department, which also was set to allow a boxer under provisional suspension to fight. Now that fight looks like it will not happen.

Last but not least, this is the same UK Anti-Doping which had been enlisted to bring RUSADA, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, back into compliance with the WADA code following the exposure of Russia's state-sponsored doping program. RUSADA still remains out of compliance.

While the case of Russia may be the most egregious example of current known attempts to thwart anti-doping protocols, the breakdown of anti-doping procedures extends far beyond their borders.

The full judgment of the tribunal which heard the Eric Molina case can be read at:
https://www.ukad.org.uk/anti-doping-rule-violations/download-decision/a/10421.

(Photo of Eric Molina from Matchroom Boxing.)

Labels: boxing, doping, Eddie Goldman, Eric Molina, No Holds Barred, UKAD

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with the captain of the 2011 Michigan State University wrestling team and current undefeated catch wrestler, Curran Jacobs.

We spoke with him by phone Thursday.

After recently graduating from Michigan State University with a master's degree in acting, Curran Jacobs will be returning to the mat to compete in several events.

First up will be an eight-man catch wrestling tournament on July 14 organized by the Snake Pit U.S.A. at the Primal Gym in Hamilton, New Jersey. There he hopes to face rival Josh Barnett in the finals.

"Anyone in the catch wrestling world right now, and it's a small world, but anyone familiar with catch wrestling and the competition nowadays knows that there's only one guy that Josh Barnett should be wrestling right now, and that's me," he said.

Next up is the 2018 Frank Gotch World Catch Wrestling Tournament, organized by the Catch Wrestling Alliance, on August 4 at the Westside Training Center in Los Angeles. He won last year's tournament, defeating veteran wrestler and MMA fighter Travis Wiuff in the finals by submission.

Also on his agenda is competing in the West Coast Trials for the 2019 ADCC Worlds in grappling. The West Coast Trials will take place in 2019 at a date and place to be announced.

We discussed his competing at all these events, why he believes that he is "a much better wrestler" than Josh Barnett, his working on training in submissions, why catch wrestlers should compete at ADCC events, 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 sponsored by:

The Catch Wrestling Alliance, resurrecting and promoting the sport of authentic catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance provides tournaments, seminars, and training as well as education about catch wrestling. Join the movement and keep real wrestling alive. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.com.

Skullz Double-End Bags, the perfect bag for your combat sports training. Skullz Double-End Bags provide a realistic striking target, and help improve timing, distance, and hand and eye coordination. Hang it and hit it right out of the box! No pump required. For more information, go to SkullzDeBags.com.

Labels: catch wrestling, Curran Jacobs, Eddie Goldman, No Holds Barred, tournament

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Dr. Margaret Goodman, a neurologist, the former chair of the Medical Advisory Board of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and the president and board chairman of VADA, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association.

We spoke with her Saturday in New York.

"The best aspect of what VADA has accomplished is education," she said.

"The fans are much more educated. I think the fighters are getting much more educated, and asking more and more questions."

She noted that while the WBC's Clean Boxing Program which works with VADA only mandates that boxers ranked in the top 15 in each weight class by the WBC be drug-tested, more fighters are actually applying to be tested.

"What people don't know is there's probably at least well over 100 fighters that have volunteered that are not rated by the WBC, have volunteered to that program, and many of them have been tested by VADA, and this is throughout the year."

In order to clarify just what VADA does and does not do, she explained that VADA carries out the drug testing, but has no role in adjudicating the test results, such as determining if there are or what suspensions fighters receive, etc.

We also discussed the need for standardization of drug testing, how anti-doping programs have become more and more accepted over the years, the issue of weight-cutting, the problems with supplements, 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 sponsored by:

The Catch Wrestling Alliance, resurrecting and promoting the sport of authentic catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance provides tournaments, seminars, and training as well as education about catch wrestling. Join the movement and keep real wrestling alive. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.com.

Skullz Double-End Bags, the perfect bag for your combat sports training. Skullz Double-End Bags provide a realistic striking target, and help improve timing, distance, and hand and eye coordination. Hang it and hit it right out of the box! No pump required. For more information, go to SkullzDeBags.com.

Labels: boxing, doping, Eddie Goldman, Margaret Goodman, No Holds Barred, VADA, Voluntary Anti-Doping Association

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the new deal reported to be for one billion U.S. dollars between Matchroom Boxing and the Perform Group, the parent company of the sports streaming service DAZN. 32 Matchroom shows will be streamed live in the U.S. exclusively on DAZN, beginning in September.

They claim this will change boxing in the U.S. and around the world. But can it succeed?

The kickoff event for this new venture took place Thursday in New York. To discuss this we spoke with: Simon Denyer, the CEO of Perform Group; undefeated heavyweight contender Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller, who is likely to be featured on these shows; Eddie Hearn, the managing director of Matchroom Boxing; and our colleague Kristal Hart of the "Kristal Hart Show".

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 sponsored by:

The Catch Wrestling Alliance, resurrecting and promoting the sport of authentic catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance provides tournaments, seminars, and training as well as education about catch wrestling. Join the movement and keep real wrestling alive. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.com.

Skullz Double-End Bags, the perfect bag for your combat sports training. Skullz Double-End Bags provide a realistic striking target, and help improve timing, distance, and hand and eye coordination. Hang it and hit it right out of the box! No pump required. For more information, go to SkullzDeBags.com.

Labels: billion dollar deal, boxing, DAZN, Eddie Goldman, Eddie Hearn, Jarrell Big Baby Miller, Kristal Hart, Matchroom, No Holds Barred, OTT, over-the-top, Perform Group, Simon Denyer, streaming

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with the writer, web show host, MMA fighter, and wrestler, Antonio Graceffo.

Our main topic was kushti wrestling, the traditional style of wrestling in India which remains one of the most popular in the world, but which is little known outside that region.

We spoke with him by phone Wednesday.

In India, there are many combat sports, including a Pro Wrestling League which runs real matches and is televised, featuring top wrestlers from India and around the world. But it is not the most popular form of wrestling or combat sport in India.

"In terms of numbers, it would have to be kushti as number one, because you're talking about millions and millions," he said.

His coach had estimated that there are 50 million kushti wrestlers in India, and showed him photos of crowds of 100,000 people in villages watching these events. Nonetheless, kushti does not get the attention or publicity that its widespread popularity might suggest.

"The difference, though, is that MMA, and then the Professional Wrestling League, and boxing are probably working through the higher echelons of society, in other words, the rich people in Mumbai, the business people, and things like that," he said.

"If those people get on board, those sports will come up. They'll be able to have the advertising. They'll have the money. They can pay the salaries. They'll have the events. TV coverage.

"So the problem is that kushti doesn't have any of that support. For right now, though, kushti is by far the absolute biggest thing."

We discussed the differences between kushti, where competition takes place on a clay surface, and other styles which are called "mat wrestling". We also discussed how kushti is part of traditional Indian culture, its rules, why as a professional sport kushti has attracted wrestlers who might otherwise compete in international wrestling and the Olympics, the legacy of the 20th century wrestler known as the Great Gama who is regarded in wrestling as a "god", the popular Indian film "Dangal" about wrestling in India, how grappling is continuing to grow around the world, 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 sponsored by:

The Catch Wrestling Alliance, resurrecting and promoting the sport of authentic catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance provides tournaments, seminars, and training as well as education about catch wrestling. Join the movement and keep real wrestling alive. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.com.

Skullz Double-End Bags, the perfect bag for your combat sports training. Skullz Double-End Bags provide a realistic striking target, and help improve timing, distance, and hand and eye coordination. Hang it and hit it right out of the box! No pump required. For more information, go to SkullzDeBags.com.

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman presents Monday's telephone press conference held by the lawyers for Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, the former director of the Moscow anti-doping laboratory, who became a key whistleblower exposing Russia's state-sponsored doping program for Olympic and other elite athletes. The main speakers, both representing Dr. Rodchenkov, were attorneys Jim Walden of Walden Macht & Haran, and Derek Borchardt of Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler.

This press conference was held to announce that Dr. Rodchenkov, through his lawyers, had filed a motion to dismiss a libel case brought in the names of three Russian biathletes: Olga Zaytseva, Yana Romanova and Olga Vilukhina. Dr. Rodchenkov also filed his own lawsuit against Russian oligarch and Brooklyn Nets' controlling owner Mikhail Prokhorov, who Dr. Rodchenkov's lawyers said is "the self-confessed financier of the biathletes' claims", for violation of New York's anti-SLAPP statute (Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation), which could entitle Dr. Rodchenkov to punitive damages and legal fees.

On this call, Jim Walden denounced the International Olympic Committee for not supporting such an important whistleblower as Dr. Rodchenkov.

"It's very clear that they are not going to support Dr. Rodchenkov," he said. "We have called them, emailed them, publicly admonished them, and they refuse to stand up for him, and they refused to stand strong against Russia. So we hope that clean athletes and the media will hold their complicity, hold them to account for it."

More information on these legal actions can be found here.

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 sponsored by:

The Catch Wrestling Alliance, resurrecting and promoting the sport of authentic catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance provides tournaments, seminars, and training as well as education about catch wrestling. Join the movement and keep real wrestling alive. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.com.

Skullz Double-End Bags, the perfect bag for your combat sports training. Skullz Double-End Bags provide a realistic striking target, and help improve timing, distance, and hand and eye coordination. Hang it and hit it right out of the box! No pump required. For more information, go to SkullzDeBags.com.

Labels: doping, Eddie Goldman, Grigory Rodchenkov, Jim Walden, lawsuit, Mikhail Prokhorov, No Holds Barred, Olympics, Russia, whistleblower