NO HOLDS BARRED

Eddie Goldman is host and producer of the No Holds Barred podcast, and publisher of the No Holds Barred with Eddie Goldman page on Patreon and the No Holds Barred blog. He is known as the Conscience of Combat Sports.

Monday, February 10, 2025

The WAAR Room: Our New Format of Social Justice Programming 

We did it! The WAAR Room podcast, with host Chris Baldwin and co-hosts Malissa Smith and me, has switched formats from sports justice to social justice programming!

You can watch The WAAR Room at https://youtu.be/zvqI7Tnh5pA.

This show was recorded Feb. 8, 2025.

Labels: Chris Baldwin, democracy, Eddie Goldman, Malissa Smith, No Holds Barred, WAAR Room

# posted by Eddie Goldman : 2:56 AM

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

The WAAR Room: Taylor-Serrano 2 Classic, and Paul-Tyson Disgrace 

 

On this edition of The WAAR Room, Chris Baldwin, Malissa Smith, and Eddie Goldman discussed the classic rematch between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano, and the circus charade between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson. Both were held Nov. 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and shown live worldwide on Netflix.

In their fight, Taylor retained her 140-pound titles by a unanimous but controversial decision. We analyzed the fight, discussed the judges' decision, explored the impact this has on women's boxing and the continuing lack of opportunities for women fighters, and more.

The disgraceful fight between YouTuber Paul and the 58-year-old Tyson looked more like an exhibition rather than a real, competitive contest. We discussed why such a ridiculous fight gained so much mainstream attention, how the failure of promoters and networks to run boxing properly opened the door for such carnival spectacles, and more.

We also ended by explaining why we are moving much of our social media activity to Bluesky.

You can watch The WAAR Room at https://youtu.be/6XKoj1FnyPg .

This show was recorded November 19, 2024.

Labels: Amanda Serrano, boxing, Chris Baldwin, Eddie Goldman, Jake Paul, Katie Taylor, Malissa Smith, Mike Tyson, No Holds Barred, WAAR Room

# posted by Eddie Goldman : 3:29 AM

Monday, August 05, 2024

The WAAR Room: Olympic Boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting, and the Ongoing Plight of Female Athletes 

 

On this edition of The WAAR Room, Chris Baldwin, Malissa Smith, and Eddie Goldman discussed the main controversy of the entire 2024 Paris Olympics: the attack on female athletes and, in particular, the women boxers who are being accused by various bigots of being "men". Those boxers are Imane Khelif of Algeria, who is competing in the women's 66 kg/welterweight division, and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan, who is competing in the women's 57 kg/featherweight division. As we recorded this, both have qualified to fight in the semifinals of their weight classes, meaning that they each have been assured of winning at least a bronze medal.

The controversy was fueled by the Russian-led and -financed International Boxing Association (IBA), which disqualified both Khelif and Lin at the world championships they held last year. At the time they only gave a murky reason for doing so. Since last June, IBA had its recognition withdrawn as the Olympic boxing federation by the IOC because of a history of bad governance, lack of financial transparency, and corrupt judging and refereeing. IBA was first suspended by the IOC in 2019. The IOC directly organized the boxing competition at both the Tokyo and Paris Olympics through its own task force.

The charges against Khelif and Lin by the IBA are that they were shown to have XY chromosomes, which mainly but not exclusively exist in males. Yet the specifics of this test have not been revealed by the disgraced IBA, and have been dismissed by the IOC as "not legitimate", which has also confirmed that these two boxers are indeed both female. The IOC used the eligibility rules of the Rio and Tokyo Olympics for Paris, under which both Khelif and Lin qualified. In fact, both Khelif and Lin have been fighting in international amateur competition for many years. They also both fought at the Tokyo Olympics, although neither won a medal there.

We thus discussed the many aspects of this situation, including how Russia is using this situation to try to disrupt the Paris Olympics and to spread anti-LGBTQ propaganda, how the two fighters have faced an onslaught of lies and misinformation including that they are both "men" and "transgender", why the IBA's test of them is not legitimate, how this controversy adversely affects all women athletes, how legitimate questions about women and gender including eligibility in sports have been obscured by all the hate and lies, and much, much more.

You can watch The WAAR Room at https://youtu.be/bONVwyBTe30 .

This show was recorded August 4, 2024.

Labels: boxing, Chris Baldwin, Eddie Goldman, IBA, Imane Khelif, IOC, Lin Yu-ting, Malissa Smith, No Holds Barred, Olympic boxing, Paris Olympics, Russia, Umar Kremlev, WAAR Room, women's boxing

# posted by Eddie Goldman : 4:29 AM

Monday, July 29, 2024

The WAAR Room: Unraveling the Paris Olympic Controversies 

 

On this edition of The WAAR Room, Chris Baldwin, Malissa Smith, and Eddie Goldman discussed some of the many controversies seen at the 2024 Paris Olympics, both in boxing and in general. We discussed the disputed split decision win by Poland's Aneta Rygielska over Britain's Rosie Eccles in the opening round of the women's welterweight division, which many called a robbery. We also discussed the opening round victory of American Jajaira Gonzalez over Estelle Mossely of France, who has been boxing professionally for several years, in the women's lightweight division. We addressed the issue of Olympic boxing allowing pro boxers, some of whom have already won major pro titles, to fight against amateurs in the Olympics, as well as many ongoing controversies in the judging and refereeing of Olympic boxing. Also, we discussed the controversy over a modern and humorous interpretation of the ancient Greek Festival of Dionysus during the opening ceremony, about which right-wingers lied and said was a parody of da Vinci's classic painting The Last Supper. In pro boxing news, we discussed Claressa Shields's latest win, adding light heavyweight and heavyweight belts to her collection, the continuing lack of opportunities for many women pro boxers, the slugfest between Derek Chisora and Joe Joyce won by Chisora, and much more.

You can watch The WAAR Room at https://youtu.be/bZdxjCizeHA .

This show was recorded July 28, 2024.

Labels: boxing, Chris Baldwin, Eddie Goldman, Malissa Smith, No Holds Barred, Olympic boxing, Paris Olympics, WAAR Room

# posted by Eddie Goldman : 5:13 PM

Sunday, July 21, 2024

The WAAR Room: Biden Out, Harris In, The Fight for Democracy 

On this special political edition of The WAAR Room, Chris Baldwin, Malissa Smith, and Eddie Goldman discussed the historic news that President Joe Biden announced that he will not seek re-election and that he is endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination for President. We examined why this has happened, how this affects the fight to save democracy from Trump and his fascist Project 2025 program, and what we must do now. Democracy is on the ballot!

You can watch The WAAR Room at https://youtu.be/VPsCGGAqQ4Q .

This show was recorded July 21, 2024.

Labels: Chris Baldwin, democracy, Eddie Goldman, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Malissa Smith, No Holds Barred, WAAR Room

# posted by Eddie Goldman : 10:47 PM

Monday, July 01, 2024

The WAAR Room: The Saudi Boxing Power Grab, Conflicts of Interest, and No Space For Women 

 

On the edition of The WAAR Room, Chris Baldwin, Malissa Smith, and Eddie Goldman presented an analysis and discussion that went where all the boxing "media" is too compromised and ignorant to go.

We started discussing the Saudi boxing takeover and the secretive, proposed new global "league" or governing body, that already has seen numerous conflicts of interest, for example with certain fighters being favored as Riyadh Season ambassadors. We discussed how many of the internationally accepted principles of good governance are already being violated. And we discussed the case of Egyptian worker Ahmed Mohamed Omar, who was reportedly given a 19-year prison sentence in Saudi Arabia for a tweet he made criticizing Saudi boxing boss Turki Alalshikh about football, and what this means for boxing.

So far, all the Riyadh Season-sponsored boxing shows have featured only men's boxing, even though women have previously boxed on professional and amateur cards in Saudi Arabia. This includes announced fights for their shows on Aug. 3 in Los Angeles, Sept. 21 in London, and Oct. 12 and Dec. 21 in Riyadh. We discussed how what the Saudis are doing by excluding women is deleterious both to women's boxing and to boxing as a whole.

Plus, we also discussed the upcoming congress of the Asian Boxing Confederation where they will vote on whether to join World Boxing, the fight to save Olympic boxing, and more.

You can watch The WAAR Room at https://youtu.be/95aGIbbXxEs .

This show was recorded June 30, 2024.

Labels: Ahmed Mohamed Omar, boxing, Chris Baldwin, Eddie Goldman, governance, Malissa Smith, No Holds Barred, Saudi Arabia, WAAR Room, women's boxing

# posted by Eddie Goldman : 7:08 PM

Sunday, June 09, 2024

The WAAR Room: Malissa Smith On Her New Book 'The Promise of Women's Boxing', Heavyweight Shakeup 

 

On the edition of The WAAR Room, Chris Baldwin, Malissa Smith, and Eddie Goldman discussed Malissa's new book, The Promise of Women's Boxing, which is already climbing the charts and receiving rave reviews. In it, she mainly focuses on the developments, and highs and lows, of women's boxing since its introduction into the Olympics at the 2012 London Games. We also discussed very recent developments in women's boxing, including Claressa Shields, who wrote the foreword to the book, moving up in weight. In addition, we caught up with all the changes at the top of the men's heavyweight division, where the top ten has been shaken up.

You can watch The WAAR Room at https://youtu.be/LuiiE8HTFXI .

This show was recorded June 8, 2024.

Labels: boxing, Chris Baldwin, Eddie Goldman, heavyweight, Malissa Smith, No Holds Barred, Promise of Women's Boxing, WAAR Room

# posted by Eddie Goldman : 3:51 AM

Thursday, May 16, 2024

The WAAR Room: Fury-Usyk Preview, Price Defeats McCaskill 

 

On the edition of The WAAR Room, Chris Baldwin, Malissa Smith, and Eddie Goldman previewed the long-delayed heavyweight title unification fight between unified champion Oleksandr Usyk and WBC champion Tyson Fury, and addressed the many questions surrounding this fight. It will take place Sat., May 18, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. We also discussed Lauren Price's dominant decision victory over Jessica McCaskill Sat., May 11, in Cardiff, Wales, to capture the WBA welterweight belt in only her seventh pro fight.

You can watch The WAAR Room at https://youtu.be/_1gqxmURLBw.

This show was recorded May 14, 2024.

Labels: boxing, Chris Baldwin, Eddie Goldman, Jessica McCaskill, Lauren Price, Malissa Smith, No Holds Barred, Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury, WAAR Room

# posted by Eddie Goldman : 3:12 PM

Friday, May 03, 2024

The WAAR Room: Ryan Garcia's Dirty Drug Test, Jessica McCaskill-Lauren Price Title Fight 

 

On the edition of The WAAR Room, Chris Baldwin, Malissa Smith, and Eddie Goldman discussed Ryan Garcia's dirty drug tests from his April 20 fight with Devin Haney, and what may happen next in boxing's latest doping scandal. We also discussed the upcoming welterweight title fight between WBA champ Jessica McCaskill of the U.S. (12-3-1, 5 KOs) and challenger Lauren Price (6-0, 1 KO) of Wales, who was an Olympic gold medalist in Tokyo. This fight takes place Sat., May 11, in Cardiff, Wales, and will be shown in the U.K. and Ireland on Sky and in the U.S. on Peacock.

You can watch The WAAR Room at https://youtu.be/6GfHmZmLZaE .

This show was recorded May 2, 2024.

Labels: boxing, Chris Baldwin, Devin Haney, Eddie Goldman, Jessica McCaskill, Lauren Price, Malissa Smith, No Holds Barred, Ryan Garcia, WAAR Room, women's boxing

# posted by Eddie Goldman : 2:58 PM

Thursday, April 11, 2024

The WAAR Room: Fury-Usyk, Heavyweight Action, Women's Boxing Update, Olympic Boxing Future 

 On the edition of The WAAR Room, Chris Baldwin, Malissa Smith, and Eddie Goldman discussed the May 18 Fury-Usyk heavyweight title unification fight, this coming weekend's heavyweight action, an update on women's pro boxing and why there is so little in the U.S. and none in Saudi Arabia, the unclear future of Olympic boxing, and more.

You can watch The WAAR Room at https://youtu.be/ULvjSqQbY5g .

This show was recorded April 10, 2024.

Labels: boxing, Chris Baldwin, Eddie Goldman, heavyweight, Malissa Smith, No Holds Barred, Oleksandr Usyk, Olympic boxing, Tyson Fury, WAAR Room, women's boxing

# posted by Eddie Goldman : 8:31 PM

Tuesday, March 05, 2024

The WAAR Room: Serrano Eye Injury Controversy, Saudi Jail Threats and the Media, Joshua-Ngannou 

On the edition of The WAAR Room, Chris Baldwin, Malissa Smith, and Eddie Goldman discussed the controversy around the handling of the eye injury to Amanda Serrano which forced the cancellation of her fight scheduled for Sat., March 2. We also discussed how Saudi Arabian law can stifle independent coverage of boxing there, this Friday's heavyweight fight between Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou, and more.

You can watch The WAAR Room at https://youtu.be/NDf7_-nBEtA.

This show was recorded Monday, March 4, 2024.

Labels: Amanda Serrano, Anthony Joshua, boxing, Chris Baldwin, Eddie Goldman, Francis Ngannou, Malissa Smith, No Holds Barred, WAAR Room, women's boxing

# posted by Eddie Goldman : 4:13 PM

Tuesday, January 23, 2024

The WAAR Room: Natasha Jonas Wins Spectacular Fight With Mikaela Mayer 

 

On the first edition of The WAAR Room for 2024, Chris Baldwin, Malissa Smith, and Eddie Goldman discussed the spectacular fight between Natasha Jonas and Mikaela Mayer in Liverpool on Sat., Jan. 20.

You can watch The WAAR Room at https://youtu.be/PC-RcMVkvJ8.

This show was recorded Monday, Jan. 22, 2024.

Labels: boxing, Chris Baldwin, Eddie Goldman, Liverpool, Malissa Smith, Mikaela Mayer, Natasha Jonas, No Holds Barred, Toxteth, WAAR Room, women's boxing

# posted by Eddie Goldman : 2:08 PM

Sunday, December 24, 2023

The WAAR Room: Women's Boxing and Day of Reckoning Recap At Year's End 

 On the final edition of The WAAR Room for 2023, Chris Baldwin, Malissa Smith, and Eddie Goldman discussed the latest developments in women's boxing, the prospects for 2024 and beyond, the Dec. 23 Day of Reckoning show in Saudi Arabia, what's next for the heavyweights, the state of Olympic boxing, and more.

You can watch The WAAR Room at https://youtu.be/OkIOxqw3G7s.

This show was recorded Sunday, Dec. 24, 2023.

Labels: boxing, Chris Baldwin, Day of Reckoning, Eddie Goldman, heavyweight, Malissa Smith, No Holds Barred, Saudi Arabia, WAAR Room, women's boxing

# posted by Eddie Goldman : 8:24 PM

Monday, November 27, 2023

The WAAR Room: Taylor Wins Thrilling Cameron Rematch, World Boxing First Congress 

 

On this edition of The WAAR Room, Chris Baldwin, Malissa Smith, and Eddie Goldman discussed the thrilling rematch between Katie Taylor and Chantelle Cameron, how Taylor won, how she is now a reigning two-division undisputed champion, how this is a leading fight of the year candidate, and what is next for her. We also discussed the first Congress of World Boxing, Boris van der Vorst's election as their first president, what this means for the uncertain future of Olympic boxing, and much more.

You can watch The WAAR Room at https://youtu.be/rRHgxa2QzH8.

This show was recorded Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023.

Labels: Boris van der Vorst, boxing, Chantelle Cameron, Chris Baldwin, Eddie Goldman, Katie Taylor, Malissa Smith, No Holds Barred, WAAR Room, World Boxing

# posted by Eddie Goldman : 10:15 PM

Monday, November 20, 2023

The WAAR Room: Saudi Arabia Takes Over the Heavyweights, Cameron-Taylor 2 Preview 

 

On this edition of The WAAR Room, Chris Baldwin, Malissa Smith, and Eddie Goldman discussed Saudi Arabia taking over the heavyweight division, what that means for boxing and sports, and how they have gotten the majority of the top ten heavyweights on their next two cards. We also previewed the rematch between Chantelle Cameron and Katie Taylor, how Cameron won their first fight, and what is likeliest to happen in this one. This fight takes place Saturday, Nov. 25, in Dublin, Ireland.

You can watch The WAAR Room at https://youtu.be/jERmPXjr1Y4.

This show was recorded Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023.

Labels: boxing, Chantelle Cameron, Chris Baldwin, Eddie Goldman, heavyweights, Katie Taylor, Malissa Smith, No Holds B arred, Saudi Arabia, WAAR Room

# posted by Eddie Goldman : 7:37 PM

Wednesday, November 08, 2023

The WAAR Room: Serrano Rising, Fury Sinking 

 

On this edition of The WAAR Room, Chris Baldwin, Malissa Smith, and Eddie Goldman discussed Amanda Serrano's shutout decision victory over Danila Ramos, the significance of this women's title fight being scheduled for 12 three-minute rounds, and the general issue of safety, or lack thereof, in boxing. We also discussed Tyson Fury's disgraceful performance against Francis Ngannou, why Fury is bad for boxing, the declining popularity of boxing, and more.

You can watch The WAAR Room at https://youtu.be/-t4BTLCQjB8.

This show was recorded Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023.

Labels: Amanda Serrano, boxing, Chris Baldwin, Eddie Goldman, Malissa Smith, No Holds Barred, Tyson Fury, WAAR Room

# posted by Eddie Goldman : 3:20 PM

Monday, October 02, 2023

The WAAR Room: McCaskill-Ryan Robbery, Fury vs. Usyk in Saudi Arabia 

 

On this edition of The WAAR Room, Chris Baldwin, Malissa Smith, and Eddie Goldman discussed the robbery in the Jessica McCaskill-Sandy Ryan fight which was declared a split draw despite almost everyone having Ryan as the winner, the announcement that Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will finally fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world in Saudi Arabia, and more.

You can watch The WAAR Room at https://youtu.be/NfKB5mOwT_k.

This show was recorded Friday, Sept. 29, 2023.

Labels: . boxing, Chris Baldwin, Eddie Goldman, heavyweights, Jessica McCaskill, Malissa Smith, No Holds Barred, Oleksandr Usyk, Sandy Ryan, Saudi Arabia, Tyson Fury, WAAR Room

# posted by Eddie Goldman : 9:06 AM

Monday, September 18, 2023

The WAAR Room: 12 Three-Minute Rounds for Women's Boxing, Heavyweight Clown Show 

 

On this edition of The WAAR Room, Chris Baldwin, Malissa Smith, and Eddie Goldman discussed the historic coming of 12 three-minute round title fights for women's boxing, the clown show in the men's heavyweight division, a preview of the Zhang Zhilei-Joe Joyce rematch, and more.

You can watch The WAAR Room at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnNyJDb6ubY.

This show was recorded Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023.

Labels: Amanda Serrano, Chris Baldwin, Eddie Goldman, heavyweights, Malissa Smith, No Holds Barred, Tyson Fury, WAAR Room, women's boxing

# posted by Eddie Goldman : 11:44 PM

Monday, August 21, 2023

The WAAR Room: Corrupt and Dirty Boxing Edition 

 

On this edition of The WAAR Room, Chris Baldwin, Malissa Smith, and Eddie Goldman discussed Alycia Baumgardner's dirty drug test, doping in boxing, and the woeful state of the heavyweights. All this is the result of boxing's corrupt governance.

You can watch The WAAR Room at https://youtu.be/IMwG1rxEZEo.

This show was recorded Friday, Aug. 18, 2023.

Labels: Alycia Baumgardner, boxing, Chris Baldwin, doping, Eddie Goldman, governance, heavyweights, Malissa Smith, No Holds Barred, WAAR Room

# posted by Eddie Goldman : 1:51 AM

Saturday, November 12, 2022

"A Discussion About Sport Corruption" on No Holds Barred Patreon Page 

 

"A Discussion About Sport Corruption", is up on the No Holds Barred Patreon page.

The article is at https://www.patreon.com/posts/discussion-about-74584901.

Labels: boxing, Chris Baldwin, Declan Hill, Eddie Goldman, Girlboxing, Malissa Smith, No Holds Barred, WAAR Room, WAAR Sports, WACA, World Anti-Corruption Agency

# posted by Eddie Goldman : 11:45 PM

Eddie Goldman

Web No Holds Barred

No Holds Barred Media

• Eddie Goldman on Bluesky
• Eddie Goldman on LinkedIn
• No Holds Barred on YouTube

No Holds Barred is available on:

• Anchor

• Internet Archive

• Spotify

• Amazon Music

• Apple Podcasts

• Radio Public

• iHeartRadio

• JioSaavn

• Deezer