NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews the October 27 fight between Daniel Jacobs and Sergiy Derevyanchenko for the vacant IBF middleweight belt. This fight takes place at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, and will headline a card shown in the U.S. on HBO on its next-to-last boxing telecast.

We spoke with Daniel Jacobs, Sergiy Derevyanchenko, and promoters Eddie Hearn and Lou DiBella on this week's media conference call about this fight. We also discussed the possibility of creating a tournament to unify the various middleweight titles.

Before that, an analysis is given of why there are now five so-called middleweight world champions, and the obstacles to unification. Besides the usual suspects of the sanctioning bodies, the effect of these recently-signed big money TV and streaming deals in the U.S. in blocking the best from fighting the best is examined.

(Photo of Demetrius Andrade and Walter Kautondokwa, Ed Mulholland/Matchroom USA.)

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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, Daniel Jacobs, DAZN, Demetrius Andrade, Eddie Goldman, ESPN, Fox, Gennady Golovkin, Jermall Charlo, middleweights, No Holds Barred, Saul Canelo Alvarez, Sergiy Derevyanchenko, Showtime

by Eddie Goldman

You won't find me regularly offering public predictions about major fights. It is not that I am fearful of being wrong, since on the occasions when I am wrong, I'm mostly upset at myself, as contradictory as that may sound. The reason is that I am already heavily involved in all sorts of controversies about corruption, excessive dangers, bad governance, etc., in the combat sports, and I'd prefer not to have those issues clouded by battles over who will win legit fights.

There are exceptions, of course, so when I was asked to make a prediction for the Santa Cruz-Frampton 2 fight for the official program, I complied. And I have done so once again for the Golovkin-Canelo official program.

Right or wrong, here again (I've already discussed this on No Holds Barred) is that prediction:

The obviously important fight between Gennady "GGG" Golovkin and Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez should also be an entertaining battle. The larger Golovkin often starts slowly, finding his range and testing his opponent's power. That could allow Canelo to rack up some points early. As the fight progresses, however, Golovkin should be able to break and wear Canelo down, dominate the fight, and score a late stoppage, even if the scorecards make it seem closer than it actually was. Golovkin by late TKO.

There are several caveats, however. Canelo is likely to rack up points in the early rounds, as even Golovkin's trainer, Abel Sanchez, recently indicated in the prefight conference call. Golovkin notably started slowly to gather information in his last two fights, first against Kell Brook, whom he defeated by fifth-round TKO, and then against Danny Jacobs, whom he defeated by a somewhat controversial unanimous decision.

If, as I predicted, Golovkin is able to stop Canelo, the scorecards will become historical footnotes. I noted that he should "score a late stoppage, even if the scorecards make it seem closer than it actually was."

This is where boxing's trickeration comes in. And what, you may inquire, is trickeration? As far as I can tell, the term entered the unofficial vocabulary of American English in a 1931 song of that name written by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler and popularized by singer and entertainer Cab Calloway. The lyrics are:

Just follow me,
And you will see,
What folks in Harlem
Call Trickeration.

Don't mean a thing,
This crazy swing,
Latest thing in Harlem,
Trickeration!

Rhythm, look what you went and done,
Rhythm, you are the guilty one.

Another phrase,
Just another craze,
Everyone in Harlem
Does Trickeration.

The term received a new meaning years later in boxing, when it no longer meant that it "Don't mean a thing". The esteemed etymologist and linguist Don King frequently used the term to describe trickery in boxing, a phenomenon with which he was somehow quite familiar.

While the Golovkin-Canelo fight has all the markings of being a treat for fight fans, it also could be a target for trickeration.

If my prediction is incorrect, and Canelo manages to go the distance with Golovkin, will the scorecards reflect what happened in the fight? Suppose Canelo legit wins the first three rounds. If he wins just two of the next nine rounds, and does not get dropped, it should be 7-5 for Golovkin. That gives the judges a lot of wiggle room, even if there is a knockdown in the fight.

Canelo is by far the most popular and main revenue-producing fighter for Golden Boy Promotions. He is also HBO's last pay-per-view star.

Would any of this influence the judges assigned by the Sin City Athletic Commission? Would yet another controversial and disputed decision set the stage for a lucrative rematch or even trilogy to milk this rivalry for more than it is worth? Would fans not be put off by yet another disgraceful decision in a sport that makes corpses blush?

My concern is not trying to justify my prediction. If Canelo wins legitimately by knockout or decision, or if the fight is actually one of those which is too close to call or could have gone either way, so be it and fantastic.

Perhaps warning about the possibility of trickeration beforehand could prevent it. And perhaps that is mere naive and wishful thinking. So while it is still too early to think about Halloween, we shall see Saturday night whether or not we have an early trickeration or treat dilemma, and are played for suckers once again.

Labels: boxing, Eddie Goldman, Gennady Golovkin, GGG, No Holds Barred, Saúl Canelo Álvarez, trickeration

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the many important and anticipated fights scheduled for this September, including the September 16 Golovkin-Canelo showdown, the World Boxing Super Series tournaments at cruiserweight and super middleweight starting September 9, and the "SuperFly" card also on September 9 featuring three fights involving the top fighters in the 115-pound division. But also discussed are the problems surrounding the lack of wide TV coverage for these and many other fights, including the pitfalls of pay-per-view, the absence of U.S. and U.K. TV for the World Boxing Super Series, the poor marketing of the "SuperFly" card which should be one of the best this year, why boxing must be seen as a TV sport, and much more.

(Poster from WBC.)

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.

USA Combat Wrestling, the official U.S. governing body for combat wrestling and U.S. delegate of the International Combat Wrestling Federation (FICW), which was founded by the legendary wrestler Noriaki Kiguchi of Japan. For more information, go to CombatWrestling.us.

Labels: boxing, Canelo Alvarez, Eddie Goldman, Gennady Golovkin, GGG, No Holds Barred, September, SuperFly, World Boxing Super Series

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the controversies arising from the scoring of this past Saturday's Gennady Golovkin-Danny Jacobs fight. But are disputed scoring and questionable judging at the heart of boxing's problems? In light of what is going on in the sports world, that is examined and analyzed.

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:

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.

USA Combat Wrestling, the official U.S. governing body for combat wrestling and U.S. delegate of the International Combat Wrestling Federation (FICW), which was founded by the legendary wrestler Noriaki Kiguchi of Japan. For more information, go to CombatWrestling.us.

Labels: boxing, Danny Jacobs, Eddie Goldman, Gennady Golovkin, No Holds Barred, real problems

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews the May 23 Andre Dirrell vs. James DeGale fight, and comments on the May 16 HBO Boxing telecast.

On Saturday, May 23, Andre Dirrell of the U.S. (24-1, 16 KOs) takes on James DeGale of the U.K. (20-1, 14 KOs) at Boston University's Agganis Arena in a fight for the vacant IBF super middleweight belt. This fight, part of the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) series, will be shown live Saturday afternoon in the U.S. on NBC, and live Saturday night in the U.K. on Sky Sports.

Both Dirrell, a 2004 Olympic bronze medalist, and DeGale, a 2008 Olympic gold medalist, will be trying to capture their first world title. DeGale will also try to become the first British Olympic gold medalist to win a pro world title.

We spoke with both Andre Dirrell and James DeGale on a media conference call Thursday.

On Saturday, May 16, HBO telecast two title fights showcasing undefeated star fighters. Middleweight champ Gennady "GGG" Golovkin of Kazakhstan (33-0, 30 KOs) scored his 20th straight stoppage by dispatching overmatched and light-hitting challenger Willie Monroe Jr. of the U.S. (19-2, 6 KOs) by sixth-round TKO. Another star making his long overdue HBO debut was flyweight champ Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez of Nicaragua, who upped his record to 43-0 with 37 KOs by dominating and stopping the tough former 108-pound champion Edgar Sosa of Mexico (51-9, 30 KOs) with a second-round TKO.

While the HBO card was undoubtedly entertaining to fight fans, we discuss how HBO is primarily showcasing the best fighters signed to that network, instead of primarily having the best fight the best in each weight class. We also contrast this to the past few PBC cards, as well as this coming Saturday's Dirrell-DeGale fight, which should be competitive and intriguing.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player for iOS is available for free 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:

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at AmericanTopTeam.com.

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Labels: Andre Dirrell, boxing, Chocolatito, Eddie Goldman, Edgar Sosa, Gennady Golovkin, GGG, HBO, James DeGale, No Holds Barred, PBC, Roman Gonzalez, Willie Monroe