NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews the Lara-Foreman and DeGale-Jack fights coming up this weekend, and discusses why the Premier Boxing Champion, the PBC, is by far America's number one boxing TV series.

On Friday, January 13, WBA 154-pound champ Erislandy Lara (23-2-2, 13 KOs) takes on Yuri Foreman (34-2, 10 KOs), and Anthony Dirrell (29-1-1, 23 KOs) fights Norbert Nemesapati (24-4, 17 KOs). This PBC card takes place at the Hialeah Park Racing and Casino in Miami, Florida, and will be shown live in the U.S. on Spike TV. Also on the card, two undefeated welterweights with identical 13-0 records, Miguel Cruz and Alex Martin, face each other in a bout that may be shown on TV.

On Saturday, January 14, IBF super middleweight champion James DeGale (23-1, 14 KOs) faces WBC super middleweight champion Badou Jack (20-1-2, 12 KOs) in a title unification bout. The co-feature has two unbeaten fighters fighting each others, IBF junior lightweight champion Jose Pedraza (22-0, 12 KOs) and Gervonta Davis (16-0, 15 KOs). This card will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and will be shown live in the U.S. on Showtime and in the U.K. on Sky Sports.

We spoke with James DeGale and Badou Jack on a recent media conference call.

We open with a discussion about why boxing is a primarily TV sport, and how all the shills, propagandists, nitwits, incompetents, and zombies writing in boxing's multitude of fake news sites have missed or failed to report one of the top boxing stories in the U.S. for 2016: the PBC is by far America's number one boxing TV series.

Here, based on compiling TV ratings from Nielsen, are the most-watched boxing shows in the U.S. for 2016:

1 - Errol Spence Jr. vs. Leonard Bundu, Aug. 21, 2016, PBC on NBC: average 4.8 million viewers, peak of 6.34 million.

2 - Keith Thurman vs. Shawn Porter, June 25, 2016, Showtime Championship Boxing on CBS presented by Premier Boxing Champions: averaged 3.1 million viewers, peaked at 3.94 million viewers.

3 - Danny Garcia vs. Robert Guerrero, Jan. 23, 2016, PBC on Fox: ave. 2.1 million, main event peaked at 3.5 million viewers.

4 - Andre Berto vs. Victor Ortiz, April 30, 2016, PBC on Fox: 1.6 million viewers.

5 (tie) - Gennady Golovkin vs. Dominic Wade, April 23, 2016, HBO: 1,325,000 viewers. (Note also that Wade is a PBC boxer and is managed by Al Haymon.)

5 (tie) - Joe Smith Jr. vs. Andrzej Fonfara, June 18, 2016, PBC on NBC: 1.32 million.

And for 2017, the PBC has said, beginning with this January 13 card, they will have more shows than in either of their first two seasons.

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

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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 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 TheBoxingTribune.com.

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Labels: Badou Jack, Eddie Goldman, Erislandy Lara, James DeGale, No Holds Barred, PBC, Premier Boxing Champions, Showtime, Spike, television, TV, Yuri Foreman

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Chris Crossan of Legit Pro Wrestling.

Besides his involvement with wrestling and martial arts, Chris is a former boxer and closely follows the world of boxing. This week, he covered the press conference held Wednesday, April 27, in the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, for the July 9 rematch between world heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury and former champion Wladimir Klitschko, which will be held at the Manchester Arena as well. Fury won the heavyweight belts with an upset unanimous and lopsided decision over Klitschko on November 28, 2015, in Düsseldorf, Germany.

We spoke with Chris Crossan by Skype Thursday.

Fury defeated Klitschko and ended his 11-plus year unbeaten streak with an unconventional and sporadic attack. This seemed to confuse and even freeze Klitschko at times. In addition, in the buildup to that fight, Fury spewed a stream of bold, outrageous, and insulting barbs at Klitschko. Fury's buildup to the rematch seems to signal a continuation of that approach.

"The atmosphere was electric, and Tyson was on form. Yeah, he was out getting to Klitschko's head again, and I really think that he did, judging by Klitschko," he said.

"He even got Klitschko to swear, and he just seemed to be way ahead when it came to the psychological games, as always, just like I believe he was last time leading up to the bout."

We discussed some of the reasons why Klitschko seemed unable or unwilling to throw many right hands in his first fight with Fury; Fury's continuing antics, theatrics, and controversial comments; accusations by reporters at this press conference that the officials in Fury-Klitschko 1 in Germany tried to "cheat" in Klitschko's favor by padding the ring and other measures; the potential for unbeaten IBF champion and 2012 Olympic gold medalist Anthony Joshua to dominate the heavyweight division; and much more.

We also will be posting a follow-up interview with Chris Crossan previewing the upcoming Legit Pro Wrestling 3 card on June 12 in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, in the U.K.

Plus, we open with commentary on Saturday's fights between Andre Berto and Victor Ortiz, James DeGale and Rogelio Medina, and Badou Jack and Lucian Bute.

(Photo of Fury-Klitschko 2 press conference by Chris Crossan.)

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

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 Frank Gotch World Catch Wrestling Tournament. On Sunday, July 3, 2016, catch wrestlers from all around the world will compete in Humboldt, Iowa, the hometown of the legendary world champion wrestler Frank Gotch. Organized by the Catch Wrestling Alliance and co-sponsored by IAWrestle, the Frank Gotch Statue Committee, and the Frank Gotch Kids Wrestling Club, the event will take place at Humboldt High School. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.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.

BJJ Eastern Europe, for the latest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu news, articles, interviews, competition calendar, European belt rankings, academy directory, and more. For more information, go to BJJEE.com.

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: Andre Berto, Badou Jack, boxing, Chris Crossan, Eddie Goldman, James DeGale, Lucian Bute, No Holds Barred, Rogelio Medina, Tyson Fury, Victor Ortiz, Wladimir Klitschko

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews the April 30 fights between James DeGale and Rogelio Medina, and Badou Jack and Lucian Bute, as well as the April 23 fight between Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez and McWilliams Arroyo.

On Saturday, April 30, there will be a super middleweight doubleheader involving separate fights by two titleholders, all in preparation for a showdown and title unification between the victors.

WBC champion Badou Jack (20-1-1, 12 KOs) will face former IBF champion Lucian Bute (32-3, 25 KOs), while current IBF champion and 2008 Olympic gold medalist James DeGale (22-1, 14 KOs) will fight mandatory challenger Rogelio Medina (36-6, 30 KOs). This will take place at the DC Armory in Washington, D.C. and be shown live in the U.S. on Showtime and in the U.K. on Sky Sports.

This coming week, on Saturday. April 23, boxing consensus pound-for-pound best, the WBC flyweight champion Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez (44-0, 38 KOs), will face 2008 Olympian McWilliams Arroyo (16-2, 14 KOs). This fight is the co-feature to the Gennady Golovkin-Dominic Wade middleweight title main event, but is actually more anticipated than that fight by many who know boxing. These fights take place at the Forum in Inglewood, California, and will be televised live in the U.S. on HBO and in the U.K. on BoxNation.

We spoke this week with James DeGale, Badou Jack, Lucian Bute, Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez, and McWilliams Arroyo on media conference calls about these fights and their plans.

(Photo of Badou Jack and Lucian Bute from Stephanie Trapp/Mayweather Promotions. Photo of James Degale from Lawrence Lustig/Matchroom Boxing. Photo of Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez from Ed Mulholland/K2 Promotions. Photo of McWilliams Arroyo from PR Best Boxing Promotions.)

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

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 Frank Gotch World Catch Wrestling Tournament. On Sunday, July 3, 2016, catch wrestlers from all around the world will compete in Humboldt, Iowa, the hometown of the legendary world champion wrestler Frank Gotch. Organized by the Catch Wrestling Alliance and co-sponsored by IAWrestle, the Frank Gotch Statue Committee, and the Frank Gotch Kids Wrestling Club, the event will take place at Humboldt High School. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.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.

BJJ Eastern Europe, for the latest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu news, articles, interviews, competition calendar, European belt rankings, academy directory, and more. For more information, go to BJJEE.com.

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: Badou Jack, boxing, Eddie Goldman, James DeGale, Lucian Bute, McWilliams Arroyo, No Holds Barred, Roman Chocolatito Gonzalez

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