NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews the Claressa Shields-Christina Hammer women's middleweight unification fight.

On Saturday, April 13, the 24-year-old Shields (8-0, 2 KOs) of Flint, Michigan, USA, who holds the IBF, WBA, and WBC belts, faces the 28-year-old Hammer (24-0, 11 KOs) of Dortmund, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany, who holds the WBO belt and is the WBC "Champion in Recess", never having lost that belt. The winner will be recognized as the undisputed women's middleweight champion of the world. Shields has also held the IBF and WBC super middleweight belts, and is a two-time Olympic gold medalist.

This fight will headline a card taking place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and will be the main event of that card televised live in the U.S. on Showtime.

We spoke with both Claressa Shields and Christina Hammer at a February 26 news conference in New York. Both gave their views on what they each see as their advantages in this fight.

We also spoke with Jill Diamond of the WBC and World Boxing Cares on the advancement in recent years of women's boxing. And we discussed why this is an important fight and what to expect in it with our colleague Kristal Hart, who was shooting video for her show, the Kristal Hart Show.

(Photo of Claressa Shields and Christina Hammer from Marilyn Paulino/Salita Promotions.)

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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:

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Labels: boxing, Christina Hammer, Claressa Shields, Eddie Goldman, Jill Diamond, Kristal Hart, No Holds Barred, women's

SecondsOut Radio with Eddie Goldman

On this week's edition of SecondsOut Radio, host Eddie Goldman focuses on the state of women's boxing.

We spoke with NABF strawweight champion Suszannah Warner (8-6, 2 KOs), who won a four-round unanimous decision in a non-title fight over the previously-unbeaten Becky Garcia (5-1, 3 KOs), Friday, Feb. 1, at the Fort McDowell Casino in Fountain Hills, Arizona.

There were two women's fights on Star Boxing's "Punchin' at the Paradise 8" card at the Utopia Paradise Theater in the Bronx, New York, which was held Thursday, Jan. 31. Right after her fight, we spoke with Alicia Ashley (14-7-1, 1 KO), who won an eight-round unanimous decision on that card over Brooke Dierdorff (4-2-1, 3 KOs) to win the vacant NABF women's super bantamweight title. We also spoke with former New York City Golden Gloves champion, super bantamweight Ronica Jeffrey, who won her pro debut, also on that card, with a four-round unanimous decision over Karen Dulin, also making her pro debut. And we spoke with Jill Diamond, NABF Women's Division Chair, a member of the WBC Championship Committee, and the World Boxing Cares Chair, about the state of women's boxing today.

It is free to listen to SecondsOut Radio, but you must register to gain access to it. Just click here, and listen, learn, and enjoy.

Labels: Alicia Ashley, boxing, Eddie Goldman, Jill Diamond, Ronica Jeffrey, SecondsOut Radio, Suszannah Warner, women's boxing