Tuesday, November 29, 2011
No Holds Barred: Mares-Agbeko 2 and Moreno-Darchinyan Previews
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews the highly-anticipated rematch between IBF bantamweight champion Abner Mares and the former two-time IBF bantamweight champion Joseph King Kong Agbeko, and the fight between WBA bantamweight super champion Anselmo Moreno and former two-division world champion Vic Darchinyan.
These two fights take place Saturday, December 3, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, and will be telecast live in the U.S. on Showtime.
The first fight between Mares (22-0-1, 13 KOs), who was a Mexican Olympian in 2004 and now lives in California, and Agbeko (28-3, 22 KOs), from Accra, Ghana, and now fighting out of the Bronx, New York, was held August 13, 2011, in Las Vegas. While it was officially ruled a majority decision win for Mares, it was marred by a major controversy since Mares landed numerous low blows but was not penalized by referee Russell Mora. Mares even dropped Agbeko with a clear-cut shot to the groin in the 11th round, but the referee ruled it a legal knockdown. This fight was the final bout in the Showtime bantamweight tournament, but since it generated so much heated controversy, an immediate rematch was scheduled.
Although Moreno (31-1-1, 11 KOs), from Panama City, Panama, holds a WBA bantamweight belt and is highly regarded as a skillful boxer, most of his fights have been in his home country, and he has never before fought in the U.S. The slugger Darchinyan (37-3-1, 27 KOs), originally from Armenia and now fighting out of Sydney, Australia, is coming off two straight wins after losing a split decision to Mares in the opening round of the Showtime bantamweight tournament.
With Nonito Donaire moving up to super bantamweight, the winners of these fights will stake a claim to being the best bantamweight boxer in the world.
We spoke with Abner Mares, Anselmo Moreno, and Vic Darchinyan on a recent media conference call (Agbeko was also scheduled for that call but never made it on). We got their views on what to expect in their fights. We also heard Abner Mares candidly discuss the controversy in his first fight with Joseph Agbeko, and what he would have done differently if the referee had taken points away from him for low blows.
You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.
No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.
Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.
The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.
No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.
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 http://americantopteam.com/.
The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.
Labels: Abner Mares, Anselmo Moreno, boxing, Eddie Goldman, Joseph Agbeko, No Holds Barred, Vic Darchinyan
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
No Holds Barred: Agbeko-Mares Preview; Bare-Knuckle Boxing and MMA and Safety
On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews the finals of the Showtime bantamweight tournament featuring IBF champ Joseph King Kong Agbeko and Abner Mares, and discusses the myth that wearing gloves in boxing and MMA makes those sports safer.
This Saturday, August 13, IBF bantamweight champion Joseph King Kong Agbeko (28-2, 22 KOs) will fight the unbeaten Abner Mares (21-0-1, 13 KOs) in Las Vegas, Nevada, in a bout postponed from April when Agbeko fell victim to an attack of sciatica. Now that Agbeko is fully recovered, this much-anticipated fight will conclude the four-man Showtime bantamweight tournament.
We spoke with Joseph King Kong Agbeko and Abner Mares on a recent media conference call about the effects of this postponement and what to expect in this fight.
The issue of bare-knuckle fighting has recently come to the fore with the bare-knuckle boxing match between Bobby Gunn and Richard Stewart at the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation Casino and Hotel in Fountain Hill, Arizona, outside Scottsdale, on August 5, 2011. This appeared to be a planned mismatch in favor of Gunn, who won by third-round knockout, and the health and safety standards were suspect since no member of the Association of Boxing Commissions was regulating it.
However, the condemnation of this bare-knuckle contest by the Association of Boxing Commissions and others raises the issue of the relative safety of sports like boxing and MMA when they are conducted as bare-knuckle fights compared to when the fighters are required to wear gloves.
Dr. Allan J. Ryan, considered to be a co-founder of the field of sports medicine in 1945, wrote an article in 1983 called "Eliminate Boxing Gloves". He also argued that "In 100 years of bare-knuckle fighting in the United States, which terminated around 1897 with a John L Sullivan heavyweight championship fight, there wasn't a single ring fatality."
We thus re-ignite this discussion about which is safer for the athletes in both boxing and MMA, fighting with or without gloves.
You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.
Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.
The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.
No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
Beezid.com - Penny Auctions. Your #1 source for exciting auction shopping and outstanding deals on just about anything! Top rated, most trusted auction site online. Where do you shop? Beezid.com - Penny Auctions.
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 http://americantopteam.com/.
The American Sambo Association, which is committed to becoming the premier association in the U.S. dedicated to the advancement of Sambo. Sambo is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. For more information, go to ussambo.com.
Labels: Abner Mares, bare-knuckle, boxing, Eddie Goldman, Joseph Agbeko, MMA, No Holds Barred
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
No Holds Barred: Vic Darchinyan, Joseph Agbeko, Eddie Chambers, Rob Murray Sr.
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman focuses on two of the good stories in boxing, the Joseph Agbeko-Vic Darchinyan IBF bantamweight title fight taking place Saturday, July 11, and the July 4 victory by American heavyweight contender Eddie Chambers over previously-unbeaten Alexander Dimitrenko of Ukraine in Hamburg, Germany.
This Saturday night, July 11, in what should be a spectacular fight and a potential fight of the year candidate, the always-exciting IBF bantamweight champion Joseph "King Kong" Agbeko (26-1, 22 KOs) of Accra, Ghana, and now fighting out of the Bronx, NY, puts his belt on the line against top ten pound-for-pound fighter Vic Darchinyan (32-1, 26 KOs), of Sydney, Australia, and originally from Armenia. The explosive knockout artist Darchinyan, the best in the world at super flyweight (115 lbs.), is moving three pounds north to try to capture a world title in his third weight division. This fight takes place at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida, and will be televised by Showtime in the U.S. and on pay-per-view in Australia.
We had a chance to get the comments of both the champion and the challenger, Joseph Agbeko and Vic Darchinyan, on a recent media conference call. You do not want to miss this fight, and you do not want to miss this preview and their comments.
American heavyweight contender Eddie Chambers of Philadelphia, PA, went to Hamburg, Germany, on July 4 with an arduous task. He had to face the previously-unbeaten, six-foot, seven-inch Alexander Dimitrenko of Ukraine on what was essentially his foe's home turf. But Chambers trained hard and smart for this fight, coming in at just over 208 pounds, 15 pounds lighter than when he faced Samuel Peter in an unimpressive win earlier this year, and the lightest he had been in about six years.
When the 12 rounds of action were over, Chambers had scored two knockdowns, dominated the action with power shots which broke through the defense of the much taller Dimitrenko, and done what many American fighters before him had been unable to do, secure a well-deserved victory on the scorecards. Although one judge managed to remind us about boxing in Germany by scoring it a draw, Chambers easily won on the other scorecards, 117-109 and 116-111, to resuscitate his career and earn a WBO mandatory title shot against champion Wladimir Klitschko. He also had won one of the better and more exciting heavyweight fights in recent memory. Dimitrenko's record fell to 29-1 with 19 KOs, while Chambers is now 35-1 with 18 KOs.
The outcome of this fight sparked so much interest that a media conference call with Eddie Chambers was organized this week. On that call, we had a chance to speak with Eddie Chambers about what was key to his victory and his future plans, as well as with his promoter, Dan Goossen. We also spoke with his trainer and manager, Rob Murray Sr., who revealed some of the old school training methods he had utilized to inspire Eddie Chambers and get him into proper fighting shape for this fight.
You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.
The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.
Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.
No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.
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 http://americantopteam.com/.
BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.
Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.
FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.
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This Saturday night, July 11, in what should be a spectacular fight and a potential fight of the year candidate, the always-exciting IBF bantamweight champion Joseph "King Kong" Agbeko (26-1, 22 KOs) of Accra, Ghana, and now fighting out of the Bronx, NY, puts his belt on the line against top ten pound-for-pound fighter Vic Darchinyan (32-1, 26 KOs), of Sydney, Australia, and originally from Armenia. The explosive knockout artist Darchinyan, the best in the world at super flyweight (115 lbs.), is moving three pounds north to try to capture a world title in his third weight division. This fight takes place at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida, and will be televised by Showtime in the U.S. and on pay-per-view in Australia.
We had a chance to get the comments of both the champion and the challenger, Joseph Agbeko and Vic Darchinyan, on a recent media conference call. You do not want to miss this fight, and you do not want to miss this preview and their comments.
American heavyweight contender Eddie Chambers of Philadelphia, PA, went to Hamburg, Germany, on July 4 with an arduous task. He had to face the previously-unbeaten, six-foot, seven-inch Alexander Dimitrenko of Ukraine on what was essentially his foe's home turf. But Chambers trained hard and smart for this fight, coming in at just over 208 pounds, 15 pounds lighter than when he faced Samuel Peter in an unimpressive win earlier this year, and the lightest he had been in about six years.
When the 12 rounds of action were over, Chambers had scored two knockdowns, dominated the action with power shots which broke through the defense of the much taller Dimitrenko, and done what many American fighters before him had been unable to do, secure a well-deserved victory on the scorecards. Although one judge managed to remind us about boxing in Germany by scoring it a draw, Chambers easily won on the other scorecards, 117-109 and 116-111, to resuscitate his career and earn a WBO mandatory title shot against champion Wladimir Klitschko. He also had won one of the better and more exciting heavyweight fights in recent memory. Dimitrenko's record fell to 29-1 with 19 KOs, while Chambers is now 35-1 with 18 KOs.
The outcome of this fight sparked so much interest that a media conference call with Eddie Chambers was organized this week. On that call, we had a chance to speak with Eddie Chambers about what was key to his victory and his future plans, as well as with his promoter, Dan Goossen. We also spoke with his trainer and manager, Rob Murray Sr., who revealed some of the old school training methods he had utilized to inspire Eddie Chambers and get him into proper fighting shape for this fight.
You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.
The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.
Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.
No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:
Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.
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 http://americantopteam.com/.
BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.
Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.
FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.
Labels: Alexander Dimitrenko, boxing, Dan Goossen, Eddie Chambers, Eddie Goldman, Joseph Agbeko, No Holds Barred, Rob Murray, Vic Darchinyan, Wladimir Klitschko
Sunday, November 23, 2008
SecondsOut Radio: Joseph Agbeko, Jorge Teron, More on the Decline of American Boxing
On this week's edition of SecondsOut Radio, host Eddie Goldman begins by discussing the unfortunately recurrent theme of the decline of American boxing. This decline was most recently written about by veteran UK sports writer Kevin Mitchell in a piece on the sports blogs of the Guardian of the UK entitled "US boxing is in danger of being consumed by its own bastard children". We comment on that article, and also discuss why having top 140-pound fighter Ricky Hatton, victorious this past Saturday night over Paulie Malignaggi, fight the Oscar De La Hoya-Manny Pacquiao winner is also not good for boxing.
One champion fighter who has been absent from action for over a year is IBF bantamweight champ Joseph "King Kong" Agbeko (25-1, 22 KOs). Originally from Ghana and now fighting out of the Bronx, New York, Agbeko is now finally supposed to be defending his belt December 11 in Newark, New Jersey, against challenger William Gonzalez (21-2, 19 KOs).
Before this December 11 fight was announced, we caught up with Joseph "King Kong" Agbeko at a New York news conference to discuss the reasons for his absence from the ring, and his plans to defend his title.
Another fighter having difficulty securing a date is lightweight prospect Jorge "The Truth" Teron (22-0-1, 15 KOs). The 23-year-old Teron, also from the Bronx, New York, had been scheduled to face journeyman Aldo Valtierra (24-10, 13 KOs) on November 21, but that entire card was cancelled. However, Teron will now be facing Valtierra on a card on Thursday, December 4, at Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan, New York, promoted by Bob Duffy's Ring Promotions.
Again, before the November 21 show was cancelled, we had a chance at a New York news conference to speak with Jorge Teron about his plans and his career.
Last but not least, the subject of the serious problems facing boxing was also discussed this past week on the "Joey Reynolds Show", a national radio broadcast in New York on WOR 710 AM and on 100 other stations via the WOR Network, and also available online. The guests in this segment were myself, Eddie Goldman, and comedian Jackie "The Joke Man" Martling, who is also a boxing fan.
In a discussion led by Joey Reynolds, also a big supporter of boxing, we focused upon the continuing problems with the treatment of the media at the Nov. 8 fight between Joe Calzaghe and Roy Jones Jr. at Madison Square Garden, as well as other problems plaguing the sport.
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: boxing, Eddie Goldman, Jackie Martling, Joe Calzaghe, Joey Reynolds, Jorge Teron, Joseph Agbeko, Kevin Mitchell, King Kong, Ricky Hatton, Roy Jones, SecondsOut Radio, WOR
Sunday, March 30, 2008
SecondsOut Radio: Joseph Agbeko, Richard Schaefer
On this week's edition of SecondsOut Radio, host Eddie
Goldman speaks with Joseph Agbeko, the IBF bantamweight champion, and Richard Schaefer, the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions.
Joseph "King Kong" Agbeko (25-1, 22 KOs) was not widely known to the boxing world before his title fight Sept. 29, 2007, with then-IBF bantamweight champion Luis Perez. Most of his fights had been in Africa against opponents who were nowhere near being world-ranked. But that did not stop Agbeko from pulling the upset and dethroning the veteran Perez with a seventh-round TKO.
We discussed with Joseph Agbeko his background as a fighter and his plans for his next fight.
We also recently spoke with Richard Schaefer, the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, at the kickoff news conference to announce the April 19 fight between two champions, light heavyweight king Bernard Hopkins and super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe. We spoke with him about this fight, and also about the plans of Golden Boy Promotions to enter the worlds of soccer (football) and mixed martial arts.
Also, we discuss the narrow view of much of the boxing media towards combat sports, their failure to understand other real combat sports such as mixed martial arts and wrestling, and their fawning over the staged pro "wrestling" spectacle, which has left so many of its participants prematurely dead.
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: boxing, combat sports, Eddie Goldman, Golden Boy Promotions, Joseph Agbeko, mixed martial arts, Richard Schaefer, SecondsOut Radio, wrestling
