NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with the unbeaten heavyweight who is the most avoided fighter in that division, Luis "King Kong" Ortiz.

With a record of 27-0 and 23 KOs, his next fight will be April 22 when he faces journeyman Derric Rossy (31-12, 15 KOs) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn as part of the card headlined by the Shawn Porter vs. Andre Berto fight. Exact TV details will be announced soon, but it will either be shown on Showtime or Showtime Extreme in the U.S.

We spoke with Luis Ortiz at a press conference in New York on March 30. He had just days before signed with advisor/manager Al Haymon and was still working out his plans, although he did repeatedly challenge the various heavyweight beltholders including Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder, and Joseph Parker.

We open with an analysis of why Luis Ortiz has been so avoided over his career including the stagnated state of the heavyweight division, how the promoters he has previously worked with have failed to market him and move him to a title fight, his sparring with MMA fighter "King" Mo Lawal, the surreal atmosphere at this New York press conference, and more.

(Photo of Luis Ortiz and Bryant Jennings by Alex Menendez - HoganPhotos/Golden Boy Promotions. Photo of Luis Ortiz and Eddie Goldman by Kristal Hart.)

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No Holds Barred is sponsored by:

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Labels: Al Haymon, boxing, Eddie Goldman, heavyweight, King Kong, Luis Ortiz, No Holds Barred

SecondsOut Radio with Eddie Goldman

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