NO HOLDS BARRED

SecondsOut Radio with Eddie Goldman

On this week's edition of SecondsOut Radio, host Eddie Goldman once again discusses some of the good and bad going on in boxing.

We begin with the ever-burgeoning negative side. We follow up on the commentaries of the past two weeks on this show by Dr. Margaret Goodman, focusing again on why the March 14 fight between Amir Khan and Marco Antonio Barrera should have been stopped far sooner than it was because of a severe cut on Barrera's forehead due to an accidental head clash in the first round. We discuss the latest findings in the Antonio Margarito-Javier Capetillo hand wrap scandal, where authorities in California have officially revealed that the hand wraps they were attempting to use against Shane Mosley in their January 24 fight contained calcium and sulfur, two key ingredients of plaster of Paris. We explain that while lifetime bans of Margarito and Capetillo might be justified in this case, there is, unfortunately and incredibly, no central body in boxing which has the authority to issue such a ban. And we also discuss how the American boxing establishment has let the marquee division in boxing, the heavyweights, slip right through their hands and end up centered in Europe.

On the positive side, we preview the important 140-pound title unification fight between WBO champion Kendall Holt (25-2, 13 KOs) and WBC champion Timothy Bradley (23-0, 11 KOs). This fight, between these two Americans, will take place Saturday, April 4, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It will be telecast live in the U.S. on Showtime.

We spoke with both Kendall Holt and Timothy Bradley to get their views on what they expect to happen in this fight.

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

Labels: Amir Khan, Antonio Margarito, boxing, Eddie Goldman, Javier Capetillo, Juan Carlos Gomez, Kendall Holt, Marco Antonio Barrera, Margaret Goodman, SecondsOut Radio, Timothy Bradley, Vitali Klitschko

SecondsOut Radio with Eddie Goldman

On this week's edition of SecondsOut Radio, host Eddie Goldman begins by commenting on the fifth-round technical decision victory by Amir Khan over Marco Antonio Barrera Saturday, March 14, in Manchester, England. We reflect on what this fight did and did not prove regarding Khan's technique and chin in the wake of his first-round defeat last year by then-little-known Breidis Prescott. We discuss what questions were and were not answered regarding the legendary but aging Barrera, whose performances of late cannot be analyzed without bringing up the question of whether he should retire or not. We focus on the controversial ending to this fight, which was only stopped in the fifth round due to a cut from an accidental head clash in the first round which left an open gash on Barrera's forehead. And we ask whether or not this fight, had it been held outside England, would likely have been stopped prior to the fifth round, which thus would have resulted in a no decision under the unified rules of boxing.

Next, we begin a lengthy interview with Dr. Margaret Goodman, a neurologist and former chairman of the Medical Advisory Board of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. In the first part of this interview, the topics include why certain substances such as steroids and marijuana are dangerous to the health of fighters and are thus banned. We also discuss many other issues related to the health and safety of fighters.

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

Labels: Amir Khan, boxing, Eddie Goldman, Marco Antonio Barrera, Margaret Goodman, marijuana, Nevada State Athletic Commission, SecondsOut Radio, steroids

SecondsOut Radio with Eddie Goldman

On this week's edition of SecondsOut Radio, host Eddie Goldman begins by commenting on a good weekend of televised fights. These included the comeback decision win by Delvin Rodriguez over Shamone Alvarez, the second-round TKO by Victor Ortiz over Mike Arnaoutis, the breakout performance by James Kirkland in stopping Joel Julio at the end of six rounds, and the brutal knockout by Mike Alvarado of Emmanuel Clottey at 2:58 of the tenth and final round. We also discuss the implications of these fights for the rankings.

This coming weekend marks the start of four straight weeks of mid-level pay-per-view telecasts in the U.S. The first of these, on March 14, will pit Amir Khan against the legendary but aging Marco Antonio Barrera. This is a major test for both fighters, although of a different kind for each. Can Khan, knocked out in the first round in September 2008 by little-known but unbeaten Breidis Prescott, defeat a top-level fighter? And can the 35-year-old Barrera, who has twice fought lower-level opposition since being dominated by Manny Pacquiao in October 2007, and who contemplated retirement, still safely and competitively compete in the ring?

We had a chance on a recent media conference call to get comments from both Khan and Barrera. And we also comment on this glut of pay-per-views, and what it means, and doesn't mean, for boxing.

Finally, we comment on the efforts to market and position the boxing shows on Showtime. Despite showing many excellent fights, Showtime is way behind their premium cable network rival, HBO, in popularity. We discuss some of the reasons why, in particular their failure to use the Internet and the Internet boxing media properly and effectively, and the almost total absence of the use of social media for their boxing program.

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

Labels: Amir Khan, boxing, Eddie Goldman, Emmanuel Clottey, James Kirkland, Joel Julio, Marco Antonio Barrera, Mike Alvarado, Mike Arnaoutis, pay-per-view, SecondsOut Radio, Showtime, Victor Ortiz

SecondsOut Radio with Eddie Goldman

On this week's edition of SecondsOut Radio, host Eddie Goldman begins with a review of yet another of 2007's stellar fights: the stunning seventh-round stoppage by Kelly Pavlik (32-0, 29 KOs) of Jermain Taylor (27-1-1, 17 KOs) to capture the middleweight championship of the world. Pavlik won that title from Taylor Saturday, September 29, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

We spoke with a victorious Kelly Pavlik right after the postfight news conference to get his analysis of the fight itself and its significance. We also got a comment from promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank about what this fight means for boxing.

This coming Saturday, October 6, the super featherweight rematch between Manny Pacquiao (44-3-2, 35 KOs) and Marco Antonio Barrera (63-5, 42 KOs) also promises to be another memorable battle. This fight takes place at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas and will be shown in the US on HBO Pay-Per-View.

We spoke with Marco Antonio Barrera on a media teleconference call about what to expect in what he has vowed will be the final fight of his storied career. We also spoke with Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions and Bob Arum about this fight and how boxing can better use the Internet.

We close with a comment about another important fight this Saturday when the newly-crowned WBC interim heavyweight champ Samuel Peter (28-1, 22 KOs) faces Jameel McCline (38-7-3, 23 KOs). This fight takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York and will be shown in the US on Showtime.

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: Bob Arum, boxing, Eddie Goldman, Jameel McCline, Jermain Taylor, Kelly Pavlik, Manny Pacquiao, Marco Antonio Barrera, Oscar De La Hoya, Samuel Peter, SecondsOut Radio