Tuesday, January 18, 2022
"Teach The Children About Andrew Jennings" on No Holds Barred Patreon Page
My latest piece, "Teach The Children About Andrew Jennings", is up on the No Holds Barred Patreon page.
A subscription is required to read it, so subscribe today to support independent journalism.
The article is at https://www.patreon.com/posts/teach-children-61304322.
Labels: Andrew Jennings, boxing, corruption, Eddie Goldman, Jens Sejer Andersen, journalism, No Holds Barred, Olympic
Monday, December 20, 2021
"Richard McLaren, Umar Kremlev, and the IOC on the Crisis in Olympic Boxing" on No Holds Barred Patreon Page
A subscription is required to read it, so subscribe today to support independent journalism.
The article is at https://www.patreon.com/posts/richard-mclaren-60147403.
Labels: AIBA, boxing, corruption, Eddie Goldman, Gazprom, IBA, International Boxing Association, International Olympic Committee, IOC, No Holds Barred, Olympic, Richard McLaren, Thomas Bach, Umar Kremlev
Sunday, December 05, 2021
"Can Anybody Clean Up Pro or Olympic Boxing?" on No Holds Barred Patreon Page
A subscription is required to read it, so subscribe today to support independent journalism.
The article is at https://www.patreon.com/posts/can-anybody-up-59565073.
Labels: AIBA, boxing, corruption, Eddie Goldman, No Holds Barred, Olympic
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
No Holds Barred: Errol Spence Jr., Leonard Bundu, More Olympic Boxing Robberies
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with welterweights Errol Spence Jr. and Leonard Bundu who fight Sunday, August 21, in Brooklyn, and discussed the latest Olympic boxing robberies.
The 26-year-old Spence (20-0, 17 KOs) will face the 41-year-old Bundu (33-1-2, 12 KOs) in an IBF welterweight title eliminator at the new outdoor Ford Amphitheater at the Coney Island Boardwalk in Brooklyn, New York. This fight will be televised live in the U.S. on NBC, in the U.K. on BoxNation, and in Italy on Sportitalia TV. The NBC telecast is scheduled to start about 5 PM EDT, following the Olympic men's basketball gold medal game.
As for boxing at the Rio Olympics, on Monday, the heavyweight gold medal fight between Evgeny Tishchenko of Russia and Vassily Levit of Kazakhstan ended not surprisingly in yet another disgraceful robbery. Tishchenko was awarded a unanimous decision, despite being outfought for all three rounds, and being visibly hurt and cut in the final round. The judges' decision was loudly booed by the fans. Many are calling this the worst robbery in Olympic boxing since the infamous "loss" by Roy Jones Jr. at the 1988 Seoul Olympics in a verdict that was bought and paid for.
But just one day later, there was competition for that dishonor as the worst Olympic boxing robbery, in the bantamweight quarterfinal fight between Michael Conlan of Ireland and Vladimir Nikitin of -- where else? -- Russia. In this fight, Conlan clearly won at least two of the three rounds, with more and cleaner punches. But the judges scored it a unanimous decision for Nikitin, with two of them giving all three rounds to the Russian fighter.
There were warnings that this type of corruption would occur at the Rio 2016 boxing, such as in an article in the Guardian of the U.K., written before the start of the Olympics, called Rio 2016: Olympic boxing tournament hit by corruption allegations. The article explained, based on reports from whistleblowers, how some Olympic boxing officials were actually "meeting before major championships to decide on certain bouts."
Once again, this shows that the International Olympic Committee and Russia are the world champions of sport corruption.
For Errol Spence, who is considered a rising star and a soon-to-be world champion, this fight with Bundu is another in a series of fights with journeymen where his performance will be compared to those of others who have defeated these same opponents. Spence has won his last seven fights by TKOs, including defeating veterans Chris Algieri and Alejandro Barrera by stoppage for the first time in their careers. How he will look and do against Bundu, who has also never been stopped, is more of a question than who will win this fight.
We spoke with both Errol Spence Jr. and Leonard Bundu on a recent media conference call to get their views coming into this fight.
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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 http://boxingtribune-news.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.
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: boxing, Eddie Goldman, Errol Spence, Leonard Bundu, No Holds Barred, Olympic, robbery
Monday, March 16, 2015
No Holds Barred: Mike Chapman on Nat Pendleton, Catch and College Wrestling Star
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with wrestling historian and author Mike Chapman.
He has recently written a book on undefeated college wrestler, 1920 Olympic silver medalist wrestler, pro catch wrestler and shooter, and Hollywood actor Nat Pendleton.
We spoke with Mike Chapman by phone Saturday.
While wrestling for Columbia, which had the first college wrestling program in the U.S., "He was an exceptional college wrestler, never lost a match," he said.
"This is before the days of the NCAA tournament, of course. He won the Eastern Intercollegiate Wresting Association title twice, which is a really tough tournament," in 1914 and 1915, he said.
"He won the AAU Nationals twice," in 1916 and 1920, he said, in what was then called amateur catch-as-catch-can wrestling, and today is known as freestyle wrestling.
Also in amateur catch-as-catch-can wrestling, in 1920, he said, "He won a silver medal in the Olympics." Many observers of that match have argued that Pendleton was robbed of the gold medal, "which happens a lot in international competition."
Pendleton's next stop was pro wrestling, which had not completely devolved into the spectacle we have today.
This was "at a time when pro wrestling was starting to evolve from a pure athletic contest -- well, actually it was already well into the evolution into show business and theatrics."
As to how Nat Pendleton reacted to this change in pro wrestling, he said, "I maintain from my research through the last ten years, and what I've known about Nat, that Nat really felt that he was a catch wrestler extraordinaire. He loved catch wrestling. He cared deeply about it. And he resisted the movement into theatrics."
Of course, to theatrics it was for pro wrestling, so after a few years, he decided to go where people were upfront about their theatrics -- Hollywood, where he had a career appearing in almost 100 films.
We also discussed a legendary pro catch wrestling match which Nat Pendleton had in 1923 with the great John Pesek, which is one of the last real, or shoot, matches in pro wrestling. Held in Boston with heavy newspaper coverage, Pesek was able to defeat Pendleton by submission in two straight falls.
In addition, we discussed the legacy of Nat Pendleton for college wrestling and his alma mater, Columbia; the lessons of the devolution of catch wrestling last century into a staged spectacle; what the re-emerging catch wrestling movement of today has to learn about good governance of the sport and the battle against corruption from the tragedy of the real sport's demise in the past; and much more.
Mike Chapman's biography of Nat Pendleton is a must-read for all those interested in the history of college, Olympic, catch, and pro wrestling. It provides a rare insight into the life of a remarkable individual who went from the Ivy League halls of Columbia University to the wrestling mats and rings of his era, and then to an acting career during the golden age of Hollywood films. The book is also appropriate for teens and children, who will no doubt learn a lot about life and history in the 20th century.
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.
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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 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.
Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.com.
Takedown Wrestling Media, America's wrestling TV and radio shows, which are hosted by founder Scott Casber, and have been airing on radio and Internet for over 17 years. Takedown Media produces a weekly TV program seen in 54 million homes in the U.S. on DirecTV, Dish Network, and cable affiliates around the country, called Takedown TV. Takedown Media also produces the weekly USA Wrestling TV show for the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling. For more information, go to TakedownRadio.com.
Labels: catch, college, Columbia, Eddie Goldman, Hollywood, Mike Chapman, Nat Pendleton, No Holds Barred, Olympic, pro, wrestling
Sunday, November 09, 2014
"'Foxcatcher', A Review of the Book and Film", on DefenseSoap.com
My latest blog for the Defense Soap site, "Foxcatcher, A Review of the Book and Film", is up at http://blog.defensesoap.com/news/foxcatcher-a-review-of-the-book-and-film.
Labels: college wrestling, Defense Soap, Eddie Goldman, Foxcatcher, John du Pont, Mark Schultz, Olympic
Thursday, February 28, 2013
No Holds Barred: Kevin Jackson on Iowa State Going To NCAAs and Big 12s, Saving Olympic Wrestling, and King Mo
After a slow start to the 2012-13 college wrestling season, Iowa State reeled off eight wins in their final nine dual meets, with the team now ranked 20th in the nation. Several wrestlers are also individually ranked in the top 20, including redshirt sophomore Kyven Gadson, who is ranked seventh at 197 pounds.
"Were happy with the last few months," said Coach Jackson in this interview, which was recorded by phone Wednesday. "It's just the way our guys are competing. The wins are coming. The dominating performances are coming. The major decisions, the falls, the tech falls are all falling into place."
This all comes at the right time for Iowa State. The regular season is now over, with the Big 12 Duals and Championships slated for March 8-9 in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and the NCAA Div. I National Championships March 21-23 in Des Moines, Iowa.
Coach Jackson added, "We're still a young team. We have four sophomores and three freshman starting in our lineup. So we're really excited about our future. But also we think for a lot of these guys the future is now, and that there are great opportunities for them at the Big 12s next week, and then at the NCAA tournament a few weeks later."
While college wrestling in the U.S. prepares for these championship tournaments, the entire worlds of wrestling and sports were rocked by the recent decision of the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee to drop wrestling from the program of the 2020 Olympics. We also discussed this with Coach Jackson.
"I don't know exactly what went wrong, besides I think our leadership within our international governing body [FILA] was flawed, and we weren't staying ahead of the game," he said. "We weren't staying ahead of what we needed to do to show the IOC that we were worthy of being in the Olympic Games, and the great things that we have done throughout the history of the Olympic Games, and how we are an integral part of those Games. And I don't think our international governing body did that."
Besides going over what changes international wrestling needs to make and what we can do to help save Olympic wrestling, we also discussed the recent loss in the Bellator MMA organization by "King" Mo Lawal, who had trained for years in freestyle wrestling with Coach Jackson at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. Coach Jackson was also a professional MMA fighter in the 1990s in both UFC and Battlecade Extreme Fighting, so he offered some friendly advice to "King" Mo.
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 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:
ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.
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/.
Labels: college, Eddie Goldman, FILA, IOC, Iowa State Cyclones, Kevin Jackson, King Mo Lawal, NCAA, No Holds Barred, Olympic, wrestling
Friday, November 30, 2012
No Holds Barred: Eddie Goldman Named FILA Media Coordinator
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 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:
ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.
MMA World Expo. The mixed martial arts community comes to New York City February 16 and 17, 2013, for the fourth annual MMA World Expo, featuring an amateur MMA tournament, grappling, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, and much more. The MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, February 16, and Sunday, February 17, 2013, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.
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/.
Labels: Amateur MMA, Eddie Goldman, female, FILA, freestyle, grappling, Greco-Roman, media coordinator, No Holds Barred, Olympic, Pankration, wrestling
Sunday, September 16, 2012
No Holds Barred: King Mo on Martinez-Chavez Jr., Canelo-Lopez, Bellator, Olympic and Pro Wrestling
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again speaks with a true aficionado of all the combat sports, "King" Mo Lawal.
He is set to make his debut with the Bellator Fighting Championships in January, as well as his debut in the TNA pro wrestling company this fall.
We spoke by phone Sunday, starting off by analyzing the two major boxing cards held Saturday, September 15, which we both watched simultaneously. On the Showtime card, Saul "Canelo" Alvarez defeated Josesito Lopez by fifth-round TKO. On the HBO pay-per-view, Sergio Martinez dominated most of the fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., surviving a twelfth-round knockdown to win a unanimous decision. We also discussed the other fights on these cards, as well as what they say about boxing and MMA.
"I heard both arenas sold out," he said during this interview. "So there goes the whole 'boxing is dead' thing' that a lot of these ignorant MMA fans try to use when they try to compare two different sports against each other. MMA is MMA, boxing is boxing. I felt there are two different demographics. But, last night I was highly entertained by both fights."
"King" Mo also watched some of the wrestling at the 2012 Olympics, and we discussed that and whether or not U.S. schools should switch from American folkstyle to freestyle, which is practiced internationally. We also discussed how he will balance his preparations for TNA and for Bellator. In addition, we discussed the different demographics of the fans in various combat sports, in particular the popularity of boxing among African Americans as compared to other combat sports, and more.
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 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:
ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.
MMA World Expo. The mixed martial arts community comes to New York City December 1 and 2 for the fourth annual MMA World Expo, featuring an amateur MMA tournament, the Renzo Gracie BJJ Open 2012 tournament, the Big Apple No-Gi tournament, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, and much more. The 2012 MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, December 1, and Sunday, December 2, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.
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/.
Labels: African Americans, Bellator, boxing, Canelo Alvarez, Eddie Goldman, Josesito Lopez, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., King Mo Lawal, MMA, No Holds Barred, Olympic, Sergio Martinez, TNA, wrestling
Sunday, September 04, 2011
No Holds Barred: Daniel Cormier
On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with two-time U.S. freestyle wrestling Olympian and undefeated mixed martial arts heavyweight fighter, Daniel Cormier.
He will next be fighting in the semifinals of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix against Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva. This fight will take place Saturday, September 10, at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio, on a card televised in the U.S. on Showtime.
We spoke with him by phone Thursday about how he plans to face his much heavier and more experienced opponent, who is renowned as a black belt in both jiu-jitsu and judo, and defeated the legendary Fedor Emelianenko by second-round TKO in the quarterfinals of the Grand Prix in February. We discussed how he was added to the Grand Prix after it had started, the role of wrestling in mixed martial arts, why MMA fighters must learn how to wrestle, the lessons of his recent fights, his training with UFC heavyweight titleholder and former All-American wrestler Cain Velasquez, whether or not he plans to return to wrestling, what wrestling must do to promote itself better, and much more.
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: Bigfoot, Daniel Cormier, Eddie Goldman, MMA, No Holds Barred, Olympic, Strikeforce, wrestling
