Monday, August 05, 2024
The WAAR Room: Olympic Boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting, and the Ongoing Plight of Female Athletes
The controversy was fueled by the Russian-led and -financed International Boxing Association (IBA), which disqualified both Khelif and Lin at the world championships they held last year. At the time they only gave a murky reason for doing so. Since last June, IBA had its recognition withdrawn as the Olympic boxing federation by the IOC because of a history of bad governance, lack of financial transparency, and corrupt judging and refereeing. IBA was first suspended by the IOC in 2019. The IOC directly organized the boxing competition at both the Tokyo and Paris Olympics through its own task force.
The charges against Khelif and Lin by the IBA are that they were shown to have XY chromosomes, which mainly but not exclusively exist in males. Yet the specifics of this test have not been revealed by the disgraced IBA, and have been dismissed by the IOC as "not legitimate", which has also confirmed that these two boxers are indeed both female. The IOC used the eligibility rules of the Rio and Tokyo Olympics for Paris, under which both Khelif and Lin qualified. In fact, both Khelif and Lin have been fighting in international amateur competition for many years. They also both fought at the Tokyo Olympics, although neither won a medal there.
We thus discussed the many aspects of this situation, including how Russia is using this situation to try to disrupt the Paris Olympics and to spread anti-LGBTQ propaganda, how the two fighters have faced an onslaught of lies and misinformation including that they are both "men" and "transgender", why the IBA's test of them is not legitimate, how this controversy adversely affects all women athletes, how legitimate questions about women and gender including eligibility in sports have been obscured by all the hate and lies, and much, much more.
You can watch The WAAR Room at https://youtu.be/bONVwyBTe30
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This show was recorded August 4, 2024.
Labels: boxing, Chris Baldwin, Eddie Goldman, IBA, Imane Khelif, IOC, Lin Yu-ting, Malissa Smith, No Holds Barred, Olympic boxing, Paris Olympics, Russia, Umar Kremlev, WAAR Room, women's boxing
Monday, July 29, 2024
The WAAR Room: Unraveling the Paris Olympic Controversies
You can watch The WAAR Room at https://youtu.be/bZdxjCizeHA
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This show was recorded July 28, 2024.
Labels: boxing, Chris Baldwin, Eddie Goldman, Malissa Smith, No Holds Barred, Olympic boxing, Paris Olympics, WAAR Room
Thursday, April 11, 2024
The WAAR Room: Fury-Usyk, Heavyweight Action, Women's Boxing Update, Olympic Boxing Future
On the edition of The WAAR Room, Chris Baldwin, Malissa Smith, and Eddie Goldman discussed the May 18 Fury-Usyk heavyweight title unification fight, this coming weekend's heavyweight action, an update on women's pro boxing and why there is so little in the U.S. and none in Saudi Arabia, the unclear future of Olympic boxing, and more.
You can watch The WAAR Room at https://youtu.be/ULvjSqQbY5g
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This show was recorded April 10, 2024.
Labels: boxing, Chris Baldwin, Eddie Goldman, heavyweight, Malissa Smith, No Holds Barred, Oleksandr Usyk, Olympic boxing, Tyson Fury, WAAR Room, women's boxing
Tuesday, December 27, 2022
"Why Boxing May Be Cut From The 2024 Olympics" on No Holds Barred Patreon Page
My latest piece, "Why Boxing May Be Cut From The 2024 Olympics", 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/why-boxing-may-76417033.
Labels: Eddie Goldman, IBA, IOC, No Holds Barred, Olympic boxing
Friday, September 09, 2022
"Olympic Boxing Takes Another Step Toward Extinction" 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/olympic-boxing-71733990.
Labels: Boris van der Vorst, Eddie Goldman, IBA, International Boxing Association, IOC, Kit McConnell, No Holds Barred, Olympic boxing, Umar Kremlev
Monday, August 15, 2022
No Holds Barred: Is Olympic Boxing Doomed? on The WAAR Room with Chris Baldwin and Malissa Smith
We spoke with them by Zoom Friday, August 12.
Allegations of corruption continue to be made against the International Boxing Association (IBA), which is still under suspension by the International Olympic Committee. IBA will not be allowed to organize the boxing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, which will be done by the IOC themselves, and boxing remains excluded entirely from the program of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Rising in opposition to the current IBA leadership is the Common Cause Alliance. On July 25, they sent an open, public letter to the IBA board explaining why the upcoming IBA congress in September should not be held in Armenia. The main reasons were major problems, including security, at the EUBC Elite Men’s Championships held in May in Armenia, and Armenia's political and military ties to Putin's Russia during Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. The letter was signed by leaders of 15 national boxing federations, including some of the most successful countries in Olympic boxing: the U.S., the Philippines, Finland, Australia, Iceland, Czechia, Switzerland, New Zealand, France, Canada, Denmark, England, Sweden, Ireland, and the Netherlands.
We discussed the ongoing crisis in Olympic boxing and how this affects both professional and amateur boxing. We also discussed some of the latest boxing news, including updates on the Oleksandr Usyk-Anthony Joshua rematch August 20 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and the Claressa Shields-Savannah Marshall fight September 10 in London, and much more.
Please also subscribe to the No Holds Barred page on Patreon for much more exclusive premium No Holds Barred content.
You can play or download No Holds Barred on Anchor, Patreon, and the Internet Archive. If one link does not work, please try another.
The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.
Labels: Boris van der Vorst, Chris Baldwin, Common Cause Alliance, Eddie Goldman, Girlboxing, IBA, International Boxing Association, Malissa Smith, No Holds Barred, Olympic boxing, Umar Kremlev, WAAR Room, WAAR Sports
Sunday, August 07, 2022
"Common Cause Alliance on Failures of Olympic Boxing Leadership" on No Holds Barred Patreon Page
My latest piece, "Common Cause Alliance on Failures of Olympic Boxing Leadership", 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/common-cause-on-70199825.
Labels: Boris van der Vorst, Common Cause Alliance, Eddie Goldman, IBA, International Boxing Association, No Holds Barred, Olympic boxing, Umar Kremlev
Friday, May 27, 2022
No Holds Barred: Bye Bye, Olympic Boxing? on The WAAR Room with Chris Baldwin and Malissa Smith
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with our colleagues Chris Baldwin of the WAAR Room and Malissa Smith of Girlboxing on the WAAR Room. A video of this discussion has also been posted on the WAAR Sports YouTube page.
We spoke with them by Zoom Monday, May 23.
The beleaguered International Boxing Association (IBA), at their recent congress, only allowed sitting president Umar Kremlev of Russia to run for that office after disqualifying his only opponent a day before the election, and also disqualified four candidates from running for their board who had raised some criticisms of the direction IBA has taken. This stunt did not sit well with the IOC, which had already suspended IBA, and said it was closely monitoring what was supposed to be a governance reform process for IBA.
At the same time, relations between the IOC and Putin's Russia have been at a low point since Russia began its war of aggression against Ukraine right after the conclusion of the Tokyo Olympics, which was supposed to be a period of peace called the Olympic Truce. For years the IOC has appeased Russia, following their violation twice before of the Olympic Truce, with the attack on Georgia in 2008 and annexation of Crimea in 2014, and their recalcitrant and defiant actions involving their state-sponsored doping program. All these resulted essentially in slaps on the wrist. But IOC president Bach last week said that Russia was responsible for "personal threats to individuals from the IOC and Olympic Movement." Only this might have been the breaking point for Bach.
We discussed why it is not surprising that a Mafia regime like Putin's tried to threaten and bully the IOC, how IBA's reliance on Russia for funding through the state-run Gazprom energy giant may have doomed their chances of being reinstated by the IOC, how all this further jeopardizes Olympic boxing which already has been excluded from the program of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, how the demise of Olympic boxing will damage and possibly destroy both amateur and professional boxing, who might potentially replace Russia as a benefactor of Olympic boxing, and much more.
In addition, Malissa Smith kept us up-to-date with some important news about women's boxing.
Please also subscribe to the No Holds Barred page on Patreon for much more exclusive premium No Holds Barred content.
You can play or download No Holds Barred on Anchor, Patreon, and the Internet Archive. If one link does not work, please try another.
The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.
Labels: Chris Baldwin, Eddie Goldman, Girlboxing, IBA, IOC, Malissa Smith, No Holds Barred, Olympic boxing, Russia, WAAR Room, WAAR Sports
Tuesday, December 14, 2021
No Holds Barred: Probellum Problems, Olympic Boxing Reform, Katie Taylor's Close Win, on The WAAR Room with Chris Baldwin and Malissa Smith
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with our colleagues Chris Baldwin of the WAAR Room and Malissa Smith of Girlboxing on the WAAR Room. A video of this discussion has also been posted on the WAAR Sports YouTube page.
We spoke with them Sunday, December 12.
This past week saw major developments in the attempt by the Olympic boxing federation -- formerly AIBA and now renamed as the International Boxing Association (IBA) -- to regain its place on the Olympic program.
On December 9, IOC president Thomas Bach said in a press conference that AIBA, along with the International Weightlifting Federation, were the IOC's "problem children". AIBA would remain suspended from the IOC until at least 2023, and needs to correct ongoing problems in governance, financial transparency and sustainability, and the integrity of their refereeing and judging processes. Boxing also was not included on the list of sports set for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, although it was not ruled out that it could be added back if AIBA demonstrated that it had corrected these problems to the IOC's satisfaction.
On December 10, another report was released about corruption in AIBA by the team led by Professor Richard McLaren. This report, issued at AIBA's behest, concluded that the corruption in the officiating at AIBA events did not end with the 2016 Rio Olympics, but has continued through this year. The report noted that "the people are the problem, even when the rules and regulations are of the highest quality. The sport will need to ensure that it cultivates individuals with integrity to run the organisation." It did also praise the efforts of current AIBA president Umar Kremlev and his associates to end this corruption, stating, "a genuine attempt at reform and progress has been made under Kremlev's leadership." McLaren then discussed this report on an international online press conference.
On December 12, before we were able to discuss it, AIBA held its "Extraordinary Congress" and adopted all the extensive reforms which had been proposed by the Governance Reform Group, which was led by Professor Ulrich Haas. These reforms included the establishment of an independent Boxing Integrity Unit. AIBA also officially changed its name to IBA at this congress. And on December 13, IBA president Umar Kremlev also held an international online press conference. We will discuss these developments on our upcoming shows.
Besides the crisis in Olympic boxing, we discussed the debut show of the new Probellum promotion, which took place December 11 in Dubai in the UAE. This show was plagued by numerous major governance problems, and we discussed the significance of these and the lack of proper regulation.
Also on December 11, there were several major boxing cards around the world. We mainly focused on the Matchroom/DAZN card in Liverpool in the U.K., and in particular on the successful defense of her lightweight belts by Katie Taylor against Firuza Sharipova. Taylor clearly won a decision, but this fight was closer than many had anticipated. We discussed what this means, what is next for Taylor, and the latest news in women's boxing.
All this is part of our in-depth coverage of the corrupt world of boxing and sports governance in general.
(Photo of Prof. McLaren from screenshot of press conference. Probellum logo. Photo of Katie Taylor vs. Firuza Sharipova from WBC.)
Please also subscribe to the No Holds Barred page on Patreon for much more exclusive premium No Holds Barred content.
Now you can also support our independent, No Holds Barred journalism by purchasing items such as T-shirts, hoodies, tank tops, mugs, pillows, masks, and even mini-skirts at the new No Holds Barred with Eddie Goldman shop on Redbubble. (It has also been recommended to me that people choose sizes on the large side, as some items may run small.) You can browse all the items for sale and then place an order here.
You can play or download No Holds Barred on Anchor, Podomatic, Patreon, and the Internet Archive. If one link does not work, please try another.
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:
LenneHardt.com, the home of Lenne Hardt, the legendary MMA and sports announcer, voice actor, singer, actress, and comedienne. Lenne is also known for her jazz vocals with her Lenne Hardt Jazz Cabaret Band. For more information, to book her, or to order a custom message from her, go to LenneHardt.com.
Skullz Fight Shop, home of the Skullz Double-End Bag, the perfect punching bag for your combat sports training. Skullz Double-End Bags provide a realistic striking target, and help improve speed, distance, and timing skills. Hang it and hit it right out of the box! No pump required. Skullz Fight Shop - Advancing combat sports equipment for the next generation of fighters. For more information, go to https://skullzfightshop.com.
Adolphina Studios. Original art prints and handcrafted fine jewelry. For more information, go to https://www.etsy.com/shop/AdolphinaStudios.
Labels: AIBA, boxing, Chris Baldwin, Eddie Goldman, Girlboxing, IBA, IOC, Katie Taylor, Malissa Smith, No Holds Barred, Olympic boxing, Probellum, Richard McLaren, Thomas Bach, Umar Kremlev, WAAR Room, WAAR Sports
Monday, October 04, 2021
No Holds Barred: The Fight Against Fixed Fights In Olympic Boxing, Women's Boxing News, on the WAAR Room with Chris Baldwin and Malissa Smith
Our discussion took place Sunday, October 3.
We finally have proof of what many already knew or suspected: Much of Olympic boxing has been fixed.
On September 30, an independent report, mainly focusing on boxing at the 2016 Rio Olympics, was released by an investigative team led by Professor Richard McLaren. His team also had helped document the Russian state-sponsored doping program in the Olympics.
This report documented how officials in AIBA, the Olympic boxing federation, fixed the selection of referees and judges at the fights in the 2016 Olympics, how they manipulated results, the culture of corruption and bribery in Olympic boxing, and how these corrupt practices were carried out and enabled by the top leadership in AIBA at the time.
As the report stated, in AIBA,"The people are the problem." It should also be added that what corrupt governments have done in the Olympic movement has been a key reason why Olympic boxing has been so corrupt.
The full report can be read here.
While this investigation was undertaken at the behest of the current, new leadership of AIBA, many questions remain as to whether or not corruption has been sufficiently rooted out in this organization. The International Olympic Committee suspended AIBA as boxing's Olympic governing body in June 2019, and thus far has not indicated if or when it will be reinstated. The IOC organized the boxing competition at the recently completed Tokyo Olympics without AIBA.
We discussed what we know about how the Olympic boxing bouts were manipulated, some of the fights that may have been fixed, the obvious and not-so-obvious motives for this rampant corruption, the implications of this crisis in amateur and Olympic boxing for professional boxing, how this type of corruption in the overall Olympic movement is far from unique, and much more.
Malissa Smith also brought us the latest news from women's boxing, including multi-divisional champ Amanda Serrano signing with Jake Paul's newly-formed promotional company. We discussed what this might mean for a potential showdown between Serrano and undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor, what is next for unbeaten middleweight and super welterweight champion Claressa Shields who has been fighting in MMA as of late, and much more.
Plus, we discussed the postponement of the 2022 Gay Games in Hong Kong to 2023, the latest Triller Trash news and why they are the frontrunner for the 2021 Roger Mayweather "You Don't Know Shit About Boxing" Award, and more.
All this is part of our in-depth coverage of the corrupt world of boxing and sports governance in general.
Please also subscribe to the No Holds Barred page on Patreon for much more exclusive premium No Holds Barred content.
Now you can also support our independent, No Holds Barred journalism by purchasing items such as T-shirts, hoodies, tank tops, mugs, pillows, masks, and even mini-skirts at the new No Holds Barred with Eddie Goldman shop on Redbubble. (It has also been recommended to me that people choose sizes on the large side, as some items may run small.) You can browse all the items for sale and then place an order here.
You can play or download No Holds Barred on Anchor, Podomatic, and the Internet Archive. If one link does not work, please try another.
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:
LenneHardt.com, the home of Lenne Hardt, the legendary MMA and sports announcer, voice actor, singer, actress, and comedienne. Lenne is also known for her jazz vocals with her Lenne Hardt Jazz Cabaret Band. For more information, to book her, or to order a custom message from her, go to LenneHardt.com.
Skullz Fight Shop, home of the Skullz Double-End Bag, the perfect punching bag for your combat sports training. Skullz Double-End Bags provide a realistic striking target, and help improve speed, distance, and timing skills. Hang it and hit it right out of the box! No pump required. Skullz Fight Shop - Advancing combat sports equipment for the next generation of fighters. For more information, go to https://skullzfightshop.com.
Adolphina Studios. Original art prints and handcrafted fine jewelry. For more information, go to https://www.etsy.com/shop/AdolphinaStudios.
Labels: AIBA, Angry Afro Radio, Chris Baldwin, corruption, Eddie Goldman, fixed fights, Girlboxing, Malissa Smith, No Holds Barred, Olympic boxing, WAAR Room, women's boxing
Sunday, August 05, 2012
No Holds Barred: Olympic Boxing Corruption, Teddy Riner Superstar, Combat Sports at London 2012 Olympics So Far
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman comments on some of the developments at the 2012 London Olympic regarding the combat sports after the first full week of competition.
Among the topics discussed are the latest Olympic boxing scandal involving the Satoshi Shimizu-Magomed Abdulhamidov fight whose verdict was overturned, the need for a World Anti-Corruption Agency for sport, Olympic heavyweight gold medalist judoka Teddy Riner of France as an international superstar, doping at the Olympics, the disgraceful Olympics coverage by NBC, the xenophobia and narrowness in American sport, amateur MMA and the Olympics, the role of social media, 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.
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:
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/.
Among the topics discussed are the latest Olympic boxing scandal involving the Satoshi Shimizu-Magomed Abdulhamidov fight whose verdict was overturned, the need for a World Anti-Corruption Agency for sport, Olympic heavyweight gold medalist judoka Teddy Riner of France as an international superstar, doping at the Olympics, the disgraceful Olympics coverage by NBC, the xenophobia and narrowness in American sport, amateur MMA and the Olympics, the role of social media, 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.
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:
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: AIBA, combat sports, corruption, Eddie Goldman, judo, London Olympics, NBC, No Holds Barred, Olympic boxing, Satoshi Shimizu, Teddy Riner
Sunday, August 24, 2008
SecondsOut Radio: Johnny Bos on the Decline of Olympic and Amateur Boxing
On this week's edition of SecondsOut Radio, host Eddie Goldman speaks with the legendary matchmaker and boxing personality Johnny Bos.
We open with a discussion of what has been the biggest sporting disgrace of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games: the boxing competition. Besides the almost universally condemned scoring system utilized in Olympic boxing, there has been a general decline of boxing in the Olympics, and in particular a sharp decline in the amateur boxing program in the U.S.
All that and more is examined in this lengthy and fascinating interview.
Plus, Johnny offers his bleak assessment of the future of professional boxing, and ends by giving his advice to those already in boxing.
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: 2008 Summer Olympics, AIBA, amateur boxing, Beijing, boxing, Eddie Goldman, Johnny Bos, No Holds Barred, Olympic boxing, Olympic Games, Olympics, USA Boxing
