NO HOLDS BARRED

My latest piece, "Bed Bugs, Cockroaches, and Pay-Per-View", is up on the No Holds Barred Patreon page.

Labels: bed bugs, boxing, cockroaches, DAZN, Eddie Goldman, No Holds Barred, pay-per-view, PBC, ppv, Premier Boxing Champions

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses whether or not the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), America's number one boxing TV series, is here to stay, and can begin to generate revenue after buying time on several TV networks.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link does not work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is available at Google Play Music.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web here.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player app is available for free, both for Android at Google Play, and for iOS on the App Store.

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:

Skullz Double-End Bags, the perfect bag for your combat sports training. Skullz Double-End Bags provide a realistic striking target, and help improve timing, distance, and hand and eye coordination. Hang it and hit it right out of the box! No pump required. For more information, go to SkullzDeBags.com.

USA Combat Wrestling, the official U.S. governing body for combat wrestling and U.S. delegate of the International Combat Wrestling Federation (FICW), which was founded by the legendary wrestler Noriaki Kiguchi of Japan. For more information, go to CombatWrestling.us.

Labels: Eddie Goldman, No Holds Barred, PBC, Premier Boxing Champions, TV

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews the Lara-Foreman and DeGale-Jack fights coming up this weekend, and discusses why the Premier Boxing Champion, the PBC, is by far America's number one boxing TV series.

On Friday, January 13, WBA 154-pound champ Erislandy Lara (23-2-2, 13 KOs) takes on Yuri Foreman (34-2, 10 KOs), and Anthony Dirrell (29-1-1, 23 KOs) fights Norbert Nemesapati (24-4, 17 KOs). This PBC card takes place at the Hialeah Park Racing and Casino in Miami, Florida, and will be shown live in the U.S. on Spike TV. Also on the card, two undefeated welterweights with identical 13-0 records, Miguel Cruz and Alex Martin, face each other in a bout that may be shown on TV.

On Saturday, January 14, IBF super middleweight champion James DeGale (23-1, 14 KOs) faces WBC super middleweight champion Badou Jack (20-1-2, 12 KOs) in a title unification bout. The co-feature has two unbeaten fighters fighting each others, IBF junior lightweight champion Jose Pedraza (22-0, 12 KOs) and Gervonta Davis (16-0, 15 KOs). This card will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and will be shown live in the U.S. on Showtime and in the U.K. on Sky Sports.

We spoke with James DeGale and Badou Jack on a recent media conference call.

We open with a discussion about why boxing is a primarily TV sport, and how all the shills, propagandists, nitwits, incompetents, and zombies writing in boxing's multitude of fake news sites have missed or failed to report one of the top boxing stories in the U.S. for 2016: the PBC is by far America's number one boxing TV series.

Here, based on compiling TV ratings from Nielsen, are the most-watched boxing shows in the U.S. for 2016:

1 - Errol Spence Jr. vs. Leonard Bundu, Aug. 21, 2016, PBC on NBC: average 4.8 million viewers, peak of 6.34 million.

2 - Keith Thurman vs. Shawn Porter, June 25, 2016, Showtime Championship Boxing on CBS presented by Premier Boxing Champions: averaged 3.1 million viewers, peaked at 3.94 million viewers.

3 - Danny Garcia vs. Robert Guerrero, Jan. 23, 2016, PBC on Fox: ave. 2.1 million, main event peaked at 3.5 million viewers.

4 - Andre Berto vs. Victor Ortiz, April 30, 2016, PBC on Fox: 1.6 million viewers.

5 (tie) - Gennady Golovkin vs. Dominic Wade, April 23, 2016, HBO: 1,325,000 viewers. (Note also that Wade is a PBC boxer and is managed by Al Haymon.)

5 (tie) - Joe Smith Jr. vs. Andrzej Fonfara, June 18, 2016, PBC on NBC: 1.32 million.

And for 2017, the PBC has said, beginning with this January 13 card, they will have more shows than in either of their first two seasons.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link does not work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is available at Google Play Music.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web here.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player app is available for free, both for Android at Google Play, and for iOS on the App Store.

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:

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 TheBoxingTribune.com.

Skullz Double-End Bags, the perfect bag for your combat sports training. Skullz Double-End Bags provide a realistic striking target, and help improve timing, distance, and hand and eye coordination. Hang it and hit it right out of the box! No pump required. For more information, go to SkullzDeBags.com.

USA Combat Wrestling, the official U.S. governing body for combat wrestling and U.S. delegate of the International Combat Wrestling Federation (FICW), which was founded by the legendary wrestler Noriaki Kiguchi of Japan. For more information, go to CombatWrestling.us.

Labels: Badou Jack, Eddie Goldman, Erislandy Lara, James DeGale, No Holds Barred, PBC, Premier Boxing Champions, Showtime, Spike, television, TV, Yuri Foreman

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Tim Smith, Vice President of Communications for Haymon Boxing, which puts on the live televised boxing series, Premier Boxing Champions (PBC).

This week, the PBC announced its plans for the rest of 2016 and for its third season in 2017. These include continuing its broadcast deals in the U.S. with FOX, FS1, Spike, NBC, ESPN, SHOWTIME/CBS, and Bounce TV. PBC also promises to air more primetime network shows in 2017 than in either of its first two seasons. There also are plans to show PBC events online.

We spoke with Tim Smith by phone Thursday.

"We're looking at every possible way to get boxing in front of people, to expand the audience to people that aren't really boxing fans right now," he said. "We're looking at building the sport back into a mainstream sport. That's the goal, to build it into a mainstream sport again."

As for the future, he said, "I think 2017 is going to be a great year." But he was also critical of those who have said that 2016 has been a bad year for boxing.

"Again, I think 2016 was a very good year for boxing," he said. "I don't see the doom and gloom that people are talking about for 2016. I just don't see it."

We also discussed his role as "conduit" between Haymon Boxing head Al Haymon and the media; the role of legitimate journalists and the failure of many in the boxing media who were claiming that PBC was "dead"; plans for title fights and virtual tournaments in the 126, 147, and 154 pound divisions, as well as potential heavyweight title unification fights; the many upsets which have taken place on PBC shows; the importance of having boxing on non-pay and non-premium TV; how PBC can eventually make money through getting rights fees for televised shows; and much, much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link does not work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is available at Google Play Music.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web here.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player app is available for free, both for Android at Google Play, and for iOS on the App Store.

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:

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: Al Haymon, Eddie Goldman, journalism, media, No Holds Barred, PBC, Premier Boxing Champions, Tim Smith

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses this coming Saturday's welterweight title fight between Danny Garcia and Robert Guerrero, and the urgent need for tournaments in boxing, particularly in the welterweight and heavyweight divisions.

This Saturday, January 23, Danny Garcia (31-0, 18 KOs) faces Robert Guerrero (33-3-1, 18 KOs) for the vacant WBC welterweight title. This fight takes place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, and will be televised live in the U.S. on Fox in English and Fox Deportes in Spanish. This will be the first time the Premier Boxing Champions series (PBC) airs on the Fox network.

We spoke with both Danny Garcia and Robert Guerrero on their January 7 media conference call to get their views on how this fight will go, including their predictions.

With the retirement of Floyd Mayweather and the loss by Wladimir Klitschko to Tyson Fury, both the welterweight and heavyweight divisions are wide open right now. Yet boxing's Wild West anarchy of rival and uncooperative TV networks, promoters, and sanctioning bodies make it very difficult if not impossible for one fighter in each division to emerge as the universally-recognized champion. We discuss why tournaments are especially important now, why the PBC in particular needs to feature them in order to build up stars and bolster mediocre ratings, the reaction to this past Saturday's Wilder-Szpilka and Martin-Glazkov heavyweight title fights, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web, at http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/no-holds-barred-with-eddie-goldman.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player for iOS is available for free on the App Store.

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:

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, Danny Garcia, Eddie Goldman, heavyweight, No Holds Barred, PBC, Premier Boxing Champions, Robert Guerrero, tournaments, welterweight

(Photo credit: Tom Hogan - Hoganphotos/Roc Nation Sports/Golden Boy Promotions)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with our colleague, correspondent, and award-winning boxing writer, Charles Farrell.

He is also co-editor of The Boxing Standard.

Our main focus was the major fight card taking place this Saturday, November 21, as Miguel Cotto (40-4, 33 KOs) takes on Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (45-1-1, 32 KOs) at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. This card will be shown live in the U.S. on HBO pay-per-view and in the U.K. on BoxNation, as well as on many other networks around the world.

We spoke with Charles Farrell by phone Thursday.

"Were they both in their prime and were they both fighting at 147, I would go with Cotto. He's a better fighter. He's more versatile. He is actually the better puncher of the two," he said.

"But I think at this point it's a question of their respective arcs, where each one of them is heading. And I think it's a propitious time for Alvarez."

He continued, "I think that Cotto will start well. He's a good boxer, and Alvarez is a slow starter. But the years and the abuse that he's going to take from Alvarez, who is a good body puncher, are going to catch up with him. And I don't think anybody is going to sit around and let him take too much abuse. So my guess is eight or nine rounds."

Besides discussing more on this fight and the pay-per-view card, we delved into our continuing analysis of the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), which has been running numerous fight cards on non-pay TV in the U.S. since March. We discussed PBC's stagnant and sometimes sagging TV ratings, how PBC has offered many competitive and exciting fights and upsets, how PBC has good matchmaking but has not been good at star-making, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web, at http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/no-holds-barred-with-eddie-goldman.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player for iOS is available for free on the App Store.

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:

MMA World Expo. The mixed martial arts community comes to New York City December 12 and 13, 2015, for the sixth annual MMA World Expo, featuring submission-only grappling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, catch wrestling competition, and much more. The MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, December 12, and Sunday, December 13, 2015, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

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.

Gracie Tournaments, featuring regional, national, and world competitions in submission-only Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. For more information, go to GracieWorlds.com.

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: Charles Farrell, Eddie Goldman, Miguel Cotto, No Holds Barred, PBC, Premier Boxing Champions, Saul Canelo Alvarez

(Photos by Suzanne Teresa, Premier Boxing Champions)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the Leo Santa Cruz-Abner Mares and Julio Ceja-Hugo Ruiz fights on the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) card from the Staples Center in Los Angeles held Saturday, August 29. This card was shown live in the U.S. on ESPN.

In the main event, Santa Cruz (31-0-1, 17 KOs) won a majority decision over Mares (29-2-1, 15 KOs) in a 12-round featherweight fight. In this incredible fight, over 2000 punches were thrown, with Santa Cruz landing 373 of 1057 thrown, and Mares landing 227 of 980 thrown.

In the co-feature, Julio Ceja (30-1, 27 KOs) rebounded from a third-round knockdown to win by TKO over Hugo Ruiz (35-2, 30 KOs) at 2:34 of the fifth round in their super bantamweight fight.

We discuss why this fight makes Santa Cruz a major star and top pound-for-pound fighter in boxing, how this was PBC's best show since they started running in March of this year, why PBC need better announcing, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web, at http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/no-holds-barred-with-eddie-goldman.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player for iOS is available for free on the App Store.

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.

Gracie Tournaments, featuring regional, national, and world competitions in submission-only Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. For more information, go to GracieWorlds.com.

Labels: Abner Mares, Eddie Goldman, Hugo Ruiz, Julio Ceja, Leo Santa Cruz, No Holds Barred, PBC, Premier Boxing Champions

(Photo of Leo Santa Cruz from Suzanne Teresa/Premier Boxing Champions. Photo of Abner Mares from Abel Madrid.)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the deluge of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) shows coming up in the next month, previews the Leo Santa Cruz-Abner Mares fight coming up this Saturday, August 29, and spoke with Roman Martinez and Orlando Salido, who fight on September 12 on the Mayweather-Berto pay-per-view.

According to the PBC's schedule, they will be having a total of ten televised shows in the U.S. between August 29 and September 29, with many more planned in the months to come. All will be live and on non-premium networks, including NBC (2), CBS (1), ESPN (1), Spike (1), Bounce TV (1), and Fox Sports 1 (4), where PBC begins a weekly Tuesday night telecast September 8. Most of these shows are in prime time, with many fights also being shown internationally.

The first of these PBC cards will take place this Saturday, August 29. The feature bout pits Leo Santa Cruz (30-0-1, 17 KOs) against Abner Mares (29-1-1, 15 KOs). This fight will be at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be shown live in the U.S. on ESPN. This will only be the second fight at featherweight for Santa Cruz, who has held belts at bantamweight and super bantamweight. Mares has held belts at bantamweight, super bantamweight, and featherweight, and we discuss the stakes involved in what should be a very competitive fight.

Roman Martinez (29-2-2, 17 KOs), who holds the WBO junior lightweight belt, will have a rematch September 12 with Orlando Salido (42-13-2, 29 KOs) of their April 11, 2015, fight of the year candidate, which Martinez won by unanimous decision. This will be part of the Showtime pay-per-view headlined by the Floyd Mayweather-Andre Berto fight.

We spoke with both Roman Martinez and Orlando Salido on Monday's media conference call.

We also discussed the significance of all this for boxing and televised sports, why this is an important month for PBC, the build-up to the September 12 Mayweather-Berto Showtime pay-per-view, the role of Al Haymon and the future of PBC, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web, at http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/no-holds-barred-with-eddie-goldman.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player for iOS is available for free on the App Store.

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.

Gracie Tournaments, featuring regional, national, and world competitions in submission-only Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. For more information, go to GracieWorlds.com.

Labels: Abner Mares, Al Haymon, deluge, Eddie Goldman, Leo Santa Cruz, No Holds Barred, Orlando Salido, PBC, Premier Boxing Champions, Roman Martinez

(Photo of Steve Cunningham and Naazim Richardson from Ed Diller/DiBella, photo of Antonio Tarver courtesy of Showtime)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews the fights between heavyweights Antonio Tarver and Steve Cunningham, and cruiserweights Marco Huck and Krysztof Glowacki, and discusses the odious trash talk which has accompanied the buildup for the Tarver-Cunningham fight.

In the main event of a card to be held on Friday, August 14, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, the 46-year-old Antonio Tarver (31-6, 22 KOs), the former unified light heavyweight champion, will continue his improbable campaign to gain a heavyweight title as he faces the 39-year-old former cruiserweight world champion, Steve Cunningham (28-7, 13 KOs). In his last fight, in December 2014, Tarver scored a seventh-round knockout win over heavyweight contender Johnathon Banks. In March of this year, Cunningham lost a close and controversial decision to unbeaten heavyweight contender Vyacheslav Glazkov, a fight many thought Cunningham deserved to win.

While these two veteran fighters try to advance in the heavyweight rankings, the co-feature will have WBO cruiserweight champion Marco Huck (38-2-1, 26 KOs) defending his belt against unbeaten challenger Krysztof Glowacki (24-0, 15 KOs) of Poland. Huck, originally from Serbia and based in Germany, has only one loss in his career at cruiserweight: a 2007 TKO stoppage at the hands of Steve Cunningham.

This card, part of the Premier Boxing Champions series, will be shown live in the U.S. on Spike TV.

We spoke with Antonio Tarver, Steve Cunningham, Marco Huck, and Krysztof Glowacki on a recent acrimonious media conference call.

We also explain why the Tarver-Cunningham fight is important and interesting on its own merits, why resorting to trash talk only promotes negative values, why even from a business perspective the trash talk is bad for boxing and the Premier Boxing Champions series, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web, at http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/no-holds-barred-with-eddie-goldman.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player for iOS is available for free on the App Store.

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.

Labels: Antonio Tarver, Eddie Goldman, Krysztof Glowacki, Marco Huck, No Holds Barred, PBC, Premier Boxing Champions, Steve Cunningham, trash talk

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with the long-time commissioner of the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, Larry Hazzard, Sr.

Boxing has been reviving this year, with all-time records being smashed by the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight and overall renewed interest in the sport. In addition to an increase in ratings on the mainly premium TV networks which have telecast boxing in the U.S. for many years, the almost weekly shows in the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) series on broadcast and non-premium networks have sparked more awareness of the many boxers featured on these shows.

To discuss these developments, we spoke with Larry Hazzard, Sr. by phone Wednesday. And he is very positive about the PBC, giving it a B+ for its efforts so far.

"These guys are being paid handsome purses," he said, referring to the fighters.

"And it's just a good thing all around. For the fighter, it's a good thing all around for the fans, and it's the greatest thing that has happened to the sport of boxing I would say in the last decade or so."

We discussed how PBC has mainly featured legitimate competition and many fights resulting in upsets, how the use of free TV has helped bring in new sponsors, how fighters are making more money on PBC shows than they ever have, how the focus of the PBC is on the fighters, and more.

As for the critics of the PBC who are bringing legal action against it, and the statement supposedly from the president of the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) calling for U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch to investigate the PBC, he minced no words.

"They're full of shit," he said of those in the ABC who oppose PBC. "The ABC doesn't represent New Jersey," he added.

Accusations of violations of the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act are baseless, he said, which was a law designed to "stop Don King" a generation ago. The charge that PBC, which is not a promotional entity, uses "sham promoters" is also baseless, as long-time and noted promoters like DiBella Entertainment, Warriors Boxing, TGB Promotions, and even Don King Productions have promoted or co-promoted many PBC shows.

The opposition from rival promoters is because, he said, PBC, with its innovative business plan and use of multiple promoters, has "outsmarted so many of these other promoters." He said he calls PBC "smart business people." And as far as the ABC, he said, "It's all a bunch of b.s., and they know it."

We also discussed what tweaks are needed for the PBC's television presentation and marketing, the possibility of a fight between Floyd Mayweather and Andre Berto, the move to revive boxing in Atlantic City, and much, much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web, at http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/no-holds-barred-with-eddie-goldman.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player for iOS is available for free on the App Store.

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.

Labels: Al Haymon, Eddie Goldman, Larry Hazzard, New Jersey, No Holds Barred, PBC, Premier Boxing Champions

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with WBA welterweight champion Keith Thurman (25-0, 21 KOs) and former welterweight champion Luis Collazo (36-6, 19 KOs), who fight Saturday, July 11, at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida. This fight will be telecast live in the U.S. on ESPN, and will be the first on that network for the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) series.

We spoke with both Keith Thurman and Luis Collazo on Tuesday's media conference call.

We also evaluate the progress of the PBC in the first half of 2015, and conclude that while a number of errors have been made, overall PBC deserves a grade of B or B-, with many more positive accomplishments than negative ones. Still, PBC needs to do more in terms of making stars out of its fighters and creating buzz, as well as utilizing the Internet and social media better than they do now.

While PBC has been running live boxing shows on network and basic cable channels almost every week since March, promoters like Top Rank and Golden Boy, who could not get such exposure despite being around far longer than PBC, have opted to sue PBC, instead of changing their ways. We discuss why these suits are mostly baseless, although the issue of PBC acting as both a promoter and manager for fighters, especially when TV plays such a key role in the business of boxing, will have to be addressed.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web, at http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/no-holds-barred-with-eddie-goldman.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player for iOS is available for free on the App Store.

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.

Labels: Al Haymon, boxing, Eddie Goldman, ESPN, Keith Thurman, Luis Collazo, No Holds Barred, PBC, Premier Boxing Champions

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews the Andre Berto-Josesito Lopez welterweight fight and speaks with both fighters about what to expect in their March 13 showdown.

In what is considered a crucial fight in the careers of both men, Andre Berto (29-3, 22 KOs) will face Josesito Lopez (33-6, 19 KOs) on the debut Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) show on Spike TV. This takes place Friday, March 13, at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California. The co-feature will have Shawn Porter (24-1-1, 15 KOs) facing Roberto Garcia (36-3, 23 KOs).

We spoke with both Andre Berto and Josesito Lopez on Monday's media conference call. We also comment on the reception of the PBC's telecasts, how it may plan to recoup the investments made through the various time buys on several TV networks, why PBC is attempting to reduce the usual sleaziness associated with boxing in order to succeed on free TV, 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:

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: Al Haymon, Andre Berto, Eddie Goldman, Josesito Lopez, No Holds Barred, PBC, Premier Boxing Champions, Spike TV

(Photo by Keisha Morrisey.)

No Holds Barred: Keith Thurman, Adrien Broner, Lamont Peterson, Roberto Duran, Lou DiBella, John Miller, PBC on NBC

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman presents the interviews recorded at the inaugural news conference for the new Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) series on NBC.

This news conference took place Wednesday, January 14, at NBC's studio 8H, the home of "Saturday Night Live", at 30 Rockefeller Center in New York. For this year, there will be 20 live "PBC on NBC" events. This will include five Saturday primetime shows on NBC, six Saturday afternoon shows on NBC, and nine Saturday primetime shows on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), with specific dates and times to be announced. In this Premier Boxing Champions venture, NBC is working with Haymon Boxing and its head, boxing manager Al Haymon.

We spoke with:

-- Keith Thurman (24-0, 21 KOs), who will face Robert Guerrero (32-2-1, 18 KOs) on March 7.

-- Adrien Broner (29-1, 22 KOs), who will face John Molina Jr. (27-2, 22 KOs), also on March 7.

-- Lamont Peterson (33-2-1, 17 KOs), who will face Danny Garcia (29-0, 17 KOs) on April 11.

-- Boxing legend Roberto Duran.

-- Promoter Lou DiBella, who will officially act as the promoter for several of these cards, about the potential for the "PBC on NBC" to elevate the status of boxing.

-- John Miller, the Chief Marketing Officer, NBC Sports Group, about some of the business aspects of the "PBC on NBC".

A photo gallery from this news conference can be seen here.

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:

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.

Payleg.com, which gives you the tools to develop a full-time income by building a home-based business. Teaching success in the home-based business industry since 1988, Payleg.com is available in 190 countries. For more information, go to Payleg.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: Adrien Broner, Eddie Goldman, John Miller, Keith Thurman, Lamont Peterson, Lou DiBella, NBC. Al Haymon, No Holds Barred, PBC, Premier Boxing Champions, Roberto Duran

This news conference took place Wednesday, January 14, at NBC's studio 8H, the home of "Saturday Night Live", at 30 Rockefeller Center in New York.

Left to right: Keith Thurman, Adrien Broner, Danny Garcia, Thomas "Hitman" Hearns, Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, Lamont Peterson, John Molina Jr., and Robert Guerrero.

Al Michaels video at news conference.

Sugar Ray Leonard.

Sugar Ray Leonard.

Lamont Jones, Vice President of Operations for Haymon Boxing Management.

Keith Thurman and Robert Guerrero.

Adrien Broner and John Molina Jr.

Danny Garcia and Lamont Peterson.

Eddie Goldman, Keisha Morrisey, and Roberto Duran.

Eddie interviewing Roberto Duran with manager Luis DeCubas Jr. and Keisha Morrisey.

Eddie interviewing John Miller, Chief Marketing Officer, NBC Sports Group.

Eddie interviewing boxing promoter Lou DiBella.

Eddie interviewing Lamont Peterson.

Eddie interviewing Keith Thurman.

(Photos of fighters, Al Michaels, Sugar Ray Leonard, Lamont Jones, Keith Thurman and Robert Guerrero, Adrien Broner and John Molina Jr., and Danny Garcia and Lamont Peterson by Eddie Goldman. The other photos are courtesy of Keisha Morrisey.)

Labels: Adrien Broner, Eddie Goldman, John Miller, Keisha Morrisey, Keith Thurman, Lamont Peterson, Lou DiBella, NBC. Al Haymon, No Holds Barred, PBC, Premier Boxing Champions, Roberto Duran

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman presents the audio from the inaugural news conference for the new Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) series on NBC.

This news conference took place Wednesday, January 14, at NBC's studio 8H, the home of "Saturday Night Live", at 30 Rockefeller Center in New York.

The return of major boxing shows to network television in the U.S. will start with a card on Saturday, March 7. Thus far announced are matches featuring Keith Thurman (24-0, 21 KOs) vs. Robert Guerrero (32-2-1, 18 KOs), and Adrien Broner (29-1, 22 KOs) vs. John Molina Jr. (27-2, 22 KOs). On April 11, Danny Garcia (29-0, 17 KOs) will face Lamont Peterson (33-2-1, 17 KOs).

For this year, there will be 20 live "PBC on NBC" events. This will include five Saturday primetime shows on NBC, six Saturday afternoon shows on NBC, and nine Saturday primetime shows on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), with specific dates and times to be announced.

There will also be Spanish-language audio and video coverage of these cards, as well as video streaming on NBC Sports Live Extra via their TV Everywhere service.

In this Premier Boxing Champions venture, NBC is working with Haymon Boxing and its head, boxing manager Al Haymon.

The news conference featured Jon Miller, the President of Programming for NBC Sports and NBCSN; a video from sportscaster Al Michaels, who will be the host of these prime time shows on NBC; boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard, who will be the lead analyst on these shows; award-winning composer Hans Zimmer, who will be in charge of composing the music for these shows; Lamont Jones, Vice President of Operations for Haymon Boxing Management; introductions of the fighters; and a short video on the history of boxing on NBC radio and TV.

Of particular note were these announcements by Lamont Jones: "With the support of the United States Anti‑Doping Agency, each boxer who competes in a PBC bout will be subjected to rigorous Olympic‑style random drug testing. With the involvement of the Cleveland Clinic, each boxer who competes in a PBC bout will benefit from evaluations by staff physicians from the clinic. And the PBC series will support the clinic's important Professional Fighter’s Brain Health Study."

We will also have several individual interviews from this news conference posted shortly.

We also open with a commentary on how this can all be a game-changer for the oft-beleaguered sport of boxing.

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:

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.

Payleg.com, which gives you the tools to develop a full-time income by building a home-based business. Teaching success in the home-based business industry since 1988, Payleg.com is available in 190 countries. For more information, go to Payleg.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: Adrien Broner, Danny Garcia, Eddie Goldman, John Molina Jr., Keith Thurman, Lamont Peterson, NBC. Al Haymon, No Holds Barred, PBC, Premier Boxing Champions, Robert Guerrero