NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the November 2 fight between Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and Sergey Kovalev, and the ill-conceived decision by streaming service DAZN to delay its start until after a UFC event on another platform was completed. This outraged many in boxing, as the Canelo-Kovalev fight only started after 1 AM Eastern Time. Also discussed are how this was a gross insult to the core audience of boxing fans DAZN has built in the U.S. for the past year, what this might mean for DAZN amidst the very competitive "streaming wars", and much much more.

(Photo of Canelo and Kovalev by Tom Hogan-Hoganphotos/Golden Boy.)

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 at Apple Podcasts.

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 Catch Wrestling Alliance, resurrecting and promoting the sport of authentic catch-as-catch-can wrestling. The Catch Wrestling Alliance provides tournaments, seminars, and training as well as education about catch wrestling. Join the movement and keep real wrestling alive. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.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.

Labels: boxing, DAZN, Eddie Goldman, No Holds Barred, Saul Canelo Alvarez, Sergey Kovalev, streaming

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses Saturday's controversial stoppage victories of Andre Ward over Sergey Kovalev and Guillermo Rigondeaux over Moises Flores, and how the blundering of the Nevada State Athletic Commission obscured the great performances of these two top-level fighters.

(Photos of Andre Ward and Guillermo Rigondeaux-Moises Flores by Tom Hogan - Hoganphotos/Roc Nation Sports.)

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 2017 Frank Gotch World Catch Wrestling Tournament. On Saturday, July 15, 2017, catch wrestlers from all around the world will compete in Humboldt, Iowa, the hometown of the legendary world champion wrestler Frank Gotch. Organized by the Catch Wrestling Alliance (CWA) and co-sponsored by City of Humboldt Chamber of Commerce, Sprout Living (official protein powder of the CWA), and Ultima Replenisher (official electrolyte drink of the CWA), the event will take place at Humboldt High School. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.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: Andre Ward, boxing, Eddie Goldman, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Moises Flores, Nevada State Athletic Commission, No Holds Barred, Sergey Kovalev

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Bellator MMA fighter King Mo Lawal.

His next fight will take place at Bellator 169 against Olympic gold medalist judoka Satoshi Ishii. Bellator 169 will take place Friday, December 16, as part of a joint card with BAMMA 27, at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland.

We spoke with King Mo by phone Sunday.

Discussing this fight with Satoshi Ishii, he said, "This could be wrestling versus judo, boxing versus kickboxing," because Ishii trains in that in Holland and Japan. "Freestyle wrestling, that is.

"So it's going to be a clash of both styles, martial arts, all-around martial arts, grappling and standup."

Besides this fight, we also discussed numerous other topics, including: why many top judokas have had difficulty in MMA; his Bellator 154 fight with Phil Davis which he and many others felt he deserved to win; Saturday's Andre Ward-Sergey Kovalev fight and why he thought Ward put on a great performance and deserved to win; his sparring with undefeated heavyweight boxer Luis Ortiz and Ortiz's disappointing fight with Malik Scott, who was fighting not to win but to survive; the importance of the PBC (Premier Boxing Champions) TV series to boxing; MMA and boxing TV announcers; the possibility of him returning to fight in Rizin in Japan next year; his desire to fight the winner of the February 21 Bellator 172 fight between newly-signed Fedor Emelianenko and Matt Mitrione; plans for Bellator's heavyweight division; and 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 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: Andre Ward, Bellator, boxing, Eddie Goldman, Fedor Emelianenko, heavyweights, King Mo Lawal, Luis Ortiz, MMA, No Holds Barred, Satoshi Ishii, Sergey Kovalev

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward, who fight Saturday, November 19, in Las Vegas. Also, this past weekend's major boxing events are reviewed.

The fight between Kovalev (30-0-1, 26 KOs) and Ward (30-0, 15 KOs) will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, and will be shown live on HBO pay-per-view in the U.S. and Sky Sports in the U.K.

We spoke with both Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward on a media conference call Tuesday.

"I must destroy him," vowed Kovalev.

Although he said he never makes predictions, Ward did say, "It's about a victory. It's about getting my hand raised. I'm not leaving Las Vegas without those belts."

This past Saturday, November 12, saw two major televised boxing cards.

In Monte Carlo, Monaco, and televised live in the U.K. on Sky Sports, Jamie McDonnell won a highly controversial unanimous decision over Liborio Solis to retain his WBA bantamweight belt. The crowd loudly booed the decision which was seen as a robbery. Nonetheless, this was an exciting fight as Solis pressured McDonnell throughout. In an awful heavyweight fight, which was also shown in the U.S. on HBO, the unbeaten Luis Ortiz faced Malik Scott, who chose to run for 12 rounds. Ortiz won a unanimous decision, but did himself no favors with an underwhelming performance himself. That was followed by another exciting matchup, as WBA super featherweight champ Jason Sosa dominated a game Stephen Smith to win by unanimous decision and retain his belt.

In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and shown live in the U.S. on Spike TV, the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) returned with three televised fights. In the first televised fight, lightweight Javier Fortuna survived a first-round knockdown to take a unanimous decision against previously unbeaten Omar Douglas in an entertaining and competitive fight. Next up was unbeaten junior middleweight prospect Jarrett Hurd stepping up to face veteran Jo Jo Dan. Hurd passed this test well, scoring a sixth-round TKO as the fight was stopped by Dan's corner.

The main event was clearly a showcase fight for unbeaten WBC welterweight champ Danny Garcia, who faced Samuel Vargas. As expected, Garcia dominated this bout, and the referee stopped the fight in round seven as Vargas's corner waved a white towel.

Garcia is next slated for a title unification fight on March 4, 2017, with unbeaten WBA champ Keith Thurman, who was a commentator for this card. Predictably, the two jawed at each other in the ring after Garcia's victory, ending this entertaining telecast on a high note.

(Photo of Kovalev and Ward by Khristopher Sandifer/Roc Nation Sports. Photos of Garcia and Vargas, and Garcia and Thurman, by Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions.)

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 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: Andre Ward, boxing, Danny Garcia, Eddie Goldman, Luis Ortiz, No Holds Barred, Sergey Kovalev

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews the light heavyweight title fight between WBA/IBF/WBO champion Sergey Kovalev (26-0-1, 23 KOs) and former WBC champion Jean Pascal (29-2-1, 17 KOs). The co-feature will have veteran Steve Cunningham (28-6, 13 KOs) facing unbeaten prospect Vyacheslav Glazkov (19-0-1, 12 KOs) in an IBF heavyweight title eliminator.

This card takes place Saturday, March 14, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It will be shown live in the U.S. on HBO and in Canada on pay-per-view.

We spoke with Sergey Kovalev, Jean Pascal, and Steve Cunningham at a news conference in New York January 14, as well as Roy Jones Jr., who is Pascal's assistant trainer. We also have a comment from Kovalev's trainer, John David Jackson, from a February 24 media conference call.

In addition, we comment on the disgraceful lack of any drug-testing for the Kovalev-Pascal fight.

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: boxing, Eddie Goldman, Jean Pascal, No Holds Barred, Sergey Kovalev, Steve Cunningham

Photo Credit: Hogan Photos/Golden Boy Promotions

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews what should be regarded as one of the most important and incredible sports stories in the world: the November 8 light heavyweight title unification fight between the 49-year-old Bernard Hopkins and the unbeaten 31-year-old knockout artist Sergey Kovalev.

In this fight, Hopkins, with a record of 55-6-2 and 32 KOs, and holder of IBF and WBA belts, takes on Kovalev, 25-0-1 with 23 KOs, who holds the WBO belt. It takes place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and will be shown live in the U.S. on HBO and in the U.K. and Ireland on BoxNation.

The story behind this fight is almost unmatched in sports, and the implications of its outcome should reverberate far beyond the marginalized world of boxing. How can Hopkins, just two months shy of his 50th birthday, still compete at such a high level, and in such a brutal sport? And after a career of being counted out as finished numerous times, only to defeat younger and unbeaten favorites one after another, is this the night that Father Time finally arrives for Hopkins, as he faces the dangerous and relentless slugger Kovalev?

Besides our commentary on why this fight is not getting the coverage it deserves from the sports and general media, the careers of both fighters, and what is the likeliest outcome of it, we also have comments from both fighters, Bernard Hopkins and Sergey Kovalev, from their recent media conference call.

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: Bernard Hopkins, boxing, Eddie Goldman, No Holds Barred, Sergey Kovalev