NO HOLDS BARRED

 

On this edition of The WAAR Room, Chris Baldwin, Malissa Smith, and Eddie Goldman discussed Alycia Baumgardner's dirty drug test, doping in boxing, and the woeful state of the heavyweights. All this is the result of boxing's corrupt governance.

Labels: Alycia Baumgardner, boxing, Chris Baldwin, doping, Eddie Goldman, governance, heavyweights, Malissa Smith, No Holds Barred, WAAR Room

My latest piece, "Putin's Plan To Wreck World Sport", is up on the No Holds Barred Patreon page.

Labels: boxing, doping, Eddie Goldman, IBA, International Boxing Association, IOC, No Holds Barred, Olympic movement, Olympics, Russia, SCO, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Umar Kremlev, Vladimir Putin

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with our colleagues Chris Baldwin of Angry Afro Radio and Malissa Smith of Girlboxing on the WAAR Room. A video of this discussion has also been posted on the Angry Afro Radio YouTube page.

Labels: Angry Afro Radio, boxing, Chris Baldwin, doping, Eddie Goldman, Girlboxing, Jeanette Zacarias Zapata, Malissa Smith, No Holds Barred, Oscar Valdez, Serrano Sisters, WAAR Room

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Jens Sejer Andersen, the international director of Play the Game.

This year's conference, the 11th of Play the Game's biannual events, will be the first one taking place outside Europe and in the U.S. It will take place October 13-16, 2019, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Colorado Springs.

This is THE major world event advocating sport reform. More details on the conference can be seen here.

We spoke with Jens Sejer Andersen by Skype Monday.

World sport has been beset by a seemingly endless and growing number of scandals, including the FIFA corruption and bribery scandals, the Russian state-sponsored doping scandal, the rape and sexual assault scandals in many sports, and countless more. But there has been "one very interesting impact of the combination of scandals," Jens Sejer Andersen noted.

"It is that athletes now, especially elite athletes of course, are starting to speak up. They are starting to say, 'Hey, we do not really feel protected by our top leaders. We do not feel our interests are represented well,'" he said.

"And that is a trend, a global trend now, that more and more elite athletes organize in unions, or they form interest groups, or they form independent committees to take care of their interests vis-a-vis their national and international federations.

"And that's why we have called our conference this time, the subtitle is 'Athlete Power On The Rise'."

We discussed this trend of the rise of athlete activism, why this year's conference is in the U.S., what may happen with the re-opening of the Russian state-sponsored doping scandal due to new allegations of tampering with the data retrieved from the Moscow lab, the effect of these scandals on the future of the Olympic Games and movement, how the fight against sports corruption has broken some "taboos", 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 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: athlete activism, boxing, corruption, doping, Eddie Goldman, IOC, Jens Sejer Andersen, No Holds Barred, Olympics, Play the Game, Russia, sport, sports, wrestling

Go to the article on Patreon:

Ruiz-Joshua 2: Assholery in Arabia

Labels: Andy Ruiz, Anthony Joshua, boxing, doping, Eddie Goldman, Eddie Hearn, human rights, No Holds Barred, Saudi Arabia

Davit Modzmanashvili of Georgia, who won a silver medal in freestyle wrestling at 120 kg at the 2012 London Olympics, will be stripped of his medal. New analysis shows he tested positive for the banned substance oral turinabol.

Interestingly, in London, he lost his gold medal match to Artur Taymazov of Uzbekistan, who himself was later stripped of his 2008 Olympic gold medal for doping after re-testing. Taymazov is now a member of Russia's Duma representing Putin's United Russia party. Taymazov the doper is also still in the "United World Wrestling (sic)" Hall of Fame.

The full decision on Modzmanashvili's re-testing can be read here.

Labels: Artur Taymazov, Davit Modzmanashvili, doping, Eddie Goldman, No Holds Barred, Olympics, wrestling

Statement on Russia’s Refusal to Allow World Anti-Doping Agency to Access Moscow Lab Evidence
Jim Walden, lawyer for Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov

“Craig Reedie is Nero, playing his fiddle while Russia burns clean sports to the ground. The time for half measures and appeasement must finally come to an end. If RUSADA is not now banned, the last measure of WADA’s integrity will vanish. The time has come for meaningful criminal enforcement, as the current structure is broken beyond repair, so I applaud the U.S. Congress for introducing the Rodchenkov Anti-doping Act and look forward to its passage in 2019.”

— Jim Walden
December 22, 2018

Labels: doping, Grigory Rodchenkov, Jim Walden, Russia, WADA

by Eddie Goldman

Another day, another fiasco for boxing, UK Anti-Doping, and the New York State Athletic Commission.

On May 22, 2018, UKAD announced that, after a tribunal hearing of the National Anti-Doping Panel, American heavyweight fighter Eric Molina had received a two-year ban for taking Dexamethasone, a corticosteroid which is a banned substance. The positive test came from a urine sample collected right after Molina's fight with Anthony Joshua in Manchester in the U.K. But that fight was on December 10, 2016.

It thus took a year-and-a-half to adjudicate this case, not dissimilar to the length of time it took to adjudicate the cases of Tyson Fury and Hughie Fury.

Molina had been "provisionally suspended since 27 October 2017" according to UKAD, in other words, about ten months after his fight with Joshua. But then, even though he had been "provisionally suspended", Molina fought again on November 4, 2017, in Brooklyn, New York, against Dominic Breazeale, and was stopped at the end of the eighth round.

So why did the New York commission allow a fighter who had been "provisionally suspended" by UKAD to fight? Was there no communication between the bureaucrats of the New York and U.K. commissions? Did nobody bother to check, or did no one care? Or does the New York commission not recognize a provisional suspension from UKAD?

Because of the delay in this case, the start date of Molina's suspension was backdated to October 28, 2017, and runs through October 27, 2019. Molina had been scheduled to fight Mariusz Wach this Friday, May 25, in Warsaw, Poland, on a card that was scheduled to be televised there. That card was, according to BoxRec, sanctioned by the Polish Professional Boxing Department, which also was set to allow a boxer under provisional suspension to fight. Now that fight looks like it will not happen.

Last but not least, this is the same UK Anti-Doping which had been enlisted to bring RUSADA, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, back into compliance with the WADA code following the exposure of Russia's state-sponsored doping program. RUSADA still remains out of compliance.

While the case of Russia may be the most egregious example of current known attempts to thwart anti-doping protocols, the breakdown of anti-doping procedures extends far beyond their borders.

The full judgment of the tribunal which heard the Eric Molina case can be read at:
https://www.ukad.org.uk/anti-doping-rule-violations/download-decision/a/10421.

(Photo of Eric Molina from Matchroom Boxing.)

Labels: boxing, doping, Eddie Goldman, Eric Molina, No Holds Barred, UKAD

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Dr. Margaret Goodman, a neurologist, the former chair of the Medical Advisory Board of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and the president and board chairman of VADA, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association.

We spoke with her Saturday in New York.

"The best aspect of what VADA has accomplished is education," she said.

"The fans are much more educated. I think the fighters are getting much more educated, and asking more and more questions."

She noted that while the WBC's Clean Boxing Program which works with VADA only mandates that boxers ranked in the top 15 in each weight class by the WBC be drug-tested, more fighters are actually applying to be tested.

"What people don't know is there's probably at least well over 100 fighters that have volunteered that are not rated by the WBC, have volunteered to that program, and many of them have been tested by VADA, and this is throughout the year."

In order to clarify just what VADA does and does not do, she explained that VADA carries out the drug testing, but has no role in adjudicating the test results, such as determining if there are or what suspensions fighters receive, etc.

We also discussed the need for standardization of drug testing, how anti-doping programs have become more and more accepted over the years, the issue of weight-cutting, the problems with supplements, 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 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, doping, Eddie Goldman, Margaret Goodman, No Holds Barred, VADA, Voluntary Anti-Doping Association

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman presents Monday's telephone press conference held by the lawyers for Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, the former director of the Moscow anti-doping laboratory, who became a key whistleblower exposing Russia's state-sponsored doping program for Olympic and other elite athletes. The main speakers, both representing Dr. Rodchenkov, were attorneys Jim Walden of Walden Macht & Haran, and Derek Borchardt of Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler.

This press conference was held to announce that Dr. Rodchenkov, through his lawyers, had filed a motion to dismiss a libel case brought in the names of three Russian biathletes: Olga Zaytseva, Yana Romanova and Olga Vilukhina. Dr. Rodchenkov also filed his own lawsuit against Russian oligarch and Brooklyn Nets' controlling owner Mikhail Prokhorov, who Dr. Rodchenkov's lawyers said is "the self-confessed financier of the biathletes' claims", for violation of New York's anti-SLAPP statute (Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation), which could entitle Dr. Rodchenkov to punitive damages and legal fees.

On this call, Jim Walden denounced the International Olympic Committee for not supporting such an important whistleblower as Dr. Rodchenkov.

"It's very clear that they are not going to support Dr. Rodchenkov," he said. "We have called them, emailed them, publicly admonished them, and they refuse to stand up for him, and they refused to stand strong against Russia. So we hope that clean athletes and the media will hold their complicity, hold them to account for it."

More information on these legal actions can be found here.

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 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: doping, Eddie Goldman, Grigory Rodchenkov, Jim Walden, lawsuit, Mikhail Prokhorov, No Holds Barred, Olympics, Russia, whistleblower

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses some of the latest trickeration and treats in boxing, including theories why the Deontay Wilder-Luis Ortiz fight was never meant to take place, and how the rematch between Wilder and Bermane Stiverne, whom Wilder defeated in 2015, was the plan all along. Also examined are the many misconceptions and mountain of misinformation and disinformation which had been spread about anti-doping procedures and why Ortiz was legitimately facing sanctions for taking two substances banned by all anti-doping organizations that were in his blood pressure medicine.

On October 14, the PBC returns with a split doubleheader full of title fights, but of planned, different levels of competitiveness. First up, live on Fox and Fox Deportes in the U.S., and taking place at the StubHub Center in Carson, California, there are two featherweight title fights. Leo Santa Cruz will face Chris Avalos, and Abner Mares will fight Andres Gutierrez, both of which are designed as showcase fights to set up a much more anticipated Santa Cruz-Mares rematch following their 2015 fight, won by split decision by Santa Cruz.

Then on Showtime in the U.S, and taking place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, there will be a tripleheader of 154-pound title fights. WBA super champion Erislandy Lara, considered by many to be the best in the world in that division, will fight unbeaten Terrell Gausha. WBC champ Jermell Charlo will have a stiff test against undefeated Erickson Lubin. And IBF champ Jarrett Hurd will make the first defense of his belt against veteran former champion Austin Trout.

We discuss what is behind these fights, which may eventually lead to title unification fights, and get comments from Jarrett Hurd, Austin Trout, and Erickson Lubin from this past week's media conference call.

(Photo of Bermane Stiverne vs. Deontay Wilder by Esther Lin/SHOWTIME.)

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 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, Charlo, deception, Deontay Wilder, doping, Eddie Goldman, Gausha, heavyweight, Hurd, Lara, Lubin, Luis Ortiz, Mares, matchmaking, No Holds Barred, Santa Cruz, Stiverne, trickeration, Trout

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses why the Nov. 4 heavyweight title fight between WBC champ Deontay Wilder and Luis "King Kong" Ortiz will apparently not take place due to a positive PED test for Ortiz. Discussed is what we know so far, how taking a medication which contained substances prohibited by anti-doping organizations led to this, the failure of Ortiz's team to list this on the forms they submitted or apply for a therapeutic use exemption, the consequences of such actions for Ortiz who already had been fined and suspended for PED use in 2014, and 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 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, Deontay Wilder, doping, Eddie Goldman, heavyweight, Luis King Kong Ortiz, No Holds Barred, trickeration

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with investigative journalist, academic, and expert on match-fixing in international sports, Declan Hill.

There never is a shortage of topics to be discussed involving corruption, scandals, match-fixing, and doping in sports, but our discussion took place in the midst of revelations about an even worse series of allegations about kickbacks and coverups of doping.

Based on extensive research conducted by the French daily newspaper Le Monde and the German broadcaster ARD, an article was just published entitled "Criminal Practices in Athletics -- Doping and Cover-Ups on Shocking Scale", by Hajo Seppelt and Daniel Bouhs.

The article presents damning evidence that alleges "that extortion, dubious financial transactions and other mafia-style practices have been employed in international athletics over a period of many years. Leading representatives of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) are believed to have deliberately ignored highly suspicious blood test results for at least six top athletes since 2011 – each in return receiving payments of between €300,000 and €700,000. The organized cover-up of suspected doping in the world of track and field has as such assumed a previously unimagined scale. And once again it is primarily athletes from one nation under scrutiny: Russia."

We spoke with Declan Hill by phone Friday about this and many other ongoing scandals.

"This is taking doping in sports to a whole new level," he said. He noted that the sources for these allegations were Russian athletes themselves, who are the "true victims of these situations" because they were given no choice to dope, other than to leave sport or even flee Russia.

"So this is a criminal network now of sports doping," he said, well beyond anything done by people like Lance Armstrong.

"This is now the systemic criminalization of doping in sport."

On top of all this, the second and final part of the McLaren Report on state-sponsored doping in Russia is scheduled to be released December 9. This will be one day after the close of the IOC (International Olympic Committee) Executive Board meetings in Lausanne, Switzerland, from December 6 to 8. We discussed the mechanics of this state-sponsored doping in Russia, how the leadership of the IOC and many of its sports affiliates are trying to weaken the efforts of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and how they lack the integrity and courage to confront these issues.

We also discussed the fixing of results in judged sports like figure skating, boxing, and wrestling, and even chess, especially when Russian competitors are involved.

In addition, we discussed the terrible treatment by the IOC of whistle-blowers like Russian runner Yulia Stepanova, who helped expose the system of state-sponsored doping in Russian sport; why these battles transcend sports and how they will not be over after the release of the rest of the McLaren Report; 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 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: boxing, criminal, Declan Hill, doping, Eddie Goldman, IOC, McLaren, No Holds Barred, Olympics, Russia, sports, WADA, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the latest developments in the ongoing saga of the reign of heavyweight boxing champion of the world Tyson Fury. Among the topics discussed are his recent positive drug test for cocaine, what it may reflect about him as a person, the possibility he is heading for tragedy, the cancellation of his rematch with Wladimir Klitschko, how all this seemingly will lead to him being stripped of his belts, 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 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: boxing, cocaine, doping, Eddie Goldman, No Holds Barred, Tyson Fury, VADA, Wladimir Klitschko

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with former pro soccer player, current politics professor at Pacific University in Oregon, and author Jules Boykoff.

His latest book is Power Games: A Political History of the Olympics.

We spoke with him by phone Wednesday.

"I really wanted to raise a number of themes that I felt haven't been illuminated that much in the histories that have been written about the Olympics," he said.

One was class privilege.

"Class privilege was a big part of the Olympics even from the beginning, when it started by a French aristocrat named Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who basically got together a bunch of his dukes and counts and princes to start the International Olympic Committee (IOC). That kind of class privilege has threaded all the way through today," he said.

Another was the long history of "athlete activists, who had either taken a political stand or they stood for something transformative." And there is the "activism that's outside of the Olympics," including indigenous people, environmentalists, taxpayers, and others who have fought against all sorts of abuses done in the name of the Olympics. Still another goal was to help people learn about how capitalism works through the various predatory, unfair, and discriminatory practices of the IOC.

All this was discussed with the opening of the Rio Olympics almost upon us, on August 5. We discussed the mass displacement of people from their homes and especially the favelas, how like other Olympics this one is being used as a way for real estate interests to grab enormous profits, the environmental disasters facing the Rio Olympics, the phony promises made by politicians, and the mass movement and activities against the Olympics going on right now in Rio.

The book also reviews the history of several attempts at creating alternative games, including the Women's Games and Workers' Olympiads, which took place before World War II. We discussed those and why alternative games are not as strong today as they once were.

With many cities from Boston to Krakow to Toronto and others declining to bid on hosting Olympic Games, and the seemingly endless doping and embezzlement scandals facing both the IOC and numerous international federations, we discussed the prospects for reform of this Olympic monster.

With all these scandals and this growing opposition to the Olympics, he argued that the Olympic movement was "weaker" now than it had been in a long time, meaning conditions were ripe for fighting for basic changes right now. Fighting to reduce the size of the Olympics, demanding that resources be used for the people such as creating social housing out of Olympic facilities, and advocating an open voting process in the IOC were just some of the reforms discussed. But we also considered whether it is possible to reform the kind of huge money-making machine which the IOC has become.

And we discussed more on the Russian state-sponsored doping program, the dangers facing Los Angeles should that city be chosen to host the 2024 Olympics, the need for intellectuals and progressives to support sports programs for the people, and much, much more.

Power Games: A Political History of the Olympics is an entertaining and informative read, and is highly recommended in order to understand the historical and social roots of the growing crisis in the Olympic movement, and how to move forward.

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: corruption, doping, Eddie Goldman, IOC, Jules Boykoff, No Holds Barred, Olympics, Power Games, Rio, sport

(Photo of Wilder and Arreola by Chris Baldwin)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and challenger Chris Arreola, who fight Saturday, July 16, at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.

Wilder (36-0, 35 KOs) had been scheduled to face former WBA champion and current WBC number one contender Alexander Povetkin on May 21 in Russia, but that fight was put on hold by the World Boxing Council (WBC) after Povetkin tested positive in April for the banned substance meldonium. Since then, the World Anti-Doping Agency has changed its guidelines regarding suspensions for meldonium, but the test was conducted by VADA, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association, working with the WBC as part of the Clean Boxing Program. A final disposition of this case by the WBC is expected soon.

Since the Wilder-Povetkin fight was put off, to be cancelled or postponed to some time in the future, Wilder took what is essentially a stay-busy fight with the former title challenger Arreola (36-4-1, 2 NDs, 31 KOs). While still a popular fighter, however, Arreola has won just two of his last six fights, with his most recent fight, a controversial win over Travis Kauffman in December, being changed to a "no decision" after Arreola tested positive for marijuana. Many people -- including Arreola himself -- believe that he does not deserve another title shot, so this fight will be under especially heavy scrutiny.

For this fight, VADA will once again conduct the anti-doping testing as part of the WBC's Clean Boxing Program.

The Wilder-Arreola fight headlines a Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) card which will be shown live in the U.S. on Fox and Fox Deportes, and in the U.K. on Sky Sports.

We spoke with Deontay Wilder and Chris Arreola on a media conference call this past Wednesday, and also got comments from promoter Lou DiBella about the urgent need for uniform drug testing. Many expect an explosive start to this fight, however long it lasts, and we got both fighters' comments on that.

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 TheBoxingTribune.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.

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Labels: boxing, Chris Arreola, Deontay Wilder, doping, Eddie Goldman, Lou DiBella, No Holds Barred, PBC, VADA

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses this wild, busy weekend in boxing.

Welterweights Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter put on a fight of the year candidate at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, shown on CBS in the U.S. and Sky Sports in the U.K., with the unbeaten Thurman taking a unanimous decision and retaining his WBA belt.

IBF heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua, hoped by many to be the next big superstar in boxing, needed seven rounds to dispatch an overmatched but courageous Dominic Breazeale, in a fight at The O2 in London and shown live on Sky Sports Box Office in the U.K. and on Showtime in the U.S.

What these fights demonstrated about each of these fighters, what is next for them, the move towards unification tournaments in both the welterweight and heavyweight divisions, and more are discussed.

The plague of doping is a major issue in all sports these days, including boxing. Our colleague Chris Baldwin got comments from WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder about this issue this past week in Los Angeles. We also have an excerpt from the Joshua-Breazeale prefight conference call where Joshua and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, addressed this issue and called for lifetime bans for boxers who test positive for PEDs. We also comment on the WBC investigation into Alexander Povetkin's alleged use of the banned substance meldonium, the allegations which were just published that Tyson Fury used the steroid nandrolone last year, which he denies, and much, much more.

(Photo of Thurman and Porter from Tom Casino/Showtime, photo of Wilder and Arreola from Chris Baldwin.)

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't 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 Frank Gotch World Catch Wrestling Tournament. On Sunday, July 3, 2016, 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 and co-sponsored by IAWrestle, the Frank Gotch Statue Committee, and the Frank Gotch Kids Wrestling Club, the event will take place at Humboldt High School. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.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.

BJJ Eastern Europe, for the latest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu news, articles, interviews, competition calendar, European belt rankings, academy directory, and more. For more information, go to BJJEE.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: Anthony Joshua, boxing, Deontay Wilder, doping, Eddie Goldman, Eddie Hearn, Keith Thurman, No Holds Barred, Shawn Porter

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the ballooning series of scandals and crises in world sport and the combat sports, including doping in pro and amateur boxing, the state-sponsored doping program in Russia, the Rio Olympics debacle, the Minnesota wrestling Xanax scandal, and more. Highlighted is the need to combat not only each instance of corruption and the structures which allow and profit from such outrages, but also the common win-at-all-cost amoral attitudes which are prevalent in world sport today.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't 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 Frank Gotch World Catch Wrestling Tournament. On Sunday, July 3, 2016, 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 and co-sponsored by IAWrestle, the Frank Gotch Statue Committee, and the Frank Gotch Kids Wrestling Club, the event will take place at Humboldt High School. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.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.

BJJ Eastern Europe, for the latest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu news, articles, interviews, competition calendar, European belt rankings, academy directory, and more. For more information, go to BJJEE.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: amorality, boxing, corruption, doping, Eddie Goldman, No Holds Barred, Olympics, Povetkin, Rio, Russia, sport, sports, world, wrestling

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Dr. Margaret Goodman, a neurologist, the former chair of the Medical Advisory Board of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and the president and board chairman of VADA, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association.

This is another in a series of discussions celebrating the tenth anniversary of this No Holds Barred podcast, which began in March 2006. These interviews will focus both on the legacy and issues raised over the years on this show, as well as contemporary issues and the future of the combat sports and martial arts.

We spoke with Dr. Margaret Goodman by phone Monday.

There is hardly a day without a report, discussion, or analysis of doping in sports. Even a decade ago, this was not the case, particularly in the combat and contact sports. Yet today, issues like doping, as well as athlete safety, brain trauma, and CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), regularly appear in the headlines and are the main topics in the news and on discussion shows. It has taken time for public awareness of these issues and the crises for sport they entail to grow to a critical mass, but that is where we are today.

"I think that public awareness, and the public, the fans that watch these sports, asking questions, demanding answers to those questions, keeping on top of the sports, and even with the athletic commissions and the media asking questions, I think changes do come," said Dr. Goodman.

"The public is more and more aware of this," she said, and urged, "I think that it's really important for the average boxing fan and MMA fan to ask questions, to find out as much information as they can."

More and more transparency on these issues and more and more people asking questions, she said, "this is what really will evoke changes."

We discussed many specific issues, including that of the many suspensions of athletes for using the banned substance meldonium; why many of these suspensions have now been lifted; drug-testing in MMA including the UFC-USADA program; the World Boxing Council (WBC) working directly with VADA on testing fighters and the WBC Clean Boxing Program; the growing list of top-rated boxers who are part of VADA's anti-doping program; the lack of uniformity in drug and medical testing of fighters, both around the U.S. and the world; Bellator MMA's booking of Kimbo Slice for a fight in the U.K. right after he tested positive for using a steroid from his February fight and was suspended for three months and had his fighter's license revoked by the Texas commission; the dangers of brain injuries in. and the relative safety of, boxing and MMA; whether or not bare knuckle boxing can be safer than boxing with gloves; the ethics of watching and covering such dangerous sports as boxing and MMA; the need for a national commission for boxing and MMA, for MMA to be included in the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, and for international regulation of these sports; the importance of the recent film "Concussion" about Dr. Bennet Omalu; how repeated sub-concussive blows to the head must be examined and not just full concussions; an upcoming WBC webinar; 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 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 Frank Gotch World Catch Wrestling Tournament. On Sunday, July 3, 2016, 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 and co-sponsored by IAWrestle, the Frank Gotch Statue Committee, and the Frank Gotch Kids Wrestling Club, the event will take place at Humboldt High School. For more information, go to CatchWrestlingAlliance.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.

BJJ Eastern Europe, for the latest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu news, articles, interviews, competition calendar, European belt rankings, academy directory, and more. For more information, go to BJJEE.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: boxing, concussions, CTE, doping, Eddie Goldman, Margaret Goodman, MMA, No Holds Barred, VADA, Voluntary Anti-Doping Association

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the first big fight of 2016, the January 16 heavyweight title fight between WBC champ Deontay Wilder (35-0, 34 KOs) and Artur Szpilka (20-1, 15 KOs). Also discussed is the volatile state of the heavyweight division following Wladmir Klitschko's loss to Tyson Fury, and who may emerge as the universally regarded best heavyweight.

The Deontay Wilder-Artur Szpilka fight will be held Saturday, January 16, 2016, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and will be telecast live in the U.S. on Showtime. We spoke with Deontay Wilder and Artur Szpilka on a recent media conference call.

We also discuss the dangers of head trauma and doping in boxing, the importance of the role played by VADA (Voluntary Anti-Doping Association), the mixed results for the first year of the Premier Boxing Champions in 2015, 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:

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.
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Labels: Artur Szpilka, boxing, Deontay Wilder, doping, Eddie Goldman, head trauma, heavyweights, Klitschko, No Holds Barred, PBC, VADA