NO HOLDS BARRED

 

On this edition of The WAAR Room, Chris Baldwin, Malissa Smith, and Eddie Goldman discussed Saudi Arabia taking over the heavyweight division, what that means for boxing and sports, and how they have gotten the majority of the top ten heavyweights on their next two cards. We also previewed the rematch between Chantelle Cameron and Katie Taylor, how Cameron won their first fight, and what is likeliest to happen in this one. This fight takes place Saturday, Nov. 25, in Dublin, Ireland.

Labels: boxing, Chantelle Cameron, Chris Baldwin, Eddie Goldman, heavyweights, Katie Taylor, Malissa Smith, No Holds B arred, Saudi Arabia, WAAR Room

 

My latest piece, "Fury vs. Usyk and the New World Order in Boxing", is up on the No Holds Barred Patreon page.

Labels: . boxing, Eddie Goldman, heavyweights, No Holds Barred, Oleksandr Usyk, Riyadh Season, Saudi Arabia, Tyson Fury

 

On this edition of The WAAR Room, Chris Baldwin, Malissa Smith, and Eddie Goldman discussed the robbery in the Jessica McCaskill-Sandy Ryan fight which was declared a split draw despite almost everyone having Ryan as the winner, the announcement that Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will finally fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world in Saudi Arabia, and more.

Labels: . boxing, Chris Baldwin, Eddie Goldman, heavyweights, Jessica McCaskill, Malissa Smith, No Holds Barred, Oleksandr Usyk, Sandy Ryan, Saudi Arabia, Tyson Fury, WAAR Room

 

On this edition of The WAAR Room, Chris Baldwin, Malissa Smith, and Eddie Goldman discussed the historic coming of 12 three-minute round title fights for women's boxing, the clown show in the men's heavyweight division, a preview of the Zhang Zhilei-Joe Joyce rematch, and more.

Labels: Amanda Serrano, Chris Baldwin, Eddie Goldman, heavyweights, Malissa Smith, No Holds Barred, Tyson Fury, WAAR Room, women's boxing

 

My latest piece, "Waiting for the Heavyweights, September 2023 Edition", is up on the No Holds Barred Patreon page.

Labels: Anthony Joshua, boxing, Deontay Wilder, Economist, Eddie Goldman, heavyweights, No Holds Barred, Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury

 

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

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

Labels: Anthony Joshua, boxing, Chris Baldwin, Eddie Goldman, Girlboxing, heavyweights, Malissa Smith, No Holds Barred, Oleksandr Usyk, Saudi Arabia, sportswashing, WAAR Room, WAAR Sports

 

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

Labels: boxing, Chris Baldwin, Eddie Goldman, Girlboxing, Hall of Fame, heavyweights, Malissa Smith, No Holds Barred, WAAR Room, WAAR Sports, women boxers

My latest piece, "Waiting For The Heavyweights, January 2022 Edition", is up on the No Holds Barred Patreon page.

Labels: boxing, Eddie Goldman, heavyweights, No Holds Barred

 My latest piece, "Will 2022 Be A Happy Heavyweight New Year?", is up on the No Holds Barred Patreon page.

Labels: boxing, Eddie Goldman, Frank Martin, Frank Sanchez, heavyweights, Luis King Kong Ortiz, No Holds Barred

My latest piece, "Waiting For The Heavyweights, December 2021 Edition", is up on the No Holds Barred Patreon page.

Labels: Anthony Joshua, boxing, Dillian Whyte, Eddie Goldman, heavyweights, No Holds Barred, Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury

 My latest piece, "Waiting For The Heavyweights, November 2021 Edition", is up on the No Holds Barred Patreon page.

Labels: Anthony Joshua, boxing, Dillian Whyte, Eddie Goldman, heavyweights, No Holds Barred, Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury

My latest piece, "Waiting for the Heavyweights, September 2021 Edition", is up on the No Holds Barred Patreon page.

Labels: Anthony Joshua, boxing, Deontay Wilder, Eddie Goldman, heavyweights, No Holds Barred, Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury

Go to the article on Patreon:

Waiting For The Heavyweights

Labels: Andy Ruiz, Anthony Joshua Tyson Fury, boxing, Deontay Wilder, Dillian Whyte, Eddie Goldman, heavyweights, No Holds Barred

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the upcoming June 15 fight between heavyweights Tyson Fury of the U.K. (27-0-1, 19 KOs) and Tom Schwarz of Germany (24-0, 16 KOs). This fight headlines a card at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, and will be shown live in the U.S. on the ESPN+ app and in the U.K. on pay-per-view on BT Sport Box Office. Among the topics are why this fight is happening now, how it reflects the needs and plans of ESPN and Fury's co-promoter Top Rank, the ongoing soap opera in the quest to crown an undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, and much, much more. We also got some comments from Tyson Fury, Tom Schwarz, and promoter Bob Arum on Monday's media conference call.

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: Andy Ruiz, Anthony Joshua, boxing, Deontay Wilder, Eddie Goldman, ESPN, heavyweights, No Holds Barred, Tom Schwarz, Top Rank, Tyson Fury

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the upset TKO victory by Andy Ruiz Jr. over Anthony Joshua Saturday, June 1, at Madison Square Garden, to capture three of the four major heavyweight belts. Many mysteries remain as to why this upset occurred, and these as well as what may happen next and what this means for the future of the heavyweight division are explored, plus much more.

(Photo by Ed Mulholland/Matchroom Boxing USA.)

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: Andy Ruiz, Anthony Joshua, boxing, Deontay Wilder, Eddie Goldman, heavyweights, mysteries, No Holds Barred, Tyson Fury

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman busts up the many myths being peddled in the media about how Deontay Wilder's knockout performance against the hapless Dominic Breazeale this past Saturday, May 18, made him into some type of major star. Also discussed is the future of the heavyweight division, the upcoming fight on June 1 of unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua against Andy Ruiz Jr., and much more.

(Photo of Deontay Wilder vs. Dominic Breazeale from 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 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: Andy Ruiz, Anthony Joshua, boxing, Deontay Wilder, Dominic Breazeale, Eddie Goldman, heavyweights, myths, No Holds Barred, Tyson Fury

by Eddie Goldman

You can get a lot done in about two minutes and 17 seconds. The 1956 cover version of rock 'n' roll classic "Hound Dog" by Elvis Presley (originally recorded in 1952 by Big Mama Thornton) was just two minutes and 13 seconds. The 1963 original recording of Lesley Gore's "It's My Party" is listed at two minutes and 19 seconds. In those hallowed days, the most popular form of music distribution was by the 45 RPM vinyl record, which usually cost well under a buck but could only fit a bit more than two minutes of sound on each side of the record. The top records were packaged in colorful sleeves with memorable photos, memorabilia which is little known to almost anyone too young actually to have dialed a phone or played a stack of these precious 45's on their record players.

Two minutes and 17 seconds was also the time it took for WBC heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder to knock out Dominic Breazeale in the first round of their title fight Saturday, May 18. This fight took place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, in front of another of Wilder's non-sellout crowds which, according to The Guardian, was "charitably announced" at totaling 13,181.

Despite the wows of those who somehow expected a competitive fight, and the Twitter storm that landed Wilder as the top trending topic in the U.S., U.K., and worldwide for hours after the fight, it is wishful thinking to expect that this fight will culturally resonate with anywhere near the impact and longevity of these rock 'n' roll anthems from our dearly departed Mr. Presley and Mss. Thornton and Gore.

Breazeale not only went into to this fight as a major underdog, but had been on the canvas in three of his previous five fights. In January 2016, 40-something Amir Mansour, who had spent almost a decade in prison, and who was winning his fight before retiring after the fifth round claiming an injury, dropped Breazeale in the third round. Breazeale's next fight, in June 2016, was against Anthony Joshua in the first defense of his IBF belt. Joshua beat him up before the fight was stopped in the seventh round. Next, in February 2017, was little-known Izuagbe Ugonoh, who dropped him and was also ahead on all three scorecards after four rounds before being stopped by Breazeale in the fifth round. Subsequent stoppage wins by Breazeale over Eric Molina and Carlos Negron hardly put him in a class with Sonny Liston, but did enough to dim the memories of his escapes from disaster long enough for the WBC to peddle him as their mandatory contender for Wilder.

After Wilder's split draw with Tyson Fury in December 2018 on Showtime pay-per-view -- a fight almost the entire universe had Fury winning -- and talks for a rematch collapsed after Fury got his own relatively safe, lucrative, and exclusive deal with ESPN, Wilder's team chose to fulfill this obligation of fighting that WBC mandatory. Hence we got Wilder vs. Breazeale.

Much has been made of Breazeale's background as a college football quarterback at the University of Northern Colorado. Before this fight he said this was his "Super Bowl". And in the fight itself he performed more like a quarterback plagued by poor protection from his offensive line, looking to take a knee or throw the ball away, rather than a boxer who can take things into his own hands with his two fists.

Breazeale's best moment of this abbreviated battle actually occurred when Wilder, wild as usual, backed him into a corner with a barrage of wide punches. Breazeale counter-punched his way out, with one blow apparently landing behind Wilder's head. Wilder backed away and momentarily turned to the referee to complain, but the referee was not halting the action. This was Breazeale's chance to take advantage of Wilder's mistake. Instead, he let Wilder move away and then tie him up. Breazeale also was not jabbing his way in, but rather ambling towards Wilder with the head movement and footwork of the Statue of Liberty, maybe in honor of this fight taking place in the Big Apple. He was a sitting duck for Wilder's well-known right-hand knockout punch, and when it came, not punching or protecting his head, down he went, and it was over.

Showtime announcer Mauro Ranallo then exclaimed, "Wilder hit Breazeale so hard, they are feeling it in Brazil!" But he didn't add that Breazeale left an opening for this shot almost the size of Brazil.

Now it was time for the politics and trickeration to resurface. Wilder, who had threatened literally to kill Breazeale in the ring, now said he loved him. In the in-ring, post-fight interview, Showtime's Jim Gray tried to goad Wilder into calling out the other two top-rated heavyweights, Joshua and Fury, but suddenly the loud "Bomb Squad"-er demurred.

Luis "King Kong" Ortiz, whom Wilder defeated last year, was brought into the ring, perhaps for a staredown between these two Al Haymon-affiliated fighters, but that fizzled.

No mention was ever made of Dillian Whyte, for some time now the WBC number one-ranked contender (somehow different than being the mandatory for the World Bizarro Council), as a potential next opponent.

Wilder's co-manager Shelly Finkel told the post-fight press conference that he will meet next week with John Skipper of DAZN, to which Joshua is affiliated, and is still talking to Fury's co-promoter Top Rank. All chanted in chorus that these big fights involving Wilder, Joshua, and Fury are guaranteed to happen sometime soon. And the check, of course, is in the mail, I'll respect you in the morning, and I won't come in your mouth.

Joshua, of course, next fights late replacement but capable opponent Andy Ruiz Jr., on June 1 at Madison Square Garden. Fury faces little-known Tom Schwarz June 15 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Yet there is another reason for all these fabricated obstructions to any two of these top three heavyweights getting in the ring with each other next.

The most complete, toughest, and all-around skilled fighter of these three is Joshua. Wilder may have better one-punch power than Joshua, but Joshua will not stand still like the Breazeales of the world, and has knockout power worlds above Fury's, while being able to move adeptly enough to avoid the clumsy Wilder's onslaughts. This is why virtually every independent observer of boxing ranks Joshua at the top of the division, followed by Fury and then Wilder.

Joshua vs. Wilder will bring in a lot of money and crown an undisputed heavyweight champion, and even possibly lead to a rematch, but the likeliest outcome, despite Wilder's starching of Breazeale, is for Wilder, already 33 years old, to lose his belt, what little drawing power he has, and perhaps his status as a main event fighter. So taking the risk of fighting Joshua would mean his team is ready to cash out on him. Before fighting them, they will try to milk the fans with a rematch with the aging Ortiz and then the blubbery Adam Kownacki, who almost lost a decision last year to the same Charles Martin who Joshua destroyed in two rounds. So it is not simply the exclusive deals Joshua, Fury, and Wilder have with competing networks which are holding up these showdowns.

Wilder's fanbois and girls are deliriously serenading social media with songs of conquest for their champion of Alabama. But he really lost to Fury, fought an inept and mentally beaten man in Breazeale, and seems on course for more hand-picked offerings for at least a year or more.

But Wilder's highlight-reel knockout did capture some major attention. CBS Sports (CBS is Showtime's parent company) posted a 30-second video of the knockout on Twitter, which as of Sunday morning has over seven million views. ESPN, a rival of CBS/Showtime, gave the fight and knockout extensive coverage. Also on Sunday morning, Tyson Fury posted a video on Instagram congratulating Wilder and saying he would knock out anyone, including Joshua, except of course him. But he said nothing about a rematch with Wilder.

Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing told Sky Sports, which showed this fight in the U.K., that this "was an impressive win for Deontay." Hearn also said, "The fight with AJ and Wilder is the biggest fight in the sport and all being well in two weeks' time it must happen next - no excuses, this is the fight that will change the sport globally." And no doubt Wilder's visual and viral knockout of Breazeale will add pressure on Joshua to produce a similarly notable finish of Ruiz in two weeks.

But other than Hearn, no one pulling the wires behind the scenes is publicly demanding a Joshua-Wilder unification fight be next.

So sit we must through Joshua vs. Ruiz, Fury vs. Schwarz, and perhaps Godzilla vs. Pokemon. Thus, until Wilder steps into the ring with Joshua, I hereby reply, without swiveling my hips:

Well they said you was high-classed,
Well, that was just a lie.
Yeah they said you was high-classed,
Well, that was just a lie.
Well, you ain't never fought AJ and you ain't no champ of mine.

(Photo of Deontay Wilder vs. Dominic Breazeale from Ryan Hafey, Premier Boxing Champions.)

Labels: Anthony Joshua, boxing, Deontay Wilder, Dominic Breazeale, Eddie Goldman, heavyweights, No Holds Barred, Tyson Fury

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

We spoke with him by phone Tuesday.

Our main topic was the biggest fight of the year so far, the heavyweight title unification fight taking place this Saturday, March 31, between the two undefeated belt holders Anthony Joshua of the U.K. and Joseph Parker of New Zealand.

The 28-year-old Joshua is the IBF and WBA champ and has a record of 20-0 with 20 KOs. The 26-year-old Parker is the WBO champ and has a record of 24-0 with 18 KOs.

This fight takes place at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. It will be televised live on Sky Sports Box Office in the U.K., Showtime in the U.S., and many other networks around the world.

We discussed how we see this fight going, why Joshua is deservedly a big favorite, what is likely to happen in the series of events which may lead to the crowning of an undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, the many options in the heavyweight division and business-wise for Joshua should he defeat Parker, the music of Marvin Gaye, and much more.

(Photo of Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker 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: Anthony Joshua, boxing, Charles Farrell, Eddie Goldman, heavyweights, Joseph Parker, No Holds Barred

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