NO HOLDS BARRED

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with the freestyle and collegiate wrestling champion, and now undefeated mixed martial arts fighter, "King" Mo Lawal.

After four straight victories in Japan in the Sengoku/World Victory Road organization, Mo makes his American mixed martial arts debut August 28 when he fights the mixed martial arts legend and veteran, and also a former college wrestler, Don Frye. This will be the main event on the debut show of the M-1 Breakthrough fight series, to be held in Los Angeles, Calif. This show will be televised in the U.S. live on HDNet.

We spoke with Mo at length about numerous topics Sunday afternoon, July 26, but our discussion had to start with a tribute to Vernon Forrest, the great boxing champion who was murdered during an attempted carjacking in Atlanta Saturday night, July 25. Mo is also a serious boxing fan, so we opened with our comments on the life and contributions of Vernon Forrest.

The many hot topics we discussed with Mo included his thoughts on facing Don Frye and what to expect in that fight; his King Mo persona; his recovery from his recent injuries; how he views the top heavyweight and pound-for-pound mixed martial arts fighter Fedor Emelianenko; why he likes the 1997 fight between Pernell Whitaker and Diosbelys Hurtado so much; his views on UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar; his status as a free agent and why he signed to fight on this M-1 Breakthrough card; his thoughts on Sengoku; his training in the many different techniques of combat sports; whether or not there is a double standard in the treatment of Black fighters in mixed martial arts; the real story of his dispute with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and his criticisms of him; his plans to return to competing in wrestling as well as starting pro boxing; the entrance into mixed martial arts of U.S. Olympic freestyle wrestler Daniel Cormier; his own use of the Internet and sites like Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace; and more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.

Labels: boxing, Breakthrough, Don Frye, Eddie Goldman, Fedor Emelianenko, King Mo Lawal, M-1 Global, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, Quinton Rampage Jackson, Sengoku, UFC, Vernon Forrest, wrestling

SecondsOut Radio with Eddie Goldman

On this week's edition of SecondsOut Radio, host Eddie Goldman begins by commenting on this past weekend's major title fights. In them, Juan Manuel Marquez (49-4-1, 36 KOs) handed lightweight champion Joel Casamayor (36-4-1, 22 KOs) his first career loss by stoppage, Vernon Forrest (41-3, 29 KOs) regained the WBC super welterweight belt by impressively decisioning Sergio Mora (21-1-1, 5 KOs) in a rematch from their first bout in June, and WBC super lightweight champion Timothy Bradley (23-0, 11 KOs) made the first defense of his belt by decisioning and dominating Edner Cherry (24-6-2, 12 KOs).

We also discuss the fiasco which led to the fight between WBA, WBO, and IBF lightweight champion Nate Campbell (32-5-1, 25 KOs) and Joan Guzman (28-0, 17 KOs) being cancelled after Guzman failed to make weight. And we argue that the next fight for Juan Manuel Marquez and Nate Campbell should be against one another, the best against the best in the lightweight division.

On October 11, in Berlin, Germany, WBC heavyweight champion Samuel Peter (30-1, 23 KOs) will defend his title against the former WBC champion and current "champion emeritus" Vitali Klitschko (35-2, 34 KOs), who is making his return to the ring after a four-year absence.

In the first of a series of interviews about this fight which will be posted over the next weeks, we spoke with the veteran trainer Lou Duva, who is working with the Peter camp. We discussed what to expect in the Peter-Klitschko fight, where he believes Peter stands in the history of heavyweight boxing, and what went wrong with the U.S. Olympic boxing team at the 2008 Olympics.

It is free to listen to SecondsOut Radio, but you must register to gain access to it. Just click here, and listen, learn, and enjoy.

Labels: boxing, Eddie Goldman, Edner Cherry, Joan Guzman, Joel Casamayor, Juan Manuel Marquez, Klitschko, Lou Duva, Nate Campbell, Samuel Peter, SecondsOut Radio, Sergio Mora, Tim Bradley, Vernon Forrest

SecondsOut Radio with Eddie Goldman

On this week's edition of SecondsOut Radio, host Eddie Goldman previews the appealing quartet of major title fights which are coming up this Saturday, September 13, and discusses boxing's talent-rich lightweight division.

On that date, WBA, WBO, and IBF lightweight champion Nate Campbell (32-5-1, 25 KOs) will defend his belts against Joan Guzman (28-0, 17 KOs) in Biloxi, Mississippi. This fight will be shown in the U.S. on Showtime.

Also on that date, the linear lightweight champion, Joel Casamayor (36-3-1, 22 KOs), will defend his title against Juan Manuel Marquez (48-4-1, 35 KOs) in Las Vegas, Nevada. This fight will be shown in the U.S. on HBO pay-per-view.

The co-feature on the HBO pay-per-view is the rematch between WBC super welterweight champion Sergio Mora (21-0-1, 5 KOs) and Vernon Forrest (40-3, 29 KOs).

The co-feature on the Showtime telecast is the first defense of his belt by WBC super lightweight champion Timothy Bradley (22-0, 11 KOs), who fights Edner Cherry (24-5-2, 12 KOs).

This should be an exciting, important, and highly entertaining weekend of fights.

On a series of media conference calls, we had a chance to ask questions of all these eight fighters and let them speak for themselves: Nate Campbell and Joan Guzman, Joel Casamayor and Juan Manuel Marquez, Sergio Mora and Vernon Forrest, and Timothy Bradley and Edner Cherry.

It is free to listen to SecondsOut Radio, but you must register to gain access to it. Just click here, and listen, learn, and enjoy.

Labels: boxing, Eddie Goldman, Edner Cherry, HBO, Joan Guzman, Joel Casamayor, Juan Manuel Marquez, Nate Campbell, pay-per-view, SecondsOut Radio, Sergio Mora, Showtime, Timothy Bradley, Vernon Forrest

SecondsOut Radio with Eddie Goldman

On this week's edition of SecondsOut Radio, host Eddie Goldman discusses with promoters Gary Shaw and Lou DiBella why boxing is not on network television in the U.S., but mixed martial arts is.

We also offer a no-holds-barred commentary about how boxing has lost its credibility as a sport and why few people believe anything in boxing today.

It is free to listen to SecondsOut Radio, but you must register to gain access to it. Just click here, and listen, learn, and enjoy.

Labels: boxing, Contender, Eddie Goldman, Gary Shaw, Kelly Pavlik, Lou DiBella, SecondsOut Radio, Sergio Mora, Vernon Forrest

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman begins by discussing the changed business climate for mixed martial arts following the ratings success of last Saturday’s EliteXC show on CBS.

In light of this, we covered the news conference Thursday in New York, where it was announced that the Affliction mixed martial arts promotion and real estate mogul Donald Trump had entered into a partnership, with Trump buying an equity stake in Affliction. The inaugural Affliction show takes place Saturday, July 19, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, and will be shown in the U.S. on pay-per-view.

We got a brief comment from Trump about why he chose to invest in Affliction, and spoke with Tom Atencio, vice president of Affliction, about the company's business plans, as well as their intention of creating unified MMA championships by working with the new sanctioning body, WAMMA.

This Saturday night, June 7, WBC super welterweight champion Vernon Forrest (40-2, 29 KOs) will defend his title against Sergio Mora (20-0-1, 5 KOs) from "The Contender" series. This fight takes place at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., and will be shown in the U.S. on Showtime. We spoke with Vernon Forrest Thursday afternoon at a New York news conference about this fight and what to expect in it.

Also this busy weekend, the 2008 World Jiu-Jitsu Championships, better known as the Mundials, take place beginning Thursday, June 5, and running through Sunday, June 8, at the Walter Pyramid on the campus of California State University Long Beach in Long Beach, California. This event is organized by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation.

To preview the Mundials, we spoke with our colleague Kid Peligro, a senior editor of the ADCC News and a correspondent on our show. In a lengthy discussion, Kid offered his picks for the favorites in the weight classes in the men's and women's black belt divisions, as well as the absolutes. We also discussed the critical role of grappling in the mixed martial arts.

To listen to No Holds Barred, click here or here and just press the play button on the player.

The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by musician Ian Carpenter.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

IFL, the International Fight League, the world's first professional mixed martial arts league. Make sure to check out their regular TV shows on FSN (Fox Sports Net) in the U.S. and to check your local listings for dates and times. Check out the IFL web site, ifl.tv, for a listing of IFL live events and their TV schedule.

Gladiator Challenge, shaking up the mixed martial arts world since 1999, and now with 30 shows per year. For more news and info, check out their web site, GladiatorChallenge.com.

BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.

Labels: Affliction, BJJ, boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championships, Donald Trump, Eddie Goldman, Kid Peligro, mixed martial arts, MMA, Mundials, No Holds Barred, Tom Atencio, UFC, Vernon Forrest

SecondsOut Radio with Eddie Goldman

On this week's edition of SecondsOut Radio, host Eddie Goldman previews two major title fights taking place this coming Saturday, June 7.

On that date, WBC super welterweight champion Vernon Forrest (40-2, 29 KOs) defends his title against Sergio Mora (20-0-1, 5 KOs) from "The Contender" series. This fight takes place at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., and will be shown in the U.S. on Showtime.

We spoke with both Vernon Forrest and Sergio Mora on a media teleconference call this past week about what to expect in this fight. Vernon Forrest also discussed his role as a promoter, and offered a highly critical appraisal of the fighters who have come from "The Contender".

Also on June 7, middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik (33-0, 29 KOs) of Youngstown, Ohio, will defend his title against mandatory challenger Gary Lockett (30-1, 21 KOs) of Cwbran, Wales. This fight takes place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and will be shown in the U.S. on HBO. At the kickoff news conference, we spoke with both Kelly Pavlik and Gary Lockett about this fight.

It is free to listen to SecondsOut Radio, but you must register to gain access to it. Just click here, and listen, learn, and enjoy.

Labels: boxing, Contender, Eddie Goldman, Gary Lockett, Kelly Pavlik, SecondsOut Radio, Sergio Mora, Vernon Forrest

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman previews two important boxing cards coming up in the next several days, and takes on the issue of comparing boxing and mixed martial arts. We also answer some compelling e-mails.

We begin by speaking with boxing promoter Lou DiBella about the decline of boxing in the U.S. and the relationship – or non-relationship – of that decline to the growth of mixed martial arts. His commentary is explosive and controversial about both these sports.

DiBella is joining forces with Bob Arum's Top Rank and Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing to co-promote a show Thursday, Dec. 6, at the Utopia Paradise Theater in the Bronx, NY. Headlining that card will be a fight between NABF 154-pound titleholder Andrey Tsurkan (25-2, 16 KOs), born in Ukraine and living in the Bronx, and undefeated challenger Yuri Foreman (23-0, 8 KOs), born in Belarus and living in Brooklyn. The winner improves his chances at getting a shot at the WBC title in that weight, presently held by Vernon Forrest. This fight will be televised live in the U.S. on Versus.

We spoke with both Andrey Tsurkan and Yuri Foreman as well as Lou DiBella at a New York news conference Wednesday.

This coming Saturday, December 1, Vernon Forrest will be co-featured on a major card at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut, and televised live in the U.S. on Showtime.

On that show, former world light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver (25-4, 18 KOs) takes on journeyman Danny Santiago (29-3-1, 19 KOs); WBC super welterweight champion Vernon Forrest (39-2, 28 KOs) faces former IBF world welterweight champion Michele Piccirillo (48-3, 30 KOs); and IBF flyweight champion Nonito Donaire (18-1, 11 KOs) fights veteran Luis Maldonado (37-1-1, 28 KOs).

We spoke with Antonio Tarver, Vernon Forrest, and Nonito Donaire at a New York news conference Tuesday to get their takes on these fights.

To listen to NO HOLDS BARRED, click here and just press the play button on the player.

You can also listen to it through this blog and the NO HOLDS BARRED MySpace page, also by pressing the play button on the player.

Also, NO HOLDS BARRED is available through iTunes.

The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

If you want to leave a comment on the show, you can do so on this blog.

The NO HOLDS BARRED theme song is called "The Heist", by musician Ian Carpenter.

NO HOLDS BARRED is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

Art of War, the undisputed arena fighting championship, promoted by SUN Sports and Entertainment, producing world class mixed martial arts events. For more information, check out their web site, ArtOfWarLive.com.

IFL, the International Fight League, the world's first professional mixed martial arts league. Make sure to check out their regular TV shows on FSN (Fox Sports Net) in the U.S. and to check your local listings for dates and times. You can also catch IFL Battleground on MyNetworkTV. Check out the IFL web site, ifl.tv, for a listing of IFL live events and their TV schedule.

Gladiator Challenge, shaking up the mixed martial arts world since 1999, and now with 30 shows per year. For more news and info, check out their web site, GladiatorChallenge.com.

BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.

Labels: Andrey Tsurkan, Antonio Tarver, BJJ, boxing, Eddie Goldman, jiu-jitsu, Lou DiBella, mixed martial arts, MMA, No Holds Barred, Nonito Donaire, UFC, ultimate fighting, Vernon Forrest, Yuri Foreman

SecondsOut Radio with Eddie Goldman

On this week's edition of SecondsOut Radio, host Eddie Goldman begins by reviewing the majority decision victory this past Friday, November 23, by Ricardo Mayorga (28-6-1, 22 KOs) over Fernando Vargas (26-5, 22 KOs) at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Vargas, 29, announced that he is now retiring as an active fighter.

This coming Saturday, December 1, there is another major card, this time to the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut. On that show, former world light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver (25-4, 18 KOs) takes on journeyman Danny Santiago (29-3-1, 19 KOs), and WBC super welterweight champion Vernon Forrest (39-2, 28 KOs) faces former IBF world welterweight champion Michele Piccirillo (48-3, 30 KOs). These fights, along with the title defense by IBF flyweight champion Nonito Donaire against veteran Luis Maldonado, will be televised in the U.S. on Showtime.

We spoke with Antonio Tarver, Vernon Forrest, and Michele Piccirillo on a media teleconference call.

It is free to listen to SecondsOut Radio, but you must register to gain access to it. Just click here, and listen, learn, and enjoy.

Labels: Antonio Tarver, boxing, Danny Santiago, Eddie Goldman, Fernando Vargas, Foxwoods, Luis Maldonado, Michele Piccirillo, Nonito Donaire, Ricardo Mayorga, SecondsOut Radio, Showtime, Vernon Forrest