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Showing posts with label Eddie Goldman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eddie Goldman. Show all posts

Monday, October 21, 2013

No Holds Barred: Bernard Hopkins on Black Fighters, and Why It's Good to Duck


On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews the October 26 fight between the IBF light heavyweight champion and boxing legend, Bernard Hopkins, and challenger Karo Murat.
The 48-year-old Hopkins (53-6-2, 32 KOs), from Philadelphia, will be facing the 30-year-old Murat (25-1-1, 15 KOs), born in Iraq and fighting out of Germany, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. This fight will headline a card which will be shown live in the U.S. on Showtime.
Both Hopkins and Murat were on a media conference call Thursday, and we have excerpts from that.
Despite his age advantage, Murat is a huge underdog. He has never fought for a major world title or in the U.S., and has never faced any opponent on the level of Hopkins. Still, he said on this conference call that Hopkins has been reduced to throwing one punch at a time and then clinching, and that he is confident he can win.
Hopkins - who has shed his long-standing nickname of "The Executioner" and is now calling himself "The Alien" because he is doing things a human of his age should not be able to do - not only dismissed such claims, but emphasized how he combines offense and defense. Such boxing skills, he said, are no longer seen as important or even marketable, especially by many TV executives. Boxing has changed today to where it "has sort of gotten to a barbaric" place. All-time greats like Sugar Ray Robinson and Sugar Ray Leonard, and in particular many Black fighters, he said, "would be boring today" and accused of not being able to sell tickets and pay-per-view buys. The TV executives believe, "if they duck, don't buy it." He attributed his longevity in boxing to his combination of offense and defense, proving "why it's good to duck."
He added, "I got two rules: I hit you, and I got to make you not hit me. What's wrong with that?"
But, he said, "The customers will drink anything you give them, if it's promoted right."
We play from this conference call our questions for Karo Murat, and the commentary by Bernard Hopkins on "why it's good to duck."
♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time. EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 All photos other than those specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Impress Photo-Studios♔ and KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Blog-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Friday, September 6, 2013

No Holds Barred: Charles Farrell on Mayweather-Canelo

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with our colleague, correspondent, and award-winning boxing writer, Charles Farrell, who is also co-editor of The Boxing Standard (http://boxingstandard.com).
Our main subject was what is expected to be the biggest fight this year, and perhaps the biggest grossing pay-per-view of all time, the September 14 showdown between Floyd Mayweather and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez.
In this bout between these two unbeaten fighters, the 36-year-old pound-for-pound king Mayweather (44-0, 26 KOs) faces the 23-year-old WBA and WBC 154-pound champion Alvarez (42-0-1, 30 KOs) at a catch weight of 152 pounds. It takes place Saturday, September 14, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, and will be shown live in the U.S. on Showtime pay-per-view, in the U.K. on BoxNation, in Mexico on Televisa, and also on many networks around the world. The event is promoted by Mayweather Promotions, Golden Boy Promotions, and Canelo Promotions.
We spoke with Charles Farrell Thursday to preview this fight.
Mayweather is the favorite to win this fight, and we both agreed with that assessment.
"I do think it should be a pretty decisive win for Mayweather," said Charles Farrell. "Aside from some difference in size -- Canelo is a bigger guy and he's a growing guy -- I don't see that Mayweather doesn't have every appreciable advantage. There's nothing that Canelo does that he hasn't seen many, many times before." He added that he expects the likeliest outcome to be a comfortable 12-round decision for Mayweather.
However, this being boxing, we also discussed the possibility, as some others have as well, that Mayweather would win the fight but would lose the decision. Robberies and horribly bad decisions are common in boxing, so we discussed the business considerations behind such a possibility, including Canelo's popularity and potential longevity as a star.
We also discussed the many prominent boxing writers "who don't know anything about boxing", as well as some comments on the compelling co-feature on this show, where WBA and WBC 140-pound champion Danny Garcia (26-0, 16 KOs) takes on slugger Lucas Matthysse (34-2, 32 KOs).
In addition, we play a brief excerpt from the media conference calls for this fight, one with Canelo and another with Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions.
No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher (http://landing.stitcher.com/?vurl=noholdsbarred).
Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes at http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=150801513&s=143441.
The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.



♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time. EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 All photos other than those specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Impress Photo-Studios♔ and KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Blog-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

No Holds Barred: Raul Ramirez on Rampage Jackson-Tito Ortiz Bellator Press Conference and PPV‏

No Holds Barred: Raul Ramirez on Rampage Jackson-Tito Ortiz Bellator Press Conference and PPV
On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with our correspondent Dr. Raul Ramirez of Catch Wrestling Los Angeles (http://kungfukulture.com).
He was in attendance at Monday's Bellator MMA news conference at the Bellator offices in Newport Beach, California, to announce their debut pay-per-view on November 2 featuring a fight between MMA veterans Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Tito Ortiz, with more fights to be announced. We discussed what happened there, and issues related to this fight, the pay-per-view, and Bellator's approach to MMA.
Both fighters had a lot to say at this news conference, insisting that they are not through as fighters. They praised the "positive environment" at Bellator, contrasting it to their rocky relations, especially in recent years, with UFC management.
"Actually, I really believe that this is the beginning of a possible change in labor relations in MMA, because that's basically what Rampage and Tito talked about the majority of the time," Raul Ramirez said in our interview, which was recorded by phone Tuesday.
"Hopefully other fighters, if they're feeling taken advantage of, so they also come out and speak up, and follow Rampage and Tito's examples."
We also play an excerpt from the media conference call part of this press conference, with questions for Rampage, Tito, and Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney.
♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time. EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 All photos other than those specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Impress Photo-Studios♔ and KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Blog-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

No Holds Barred: Ahati Kilindi Iyi and the African Fighting Sciences

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Ahati Kilindi Iyi, a martial arts legend and the head instructor and technical advisor of the TaMerrian Institute (http://www.tamerrian.com).
Although as a youth he had a background in both wrestling and amateur boxing - his father was a boxer - Kilindi Iyi soon became attracted to the martial arts. This coincided with the rise of the Black Power movement, and growing up in the oft-rebellious Detroit area, he began to study the origins of the martial arts. He learned that the best evidence we have today shows that the martial arts originated in Africa, so he began to devote himself not only to preserving that history, but also spreading interest in what he calls the African fighting sciences.
"No one actually knows where martial arts started. It could have been St. Louis, Missouri, for all we know. But as far as the recorded evidence that we have today, because somebody may come along tomorrow and find out some other recorded evidence, the oldest fighting systems that we have come from the African continent," he said in this interview, which was recorded by phone Monday.
Since "the oldest records of human beings are located, in bone and in stone," in Africa, he concluded that we can then glean that "the oldest systems that we have record of now are the African fighting sciences."
He also understood that the martial arts require "well-rounded" training, in striking, grappling, and weapons. He has traveled to Africa many times, and studied everything from Senegalese wrestling and the numerous styles of wrestling in Africa, to the warrior societies such as of the Maasai in Tanzania, and just about everything in-between.
As for MMA, he coached Tai Bowden at UFC 9 in May 1996 in Detroit, well before the current rules were in place. He said that many of the elite fighters from the traditional martial arts did not participate in those early UFCs. We discussed the experience of those early UFCs, and also MMA today.
For Kilindi Iyi, however, the main thing about martial arts is not who wins or loses a fight. Key for the practitioners are "the reasons why you fight, and the reasons why you don't fight." Martial arts to him aim to teach people "how you live your life," and not simply fighting techniques.
We also discussed how the martial arts have actually been hurt by getting included in the Olympics or trying to get included; the long decline of Detroit and the roots of its present declaration of financial bankruptcy; how many martial arts today are still racially segregated; what we should and should not conclude about the life of Bruce Lee; sometimes-forgotten Jeet Kune Do fighters such as Carlton James and Larry Hartsell; why young people seeking training in martial arts should choose a school which emphasizes character and etiquette rather than choosing mainly on style; and much more.
In addition, we also discussed the Warrior Retreat, which will be held August 30-September 1 in Williamstown, New Jersey, where he will be one of the many instructors

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time. EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 All photos other than those specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Impress Photo-Studios♔ and KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Blog-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

No Holds Barred: Emile Griffith, 1938-2013





On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman pays tribute to boxing legend Emile Griffith, who just passed away at age 75.

Upon hearing of his passing, our correspondent Charles Farrell wrote of Emile Griffith that he was a "spectacularly good fighter. His fights with Luis Rodriguez are works of art. Those two were as close to being equals as any two fighters I've ever seen." Those fights can now be seen on YouTube.

Back in October 2008, there was a media event in Manhattan for the publication of the book "Nine ... Ten ... And Out! The Two Worlds of Emile Griffith". This book was written by Ron Ross and published by boxing promoter Lou DiBella. We spoke with both of them at that event, and are reposting these interviews, which originally appeared on the now-defunct SecondsOut Radio, in their entirety.

This is what we wrote at the time about these interviews:

We spoke at length with the author of this book, Ron Ross, and its publisher, boxing promoter Lou DiBella, about the significance of this story about Emile Griffith, who had a Hall of Fame career in the 1960's and '70's as a welterweight and middleweight champion of the world many times over.

But this book, and our discussion, also delved into that second, less public world lived in by Emile Griffith, that of a gay man. In our conversations, we all emphasized the importance of promoting tolerance, even in this brutal world of boxing.



♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time. EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 All photos other than those specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Impress Photo-Studios♔ and KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Blog-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

No Holds Barred: Luke Cummo on League of Assassins, and Safety in MMA‏


On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with the Long Island, New York-based martial artist and former MMA fighter Luke Cummo (http://teamlukey.blogspot.com).
We spoke with Luke Cummo by Skype Tuesday.
It would not do justice to the unique and highly passionate style and commentary used in the remarks of the always colorful and outspoken Luke Cummo merely to quote them. They have to be heard, read, and seen to be understood properly. He has already been posting online critiques of the violence and the dangers inherent in the sport which earned him much recognition: MMA. One of these is a video called "Against the Cage" (http://youtu.be/qbruO7ntLfQ).
He not only has vowed not to fight in MMA again, but is now starting a new, less violent martial arts event called, almost ironically, the League of Assassins. Their first show, open to all, will be held this Saturday afternoon, May 25, at Pride Fitness and MMA, which is located at 906 West Jericho Turnpike, Smithtown, New York, USA 11787 (http://www.pridefitnessandmma.com).
We spoke with Luke Cummo about his views on MMA, health and nutrition, the system where promoters profit from the fighters battling each other, fighter safety and injuries in MMA, the effect on children, the League of Assassins and its rules, and much, much more.


♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time. EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 All photos other than those specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Impress Photo-Studios♔ and KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Blog-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

No Holds Barred: Jeff Monson on MMA and May Day‏




On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again speaks with American Top Team MMA fighter and two-time ADCC champion Jeff Monson.

Jeff was originally scheduled to face Magomed Malikov on April 9 in the M-1 Heavyweight Grand Prix quarterfinals, but a pectoral muscle tear forced Jeff to undergo surgery and postpone that fight. He is recovering from this injury, and this fight is now scheduled to take place June 7 on the M-1 card in the Republic of Ingushetia, Russia.

We spoke with Jeff by phone Monday night about this fight, his career, why he is a self-described anarchist, and how he views the sport and business of MMA.

Our discussion took place right before May 1, or May Day, also marked around the world as International Workers' Day.

Asked what his May Day message would be to MMA fighters, Jeff replied, "My message would be solidarity. My message is, 'Be together.' We're all in this whether, like I said, whether you're trying to be a professional fighter or whether you're well-established or at the top of your game. It's the same sport. We're all in it together."

He also quoted the old saying associated with the IWW (Industrial Workers of the World), "'An injury to one is an injury to all.' And it really is."

We discussed numerous topics, including how this fight with Malikov may be "a classic grappler vs. striker match," why he likes M-1's new six-sided ring, how he has become a celebrity in Russia, his fascination with the country and people of Russia, the reaction to his politics, and the need for a fighters' union.

He also pointed out the "shameful" conditions facing MMA fighters, including no such union, no pension, no health insurance, no job security, no retirement, and often low pay, which is even less than boxers get, while they are still fighting. While the formation of a fighters' union is far from imminent, he stated, "It's going to happen," adding that more education of the fighters is needed and that he hopes to take an active role in this struggle.


♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time. EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 All photos other than those specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Impress Photo-Studios♔ and KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Blog-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

No Holds Barred: Jessica Aguilar Returns

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with American Top Team MMA fighter Jessica Aguilar (http://jessicaaguilar.com).
Widely regarded as the number one fighter in the world in the women's 115-pound division, Jessica Aguilar will be returning to action this Thursday, March 28, after a ten-month layoff. She will be facing Patricia Vidonic on a Bellator MMA card at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida. Right now this fight will just be streamed live on the Bellator web site, and may be shown on tape-delay on Spike TV.
This fight will be a rematch between Jessica Aguilar and Patricia Vidonic. They first fought on the Fight Time Promotions 8 card on February 17, 2012, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with Jessica Aguilar winning by unanimous decision. After that fight, Jessica Aguilar next faced Japanese star Megumi Fujii on the Bellator 69 card on May 18, 2012, in Lake Charles, Louisiana, with Jessica Aguilar again winning by unanimous decision.
We spoke with Jessica Aguilar by phone Sunday about her upcoming fight and her career as a fighter.
Speaking of the state of women's MMA, she said, "This is the best it's ever been." She noted, "It's taken off so much since I started. I remember that there only used to be one female fight on a card. Now there's a whole card of females."
We discussed her long layoff, what to expect in this fight with Patricia Vidonic, her desire to compete this year in the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship in late May (she is a purple belt), where she would like to fight, and her work in the anti-bullying organization Sweethearts and Heroes (http://sweetheartsandheroes.org). She also requested that we mention her shoutouts to: Sweethearts and Heroes, Garden of Life, Jawzz, Everlast, Donkeeboy, Boca Tanning Club, Mma2TheMax, Pro Fight, Onnit, Big Boys Moving, Jugular Energy Drink, Perfecting Athletes, American Top Team, and Paradigm Sports Management.

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time. EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

No Holds Barred: David Rowe on the Lamentable State of Sports Journalism‏



On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with David Rowe, a professor of cultural research at the University of Western Sydney in Australia (http://www.uws.edu.au/ics/people/researchers/david_rowe).
In February, he wrote an article, first for The Conversation and then republished by Play the Game, which has gained much attention around the world: "On scandal after scandal, sports journalists drop the ball" (http://www.playthegame.org/news/detailed/on-scandal-after-scandal-sports-journalists-drop-the-ball-5558.html).
In this article, he noted that while sport is rocked by numerous scandals, those who are supposed to be covering them, the sports journalists, "are looking more than a little dishevelled", and that most good investigative sports journalism "happens outside the mainstream institutional media". This should certainly be understood by those who are familiar with what tries to pass as "journalism" in the combat sports.
We spoke with David Rowe by Skype Wednesday (Tuesday New York time) about the many issues facing sports journalists and journalism.
He discussed in this interview what he called "a very basic question".
"What is a sports journalist? What is sports journalists for? What do they do? Now, I have a kind of old-fashioned idea of journalism as being about the Fourth Estate, that is, a watchdog on behalf of the citizenry, speaks truth to power, etc. That's what we expect of people who call themselves journalists. Now I guess if they want to call themselves something else, then that's OK, as long as they don't, I suppose, pretend to be journalists."
We discussed how sports journalists have dealt with such issues as the Lance Armstrong doping scandal and match-fixing. He said about their coverage, "Generally I'd have to say, that it's been pretty lamentable, but on the whole, with some distinguished exceptions", with many of these journalists acting like fans and getting too close to the sports organizations than they should.
We also discussed the many types of difficulties facing freelance sports journalists who do aspire to act as watchdogs on behalf of the public, how the main target of bad sports journalism has to be the big media companies which too often act as unofficial public relations agencies, the training of sports journalists, what fans can do to pressure the media, some positive signs with the emergence of a new generation of sports journalists, and much more.

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time. EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

No Holds Barred: A Lot of Numbers and a Lot of Trouble


On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman uses a lot of numbers to illustrate a lot of trouble in a lot of the combat sports.

Topics discussed include the exciting but brutal fight Saturday night between Timothy Bradley and Ruslan Provodnikov on the HBO boxing telecast and what it might do to each of these fighters; a main reason why Russian president Vladimir Putin is supporting reinstating wrestling on the Olympic program; a main reason why New York Governor Andrew Cuomo may be supporting the legalization of MMA in his state; what such a law would and would not mean for MMA and its fighters especially in terms of fighter rights; the declining ratings for the Robot Combat League's telecasts in the U.S.; and more.

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time. EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Bernard Hopkins Wins in a Walk

The Boxing Standard‏
Bernard Hopkins Wins in a Walk
By Eddie Goldman
(Photos By; Keisha Morrisey)
It must be strange to be one of Bernard Hopkins's opponents at the end of a twelve round fight. You're not hurt in any way. You've spent forty six minutes in the ring with a guy who's slow, who doesn't hit very hard, who doesn't give you much movement, and who looks to the referee for help even when no infraction against him has been committed. You're bigger and stronger than he is. You punch a lot harder. You look to be in better shape than Bernard, who, although a world class trainer, is beginning to have an old man body. But somehow you didn't do any of the things that you normally do in a fight, any of the things that you know you can do. You realize that you lost the fight; there's no sense of having been robbed by the judges. And so you wonder, “How did this old guy keep me from fighting my fight?”

Bernard Hopkins only needed to do four or five simple (okay, maybe not simple; no one else seems to know how to do them anymore) things to beat the programmed to do two things only robot Tavoris Cloud. It took Bernard exactly zero seconds to figure out what those things were. And since young fighters are brought to titles these days before they actually know how to fight, Hopkins had his new title in the bag the moment the bell rang.Here's what he did:  He kept Cloud off balance by walking to his (Hopkins's) right, while poking out the jab (which he didn't worry about landing). This allowed him a free right hand (which he was careful to land) all night long. He made sure to have the final slow word in every exchange, which made Cloud worry about exchanging, even though he wasn't getting hurt. He inveigled Cloud into a game of quid pro quo, inviting him to see who was the better fighter at the “you hit me, I hit you” game, which, since Hopkins is an accurate puncher, allowed him to barely have to throw any punches in order to win rounds.
Bernard Hopkins was allowed to lounge around in his living room all night. He might just as well have been wearing bedroom slippers. He's now within challenging range to Archie Moore as boxing's greatest ever near fifty year old.

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time. EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

No Holds Barred: Chris Thomas On Why Robot Combat League Is The Future of Combat Sports‏

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with our longtime colleague and correspondent Chris Thomas (http://www.facebook.com/mmafilms).
Based in Maryland, Chris has been involved both in MMA and traditional martial arts for many years in various capacities. He also is among those of us from the combat sports who are closely following the development of the new Robot Combat League (http://www.syfy.com/robotcombatleague), which had its debut show on Syfy in the U.S. Tuesday, February 26.
The Robot Combat League features 12 state-of-the-art robots engaged in a tournament where they fight each other. The robots are controlled by a human fighter known as a robo-jockey and an engineer known as a robo-tech. The first season of nine weekly episodes has already been filmed. Two of the 12 robo-jockeys, Andrew Montanez and Amanda Lucas, are professional MMA fighters.
The Nielsen ratings for the debut episode of the Robot Combat League showed it drew 1.351 million viewers, with just 1.143 million viewers for The Ultimate Fighter on FX on the same night but one hour earlier.
We spoke with Chris by phone Friday to discuss the significance of the Robot Combat League and review its first televised show.
"Coming out of the gate, Eddie, with drawing 1.35 million people on the debut night, it was pretty impressive," he said in this interview.
"It really gave a lot of people, I think, a glance at the future of combat sports. With the head injuries and the challenges of athletes getting bigger, stronger, and faster every single day, gosh, I can't say I hate to see it, but It could be the future of combat sports, these robots fighting with jockeys, so therefore there's no personal injury. Is it happening now? No. Do I hope it happens now? Not necessarily. But I sure did enjoy it."
We discussed what happened on this first episode, how apparently brains defeated brawn in the first televised fight, why we like the tournament format, what this sport might look like in the future, what improvements this show can make, and more.

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time. EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

No Holds Barred: Paul Paone on 2012 MMA World Expo



♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time. EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

No Holds Barred: King Mo Lawal


On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with "King" Mo Lawal.

"King" Mo, of course, has been in the news a lot recently. On Thursday, it was officially announced that he had signed a deal to fight in the Bellator Fighting Championships MMA company, where he will start fighting in their light heavyweight tournament scheduled for January 2013, as well as perform for the TNA pro "wrestling" company.

After a hectic day of interviews, meetings, and a media conference call, we caught up with "King" Mo right after his last appearance late Thursday night, May 10. We then hit some of New York's best night spots: Jimmy's Corner, owned by the legendary boxing trainer Jimmy Glenn, where he had a soft drink, and Ashford & Simpson's Sugar Bar, where he had a soft drink and dinner, along with our colleague and correspondent Keisha Morrisey and Darryl Satcher. Finally, at about 3 AM Friday, we sat down to record an interview.

"It's been a rollercoaster ride of a year, and now we're back to the top, top of the ride," said "King" Mo in this interview. He said that he will be training in TNA's developmental group with Al Snow. "Maybe some of the moves that he teaches from the catch wrestling I can apply to MMA," said Mo.

He also expressed support for Bellator's tournament format, where contenders first have to win an eight-man, three-month tournament to earn a title shot. "I feel the best way to find out is deserving of a title shot is through a tournament," he said.

We also discussed the issue of drug testing, about which he said he is open to any type of drug testing, already having been a resident athlete at the U.S. Olympic Training Center for many years, where state-of-the-art drug testing is done. And we discussed more on his participation in the Bellator light heavyweight tournament, his training for MMA while performing in TNA at the same time, his desire to return to the Sugar Bar and Jiimmy's Corner when he next visits New York, and more.

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time.EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Friday, May 4, 2012

The Boxing Standard; No Holds Barred: Charles Farrell on Mayweather-Cotto, the Consolation-Prize Fight

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

While our main topic was the Floyd Mayweather-Miguel Cotto fight scheduled for May 5 in Las Vegas, our lengthy discussion, which took place by phone Wednesday night, countered the mythology and general propaganda which are widely spread in what is laughingly called the boxing media.

Regarding this fight, likely to be the biggest boxing event of the year, Charles Farrell said, "It's a consolation-prize fight." While he did add, "It's a worthy fight," he elaborated on this theme: "But this isn't the fight that people want. I think it's the fight that we get in light of not being able to get the fight that people want."

We discussed what and who are real in boxing and who are not, including fighters and media, and what is the likeliest outcome of the Mayweather-Cotto fight. We examined the options for both fighters after this fight, especially if Mayweather wins as expected, and why the stigma of losing has prevented many fighters from facing riskier opponents than they often do. We also discussed the many controversial and even absurd verdicts of many boxing judges, how and why boxing especially in America continues to decline, and much 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.

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time.EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Nuts: The Agbeko-Mares Refereeing Disgrace; by Eddie Goldman

Nuts: The Agbeko-Mares Refereeing Disgrace
by Eddie Goldman

It was all supposed to be so sweet. TV network Showtime would get the best bantamweight boxers in the world in a tournament to fight each other and elevate the status of this oft-overlooked but talent-rich division.

It didn’t even hurt that much that Bob Arum’s Top Rank prevented Nonito Donaire and Fernando Montiel from participating, since agreeing to fight in this tournament were four other standouts: former IBF champion Joseph Agbeko, former 112- and 115-pound champion Vic Darchinyan, unbeaten Abner Mares, and then-unbeaten IBF champion Yonnhy Perez. Donaire did brutally knock out Montiel on HBO in a fight stopped late by a referee named Russell Mora.

The opening round of the Showtime tournament saw two exciting fights. Agbeko, who had lost a decision to Perez in October 2009, outboxed him in the rematch in December 2010 and took a unanimous decision. Mares, known more as a boxer, actually outslugged slugger Darchinyan the same night to win a split decision, although Darchinyan complained of numerous unpenalized low blows by Mares.

The finals between Agbeko and Mares, scheduled for April 23, 2011, did have to be postponed because Agbeko had fallen victim to a sciatica attack after a hellish flight from New York to Los Angeles. Even that couldn’t ruin this tournament, as Agbeko-Mares was rescheduled for August 13 in Las Vegas.

The dream, however, stopped with the opening bell. Mares landed at least three low blows in the first round without the referee, named Russell Mora, penalizing him. When the fighters got their feet tangled up late in the round and Agbeko slipped to the canvas, Mora ruled it a knockdown.

The low blows by Mares kept coming round after round, with nary a peep from Mora. The Showtime announcers, however, weren’t having it, and began tallying them, hitting at least ten by round 5. As this travesty proceeded, after Agbeko was hurt by another low blow in round 10, and again no points were deducted, the normally calm Al Bernstein said, “It’s an outrage. Good God!” He added that this was the worst job by a referee he had seen in 15 years.

Yet it got worse.

In round 11, Agbeko was winning in the first two minutes. Mares then landed his umpteenth low blow, and this time a grimacing Agbeko fell to the canvas. Mora, who was standing directly in line of sight of this latest low blow, surreally began counting a knockdown. Agbeko beat the count, but Mora’s officiating looked like it belonged on a WWE show and not in a boxing ring.

With no points deducted for what Showtime later said were at least 49 low blows, and with two improperly tallied knockdowns, Mares was able to win a majority decision. But the scores and the verdict were meaningless, as virtually everyone who saw this disgrace, including the originally pro-Mares crowd, was appalled.

After the fight, Showtime’s Jim Gray interviewed Mora. “You just raised the arm of Abner Mares,” said Gray. “The question is, ‘Would he have won without your help?’” Mora insisted all of Mares’s punches were legal. They then showed him a replay of the second “knockdown,” yet still Mora refused to admit anything.

When something like this happens in boxing, there generally are two explanations: incompetence or corruption. Right now the motives of Mora are not known, even though he was obviously biased in favor of the Mexican Mares, who is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, and against the Ghanaian Agbeko, who is promoted by Don King Productions.

What needs to be done is for the Nevada commission to nullify the scores and rule the fight a “no decision”. Mora should be investigated and suspended, just as the New Jersey commission suspended the three judges in the Erislandy Lara-Paul Williams fight which went to Williams when Lara clearly deserved the nod. As of this writing, however, Nevada commission executive director Keith Kizer is refusing to take any of these actions.

While protests are being filed, including by the Ghana Boxing Authority, the larger question is what damage was done not only to Agbeko’s groin, but to whatever minuscule credibility boxing still has as a sport.

The people in charge of it appear readier to protect those involved in whatever led to this larceny, even if it means destroying what remains of the sport and business of boxing. And that, just like Mares’s preferred target, is nuts.

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time.EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite★ Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Monday, July 11, 2011

No Holds Barred: M-1 Hits A Home Run, Boxing Strikes Out, ADCC and Catch Wrestling On Deck


No Holds Barred: M-1 Hits A Home Run, Boxing Strikes Out, ADCC and Catch Wrestling On Deck

http://nhbnews.podomatic.com/entry/2011-07-11T03_00_36-07_00

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the main lessons of the three main combat sports shows televised this weekend in the U.S.

The best of the three was the M-1 Challenge XXVI mixed martial arts card, which took place Friday, July 8, at The Hangar in Costa Mesa, California, and was telecast live on Showtime. In the main event, heavyweight M-1 contender Kenny "Deuce" Garner won by a second-round KO over Pat Bennett. In the co-main event of this card, which had five fights televised, Arthur Guseinov knocked out Tyson Jeffries with a picture-perfect spinning back fist in the first round of their middleweight fight.

The next best show was also on Showtime, but featured boxing. On Saturday, July 9, from Carson, California, Brandon Rios retained his WBA lightweight title with a third-round stoppage of Urbano Antillon in an all-out battle. Also, Carlos Molina upset Kermit Cintron, winning a clear-cut, 10-round unanimous decision in their junior middleweight bout.

The biggest disgrace occurred on the HBO-televised boxing card from Atlantic City, New Jersey, also on July 9. Junior middleweight Paul Williams was given a majority decision victory over Erislandy Lara in a fight which virtually no one except two of the judges thought Williams had won.

We thus discuss the significance of these three shows.

We also comment on some recent developments in grappling, including plans for the 2011 ADCC Submission Fighting World Championships, which take place September 24-25 in Nottingham, England, and the attempts to revive catch-as-catch-can wrestling as a real sport.

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time.EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

No Holds Barred: Floyd Mayweather, Richard Schaefer, Keisha Morrisey

No Holds Barred: Floyd Mayweather, Richard Schaefer, Keisha Morrisey

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses some of the latest downs and ups in the world of boxing, and reports from the Floyd Mayweather-Victor Ortiz news conference in New York, which took place Tuesday, June 28.



After a 16-month hiatus from the ring, the unbeaten Mayweather will
return on September 17 against the WBC welterweight champion Ortiz in
a fight in Las Vegas and on HBO Pay-Per-View. Both fighters have also
agreed to undergo Olympic-style drug-testing administered by the U.S.
Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), including random, unannounced blood and
urine testing.

We spoke with Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, about
the issue of drug-testing and the importance of this fight. We also got
some comments from Floyd Mayweather on drug-testing, which may
surprise some people, as well as on this fight.

After the news conference, we sat down with our correspondent and
colleague Keisha Morrisey, who also covered the news conference, to
discuss the Mayweather-Ortiz fight, the problems in the marketing of
boxing, the latest hometown decisions in boxing, and more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred at
http://nhbnews.podomatic.com/entry/2011-06-28T17_41_54-07_00.

(All photos by; Keisha Morrisey)

♔EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess♔, See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time.EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress & MMA Princess" Keisha Morrisey, for ♔Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios♔, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and ★Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

No Holds Barred: Boricua Invasion Boxing Comes to New York, But Not MMA‏

No Holds Barred: Boricua Invasion Boxing Comes to New York, But Not MMA;
http://nhbnews.podomatic.com/entry/2011-06-09T06_55_18-07_00

On this audio edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with boxers Luis Del Valle and Dat Nguyen, who headline the Boricua Invasion card on Saturday, June 11, and also analyzes the stalling of legislation to re-legalize mixed martial arts in New York.

Boricua Invasion I and II take place Friday, June 10, and Saturday, June 11, both at Roseland Ballroom in New York. Boricua Invasion I will be televised on ESPN2 Friday Night Fights, while Boricua Invasion II will be televised on Showtime.

In the main event of Boricua Invasion II, Luis Del Valle (12-0, 10 KOs), originally from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, will face Dat Nguyen (17-1, 6 KOs), originally from Vietnam, in a 10-round featherweight bout. We spoke with both of them at the prefight news conference in New York on Wednesday. We discussed the importance of boxing to Puerto Ricans, their careers and goals, and what to expect Saturday night.
While this innovative pair of boxing cards on successive nights and on two television networks is moving forward, legislation to re-legalize mixed martial arts in New York appears less than likely to pass before the legislature adjourns on June 20. We discuss some of the reasons why, including the negative image of gambling casinos and those associated with them in New York and the stubbornness of the near-omnipotent 67-year-old Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, and how supporters of MMA must continue this battle.















EL Boxing Empress See you at the Fights and Thank You for your time.EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Keishamorrisey ©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 All photos other than specified by "EL Boxing Empress" Keisha Morrisey- Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios, KCKMT for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved

Sunday, May 16, 2010

No Holds Barred: Keisha Morrisey and Bob Carson Critique Strikeforce
and HBO Boxing, and Analyze Shine Fights Cancellation

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman had a late
night discussion with two of our correspondents, Keisha Morrisey
(http://www.bloodlineboxing.blogspot.com) and Bob Carson (http://
carsonscorner.podomatic.com), about the fight festivities from
Saturday night, May 15. Right after these shows concluded, we spoke
about the Strikeforce card from St. Louis shown on Showtime, the HBO
boxing card from New York headlined by the Amir Khan-Paulie Malignaggi
fight, and the cancellation of the Shine Fights mixed martial arts
card which was supposed to feature former champion boxer Ricardo
Mayorga against mixed martial arts veteran Din Thomas.

Who is chiefly to blame for the cancellation of the Shine Fights card
following an injunction granted to Don King against this card because
of a claim that his company has exclusive rights to promote the fights
of Mayorga? Which card was better between the Strikeforce-Showtime
card and the HBO boxing card? Will Strikeforce heavyweight champion
Alistair Overeem, who stopped Brett Rogers in the first round of their
fight Saturday, ever fight top heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko? Should
fighters in mixed martial arts and boxing insist on drug testing based
on the protocols of the World Anti-Doping Agency? What do we think of
the various athletic commissions, which use different tests if any at
all? Are fighters with steroid-laden bodies effective or even sexy?
What is next for Strikeforce? How impressive was Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
great Roger Gracie, who submitted Kevin Randleman in the second round
of their fight with a rear naked choke, in his Strikeforce and
American debut? Why is the promotion of boxing to the public so awful?

These and other key questions are answered in our discussion, which is
almost like hanging out after the fights and chatting with our trio of
combat sports aficionados.

You can play or download No Holds Barred at
http://nhbnews.podOmatic.com/entry/2010-05-16T03_38_28-07_00.

See you at the Fights.
Thank You for your time.

EL Boxing Empress Online @ Twitter http://www.twitter.com/KeishamorriseyEL Boxing Empress;

Keisha Morrisey's Myspace http://www.myspace.com/Keishadivine

Honorable Keisha Morrisey http://www.keishamorrisey.com

©®™ 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 All photos by "EL Boxing Empress" Keisha Morrisey- Empire Morrisey Photo-Studios, Khris Kirkpatrick for Bloodline Boxing Communications Entertainment and Starlite Boxing's Sweetscience Magnews-Online Publication all rights reserved