No Holds Barred: Gary Shaw, EliteXC, Ryan Schultz, Ryan McGivern, Vazquez-Marquez Trilogy, De La Hoya-Forbes‏

No Holds Barred: Gary Shaw, EliteXC, Ryan Schultz, Ryan McGivern, Vazquez-Marquez Trilogy, De La Hoya-Forbes

http://nhbnews.podOmatic.com/entry/eg/2008-05-02T02_32_36-07_00

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman begins by commenting on what is really behind the Oscar De La Hoya-Steve Forbes fight this Saturday, May 3, and why fight fans should not miss the replay of the Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez trilogy on Showtime, also this Saturday, which were the best boxing matches of the past two years. We also discuss the comments by CBS chairman Sumner Redstone that it was not "socially responsible" for CBS to decide to air the May 31 EliteXC mixed martial arts show on that broadcast network.



On our show, we spoke with Gary Shaw, the president of EliteXC's Live Events division, and president and CEO of Gary Shaw Productions, his boxing promotional company.

In a lengthy discussion, we talked about the mixed martial arts and boxing events in which he is involved. We previewed the EliteXC show coming Saturday, May 31, to the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, which will be telecast in the U.S. live on CBS beginning at 9 PM EDT, the first major mixed martial arts show on a major American broadcast network in prime time. We discussed the amazing trilogy between Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez, which he promoted, and the possibility of a fourth fight; the Kimbo Slice phenomenon and why he is in the EliteXC May 31 main event; the rest of the May 31 card including EliteXC middleweight champion Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith and the return of Gina Carano; the inclusion on the May 31 undercard of Carlton Haselrig, the only six-time NCAA college wrestling champion and a star lineman with the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets; his May 17 boxing card featuring unbeaten rising stars James Kirkland, Yuriorkis Gamboa, and Alfredo Angulo, in Primm, Nevada, and on HBO; and the June 7 boxing card featuring Vernon Forrest vs. Sergio Mora and the rematch between Carlos Quintana and Paul Williams, from Mohegan Sun and on Showtime.

We also spoke with IFL lightweight champion Ryan Schultz and IFL middleweight champion Ryan McGivern about their upcoming title defenses Friday, May 16, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. In a dangerous fight, Schultz faces submission specialist Deividas Taurosevicius, while McGivern, in his first title defense, fights the tough Dan Miller.

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Make sure to check out my regular articles on the ADCC News at http://www.adcombat.com and on FightBeat.com at http://fightbeat.com.

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

YAMMA Pit Fighting (http://yammapitfighting.com). The producers of the original UFC and Live Nation (http://livenation.com/), worldwide leaders in live entertainment, present YAMMA Pit Fighting mixed martial arts. On the streets, it's against the law. In the pit, it IS the law.

IFL, the International Fight League (http://ifl.tv/), the world's first professional mixed martial arts league. Make sure to check out their regular TV shows on FSN (Fox Sports Net) (http://msn.foxsports.com/story/1636002) in the U.S., and to check your local listings for dates and times. Check out the IFL web site (http://ifl.tv/), for a listing of IFL live events and their TV schedule, at http://ifl.tv/TV-Schedule.html.

Gladiator Challenge (http://gladiatorchallenge.com/), 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 (http://gladiatorchallenge.com/).

BJJMart.com (http://bjjmart.com), your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

Gladiator Magazine (http://gladmag.com/), 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 (http://bjjmart.com) or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear (http://jiujitsuprogear.com/).

FightBeat.com (http://fightbeat.com/), for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.

Thanks, Eddie Goldman

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EliteXC Heavyweight Sensation, Kimbo Slice, Will Headline an Exciting Night of Mixed Martial Arts

THE FIRST "CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS" TO BE BROADCAST LIVE ON SATURDAY, MAY 31, ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK

Middleweight Champion "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler will Defend His Title Against Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith

LOS ANGELES— CBS and ProElite, Inc. today announced that the first live prime time mixed martial arts event will be broadcast Saturday, May 31 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS will be broadcast live from the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

"We're excited to introduce broadcast television viewers to America's fastest growing sport with this prime time event," said Kelly Kahl, Senior Executive Vice President, CBS Primetime. "EliteXC is putting together a lineup card that showcases the unique personalities, world-class athleticism, and raw power and emotion that characterizes mixed martial arts."

Champion "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler will put his title on the line against Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith in a middleweight championship bout. EliteXC heavyweight phenom, Kimbo Slice, will also participate in the May 31 event along with other stars from mixed martial arts. Additional matchups will be announced at a later date.

PHOTO COURTESY TOM CASINO SHOWTIME NETWORKS; Vernon Forrest and Kimbo Slice


"I am very happy for the highly trained fighters, who will finally get the kind of exposure they deserve, and, of course, the viewers, who will get the opportunity to learn that MMA is truly a sport that requires an abundance of skills, both mentally and physically," said Gary Shaw, EliteXC Live Events President.

CBS and ProElite, Inc., a Los Angeles-based leading entertainment and media company that produces world class mixed martial arts (MMA) events, announced last month they were teaming up to bring MMA to a major broadcast television network for the first time. CBS will broadcast four MMA events per year, produced by ProElite's live fight division, EliteXC, as two-hour live primetime specials.

Mixed martial arts is a sport evolved from a number of ancient combat disciplines including judo, jiu-jitsu, karate, wrestling and kickboxing. World-class athletes engage in hand-to-hand combat in a ring — both caged and traditional — and must adapt their fighting style to fit their opponent. The wide variety of styles and techniques make every event an unpredictable spectacle.

CBS ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS will be produced by SHOWTIME Sports. The executive producer is David Dinkins, Jr. with Bob Dunphy directing.

For additional information visit www.proelite.com

TARVER CALLS OUT DAWSON AFTER BOTH ARE VICTORIOUS

Photos: TOM CASINO/SHOWTIME


TAMPA, Fla. Antonio Tarver registered a unanimous 12-round decision over defending champion Clinton Woods to capture the International Boxing Federation (IBF) light heavyweight crown and World Boxing Council (WBC) 175-pound kingpin Chad Dawson remained undefeated with a thrilling, hard-fought 12-round decision over hard-luck Glen Johnson Saturday on SHOWTIME.

Former undisputed light heavy champ Antonio Tarver had his way against defending champion Clinton Woods, winning a lopsided 12-round decision and the IBF 175-pound title.

The world championship doubleheader, billed as “TNT: Title Night in Tampa,” took place at the St. Pete Times Forum and was promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, LLC, and AT Entertainment in association with Fight Academy. A crowd-pleasing event aired on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).

Tampa’s Tarver (27-4, 19 KOs), a former undisputed light heavy champion and reigning International Boxing Organization (IBO) titleholder, mostly dominated en route to winning by the scores of 119-109, 117-111 and 116-112. There were no knockdowns.



“It’s all about the belts; I’m looking for all the belt-holders,’’ Tarver said. “He was a tough, gritty fighter but I came into this in great shape. I took some and got some (punches) but the best man won tonight. I’m not surprised by anything that went on in there.

“A lot of credit for my performance goes to my trainer, Jimmy Williams, who never let me give up or get down on myself. Jimmy is one of the all-time great teachers and absolutely definitely should be in the Hall of Fame."

Tarver, who called out Dawson at the post-fight press conference – Shaw said a unification world title fight could take place in the fall -- wasn’t impressed with Dawson’s performance in the telecast’s opening bout.

“Chad Dawson would be easy pickings now,’’ Tarver said. “He’s not the fighter now that he was before his fight. He’s a wounded duck.

“Dawson took a lot of hard hits against Johnson, but there is a difference between getting hit by Glen Johnson and getting hit by me.’’

There was an electric atmosphere inside the jam-packed room where the weigh-in took place.



Woods (41-4-1, 24 KOs), of Sheffield, England, could not find his range or rhythm for much of the 36 minutes.

Tarver and Woods Weigh In


“I fought the best light heavyweight in the world tonight,’’ said Woods, who was making the fifth defense of the crown he won in March 2005. “I don’t know if it is my time to retire or not."

Dawson (26-0, 17 KOs), of New Haven, Conn., wanted a tough test and he got it.

In a tremendous slugfest that featured non-stop, two-way action, Chad Dawson remained unbeaten and retained his WBC light heavyweight title with a close, hard-fought unanimous 12-round decision over Glen Johnson Saturday on SHOWTIME.


“Johnson is a warrior and we trained for that,’’ Dawson said after winning the fight of the night by the scores of 116-112 on all the scorecards. “We worked on stepping around and boxing him in training and we did that, too.



“I executed my game plan and landed more punches. Glen is a great fighter. He caught me with some good shots but I did my job and took them."

There were no knockdowns in a non-stop slugfest with constant two-way action, but both boxers were rocked on several occasions.

Johnson (47-12-2, 37 KOs), of Miami, by way of Jamaica, owns wins over Tarver, Woods and Roy Jones Jr., but almost is as well known for coming up on the wrong end of close, unpopular decisions.

Tarver and Woods Weigh In


Such was the case again Saturday. “The decision was total bull,’’ Johnson said. “Dawson is a good, young fighter with a great future, but I really worked hard for this fight and definitely feel I won it.

Dawson vs Johnson Weigh In


‘I can’t afford to keep losing these kinds of fights at this stage of my career. I wish I knew why these kinds of bad decision keep going against me.

“This loss hurts me more than any other in my career. I would love a rematch.’’

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING’s Steve Albert and Al Bernstein called the action from ringside with Karyn Bryant serving as special correspondent. The executive producer of the SHOWTIME telecast was David Dinkins Jr. with Bob Dunphy directing.

Saturday’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING fight card will re-air as follows:

DAY CHANNEL

Monday, April 14 at 8 p.m. ET/PT SHO EXTREME

Tuesday, April 15, at 9 p.m. ET/PT SHOWTIME TOO

Wednesday, April 16, 10 p.m. ET/PT SHOWTIME


For more information on SHOWTIME Sports, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video, photo galleries and complete telecast information, please visit http://www.SHO.com/Sports.

About Showtime Networks Inc.
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL® XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL® ON DEMAND. SNI is also an owner and manager of SUNDANCE CHANNEL®, a venture of NBC Universal, Robert Redford and SNI. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.

Kimbo Slice, who headlines the EliteXC mixed martial arts fight card on Saturday, May 31, on CBS, and WBC super welterweight champion Vernon Forrest, who looks to defend his title against Sergio Mora on Saturday, June 7, on SHOWTIME, pose together at Saturday night’s light heavyweight world championship doubleheader in Tampa.

Photos: TOM CASINO/SHOWTIME



The always entertaining Kimbo was interviewed by Al Bernstein during Saturday’s telecast. You can catch the interview during a replay of the thrilling SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecasts, which featured a war between WBC Champ” Bad" Chad Dawson and Glen Johnson as well as a flashy performance by the always entertaining Antonio Tarver against IBF champion Clinton Woods.

Replay schedule:
Tuesday, April 15, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME TOO;
Wednesday, April 16 at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME.

The telecast is also available On Demand starting this Tuesday and ending on Monday, May 12 where available.