No Holds Barred: Frank Lotierzo on Manny Pacquiao Triumphant

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with the noted boxing writer and historian and former fighter, Frank Lotierzo, about the dominant 11th-round TKO victory by Manny Pacquiao over Miguel Cotto November 14 in Las Vegas.

In an in-depth discussion, we analyze the fight itself, the brilliant use of boxing technique by Manny Pacquiao, the place of Pacquiao in boxing history, the potential for a fight between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. next year, how the careers of Pacquiao and Mayweather compare, and much more. This is another meaty discussion for fight fans and aficionados, and you do not want to miss it, right here on No Holds Barred.

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:

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

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/.

GRACIEMAG, the most reliable source of information on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. GRACIEMAG represents Jiu-Jitsu philosophy and features news, profiles, history, photos, videos, and tips and secrets of the mother of all martial arts. Published since 1996 in Brazil, GRACIEMAG: The Jiu-Jitsu Lifestyle, is in both English and Portuguese, and is also online at GRACIEMAG.com.

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

No Holds Barred: A Different Kind of Pacquiao-Cotto Preview

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman presents a preview of the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto welterweight title fight, which takes place Saturday, November 14, in Las Vegas, and will be televised around the world, including on HBO pay-per-view in the U.S.

This is a different kind of preview, however, from that offered almost everywhere else, in that we do not limit ourselves to the question of which fighter stands the best chance of winning this fight in the ring.

We open by noting the damage suffered by the sport of boxing as a whole by placing such major fights on pay-per-view. We play an excerpt of a media conference call held prior to the November 7 Fedor Emelianenko-Brett Rogers mixed martial arts fight, which was telecast live in the U.S. on CBS and was viewed in 5.46 million households, with Kelly Kahl, Senior Executive Vice President, CBS Primetime. He opined why boxing is no longer on network television in the U.S., and why MMA is.

We next play an excerpt from the November 8 edition of The Boxing Truth Radio, hosted by Ricardo Lois and John Chavez, where Eddie Goldman explained the global economic, political, and social factors which work in Pacquiao's favor. This type of analysis is essential to understanding the historical context in which this fight is taking place, and also what factors other than who deserves to win might play a role in the outcome of the fight.

In the longest segment on this edition of No Holds Barred, we discuss this fight with our correspondent, the award-winning boxing writer Charles Farrell. He is of the opinion that Cotto has the best chance of legitimately winning this fight. Cotto, he argues, unlike Pacquiao, is a true welterweight whose power and size should have him prevail. He also dismisses Pacquiao's dominant wins over Ricky Hatton and Oscar De La Hoya as victories over shot fighters, which the 28-year-old Cotto is far from being.

We discuss these views, as well as the opposing arguments which favor Pacquiao, regarding both his skills and power as a fighter and the advantages he has with the boxing establishment. While Charles is fairly certain that Cotto will win, Eddie is not, so various possible scenarios for this fight are outlined.

We also discuss what possible fights lie ahead for both men, including the likelihood of the winner facing Floyd Mayweather Jr. and these next fights taking place in a major league baseball stadium. And we explain why we have no problem with people watching this fight for free online, even on so-called pirate streams. But we all agree that whichever fighter wins Saturday night, the real winner will be promoter Bob Arum, who promotes both men.

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:

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

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/.

GRACIEMAG, the most reliable source of information on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. GRACIEMAG represents Jiu-Jitsu philosophy and features news, profiles, history, photos, videos, and tips and secrets of the mother of all martial arts. Published since 1996 in Brazil, GRACIEMAG: The Jiu-Jitsu Lifestyle, is in both English and Portuguese, and is also online at GRACIEMAG.com.

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

No Holds Barred: Charles Farrell Deconstructs Haye-Valuev

On this edition of No Holds Barred, the first of two back-to-back shows, host Eddie Goldman speaks with our correspondent Charles Farrell about the most important boxing event of this weekend, where the former cruiserweight world champion David Haye captured the WBA heavyweight title from Nikolai Valuev in Nuremburg, Germany, Saturday, November 7.

Haye won this bout with a majority decision, but this fight was so dreadful and had such little action that during it, Sky Sports announcer and former lightweight world champion Jim Watt wondered, "Do you score the round on one punch?"

We thus deconstruct this fight with Charles Farrell, and bemoan not only what so much of heavyweight boxing has become, but also cast doubt on much of what was said regarding this fight. We discuss why Haye chose such a defensive game plan, why Haye was able to win a relatively close decision in Germany where so many fighters have been robbed, the likelihood of Haye now fighting one of the Klitschkos, the presentation of the fight in the arena, the significance of holding such a fight in Nuremburg, the superiority of the announcing on Sky Sports compared to that on the American networks, how Haye has shrewdly positioned himself in the heavyweight division, the return of John Ruiz, why the boxing establishment has had enough of Valuev, and much more.

You will not hear this type of brutally frank analysis elsewhere, so make sure to check out this edition of No Holds Barred.

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:

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

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/.

GRACIEMAG, the most reliable source of information on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. GRACIEMAG represents Jiu-Jitsu philosophy and features news, profiles, history, photos, videos, and tips and secrets of the mother of all martial arts. Published since 1996 in Brazil, GRACIEMAG: The Jiu-Jitsu Lifestyle, is in both English and Portuguese, and is also online at GRACIEMAG.com.

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

No Holds Barred: Charles Farrell Reviews Abraham-Taylor, Froch-Dirrell, and Rachael Cordingley

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with our colleague and correspondent Charles Farrell, the award-winning boxing writer and fight manager, about the somewhat disappointing first round of fights in the super middleweight tournament known as the World Boxing Classic, held Saturday, October 17.

In those fights, undefeated former middleweight titleholder Arthur Abraham (31-0, 25 KOs) won with a brutal twelfth-round knockout of former undisputed middleweight world champion Jermain Taylor (28-4-1, 17 KOs) at the O2 World Arena in Berlin, Germany, while WBC champion Carl Froch (26-0, 20 KOs) won an ugly split decision over previously unbeaten Andre Dirrell (18-1, 13 KOs) at the Trent FM Arena in Nottingham, England.

We discussed these fights themselves; why Abraham emerged as the clear winner of all the fighters Saturday night; why the devastating knockout of Taylor, the third in his last five fights, should signal the end of his career as a boxer; how both Froch and Dirrell gave dismal performances, and the supposed controversy over the outcome of their fight; an evaluation of the next fight in this tournament, when Mikkel Kessler faces Andre Ward November 21 in Oakland, Calif., as well as the second and third rounds of this tournament; why, despite its less-than-inspiring start, the tournament could still be successful; how potential dropouts in the tournament could endanger it; why so many people remain so cynical and negative about everything in boxing, as happens in the last stages of a dying romantic relationship; and why so much of the boxing public is instead talking about Carl Froch's girlfriend, Rachael Cordingley.

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:

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

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/.

MMA World Expo, an event designed for the mixed martial arts community offering hands-on instruction from professional trainers and athletes, educational sessions with the who's who of the MMA world, and an exhibit hall filled with the industry's top suppliers and services. MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, October 24th, and Sunday, October 25th, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

GRACIEMAG, the most reliable source of information on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. GRACIEMAG represents Jiu-Jitsu philosophy and features news, profiles, history, photos, videos, and tips and secrets of the mother of all martial arts. Published since 1996 in Brazil, GRACIEMAG: The Jiu-Jitsu Lifestyle, is in both English and Portuguese, and is also online at GRACIEMAG.com.

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.

No Holds Barred: Charles Farrell and Frank Lotierzo on Diaz-Malignaggi Robbery, and What It Means for Boxing

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with our colleague and correspondent Charles Farrell, and veteran boxing journalist and former fighter Frank Lotierzo.

We start by analyzing the August 22 junior welterweight fight between Paulie Malignaggi and Juan Diaz, won by Diaz by a unanimous decision which most observers have described as being unfair at best and a robbery at worst. Then, in a lengthy and lively discussion, we proceed to examine the repercussions of this hotly disputed decision for the sport of boxing, try to assess just how much damage it has caused to this already declining sport, and consider what, if anything, can be done to restore some credibility to boxing. Plus, we also discuss the rivalry between boxing and mixed martial arts. This is an unbiased and brutally frank discussion at the highest level, so make sure to check it out in its entirety.

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.

You can also order tickets for the 2009 ADCC World Championship, which will be held September 26-27 in Barcelona, Spain, through Ticketmaster.

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/.

GRACIEMAG, the most reliable source of information on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. GRACIEMAG represents Jiu-Jitsu philosophy and features news, profiles, history, photos, videos, and tips and secrets of the mother of all martial arts. Published since 1996 in Brazil, GRACIEMAG: The Jiu-Jitsu Lifestyle, is in both English and Portuguese, and is also online at GRACIEMAG.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.

No Holds Barred: Johnny Bos on the Cruel Business of Boxing

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with the legendary fight agent and boxing personality, Johnny Bos.

There are few if any people alive who know more about boxing than Johnny Bos. But instead of prospering from that knowledge and wisdom, last year Johnny Bos, the quintessential New Yorker, had to leave this faded but still sometimes active center of boxing for a town not known for being a pugilistic capital: Clearwater, Florida. The main reason was that he could no longer find work in this alleged sport.

Johnny's fortunes in boxing seemed to head swiftly downhill after an incident whose consequences, ironically, brought him back to the Big Apple this week. His fighter, former world champion Joey Gamache, was slated to fight the late Arturo Gatti in Madison Square Garden Feb. 26, 2000. At the weigh-in the day before, however, Bos and many others said that Gatti hopped on and off the scale without making the contracted weight of 141 pounds. While he objected to this, officials from the New York State Athletic Commission declared that Gatti had indeed made weight, and that the fight was on.

Gatti, who reportedly weighed 160 pounds on an unofficial HBO scale the day of the bout, proceeded to score a brutal second-round knockout. Gamache had to be taken to a hospital after it, nearly died there that night, and suffers from permanent brain damage. His career, of course, was over, although he does still train fighters.

Gamache then sued the New York State Athletic Commission for negligence for allegedly permitting Gatti to fight well over the contracted weight. After years of legal wrangling, that case was finally heard this past week, and this was why Johnny Bos returned to New York, in an unusual role as a witness on behalf of Joey Gamache.

We had a chance while he was still in New York, and after the trial itself was over, to speak with Johnny Bos. (A verdict by the trial judge is expected in several months.)

In our lengthy discussion, Johnny explained what went on at this botched weigh-in, how it affected the Gatti-Gamache fight, and what it all indicated about the quality of the regulation of boxing. He also gave us some ideas on what major changes are needed in boxing, and just who may be starting to make them. And, as always, he did so in a style and tone reflective of the long gone glory days of boxing in America.

So join us on this edition of No Holds Barred for a rare behind-the-scenes look at what really goes on in the world of boxing.

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.

Vin Vecchione

Vecchione may have been the funniest man I ever met. Before I knew him well, I asked him what he’d done for a living before he got into boxing.

“Chaales, I done some things for some guys.”

Once at a club show in Whitman, Massachusetts where we were both getting first round wins for our fighters, Vinnie approached me and, in the surprisingly formal way he had, drew me aside.

“Jesus, what a fucked up life I live,” he said. “Other guys, they go to a bar or a nightclub and try to pick up girls and have some fun. Me, I spend my time lookin’ for big, well-built white guys.”

He’d call me up in the middle of the night. If the phone rang at 3:00 AM, it was likely to be Vin.

One night, very late:

“Chaales, I just seen a TV special about Huey Long.”

“I know, Vin. Every man a king, but no man wears a crown.”

“You don’t think they’d let a guy like that stick around, do ya? See ya.” The line went dead.

We flew to NYC to meet with Al Braverman to set up the Peter McNeeley fight with Mike Tyson. Over the course of a long, funny, afternoon at Al’s antique shop, we put the whole improbable thing in motion—bribes, kickbacks, and all.

I moved to Puerto Rico before the Tyson-McNeeley fight. A couple of weeks before the fight, there was a message on my answering machine.

“Help,” Vin sang to the tune of the Beatles song. “I need somebody. Help. Not just anybody. Help. I need a friend.”

Before this, I’d lent Vin money, brought McNeeley to North Carolina to get wins, and spent hours and hours and hours laughing at everything Vecchione would say.

“You know me. Wouldn’t you say I’m pretty cute?”

When asked why he pulled McNeeley out of the Tyson fight at the 89 second mark:

“I’m saving the kid for bigger things.”

On driving cars from Massachusetts to the marshes of New Jersey for the wiseguys:

“Chaales, sometimes I had the feeling that maybe I wasn’t the only guy in them cahs.”

Or:

“After all, he’s just and Indian.”

This last was Ron Katz’s idiotic reason why Vinnie should accept a suicidal small money fight for Peter McNeeley against the genuinely dangerous Joe Hipp.

It became our code phrase for why one of our fighters should take an impossible fight for no money against a risky opponent.

‘Take the fight. After all, he’s just an Indian.”

People in the boxing business told me that Vecchione was a hustler who would take advantage of me because I was a relative newcomer.

After the Tyson fight, Vin came up to me at one of his shows and tucked an envelope into my jacket pocket. I hadn’t asked for my money back because I knew I wouldn’t have to. What was in the envelope paid for my son’s first year at college.

When McNeeley was fighting on the road with my fighters, Vin would say, “You get up in the ring with him and do the interview.”

“I hate doing interviews. You do it.”

“No, with your big words and your nice suit and your Hahvad education, it’s better if people see Peter standing with you.”

I’d tell him that I’d never graduated junior high school.

“That don’t matter. You know what I’m talkin’ about. Don’t get fresh.”

But he was one of the guys I’ve met along the way who was smarter than I was.

I’d moved out of his orbit and I hadn’t seen him in a few years. I fucking hate it that he’s dead.