No Holds Barred: Deontay Wilder, Artur Szpilka, Post-Klitschko Era Heavyweights

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the first big fight of 2016, the January 16 heavyweight title fight between WBC champ Deontay Wilder (35-0, 34 KOs) and Artur Szpilka (20-1, 15 KOs). Also discussed is the volatile state of the heavyweight division following Wladmir Klitschko's loss to Tyson Fury, and who may emerge as the universally regarded best heavyweight.

The Deontay Wilder-Artur Szpilka fight will be held Saturday, January 16, 2016, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and will be telecast live in the U.S. on Showtime. We spoke with Deontay Wilder and Artur Szpilka on a recent media conference call.

We also discuss the dangers of head trauma and doping in boxing, the importance of the role played by VADA (Voluntary Anti-Doping Association), the mixed results for the first year of the Premier Boxing Champions in 2015, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web, at http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/no-holds-barred-with-eddie-goldman.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player for iOS is available for free on the App Store.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

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

Gracie Tournaments, featuring regional, national, and world competitions in submission-only Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. For more information, go to GracieWorlds.com.

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No Holds Barred: Marv Albert, Sugar Ray Leonard, and BJ Flores on the Heavyweights and Wilder-Duhaupas

(Photo of Deontay Wilder and Johann Duhaupas from Lucas Noonan/Premier Boxing Champions.)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Marv Albert, Sugar Ray Leonard, and BJ Flores, who will be the announcers on the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on NBC telecast this Saturday, September 26.

In the main event of that show, WBC heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder (34-0, 33 KOs) faces Johann Duhaupas (32-2, 20 KOs) of France. This will be shown live in the U.S. in primetime on the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on NBC telecast from the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama, Wilder's home state.

NBC's promotion of this show has received much criticism, as their press material claims that this is "the first heavyweight title bout in primetime on NBC since May 20, 1985, when another undefeated American heavyweight champion, Larry Holmes, defended his title against Carl Williams in Reno, Nevada. Albert, who will handle blow-by-blow on Saturday, called the fight."

It is well-known that the real top heavyweight in the world today is Wladimir Klitschko, who holds virtually every other belt except the WBC one, which was until recently held by his brother, Vitali, who is now retired as a boxer, and that Wladimir has been undefeated in over 11 years.

Thus, we present an excerpt from a media conference call of Tuesday, September 22, on which we discussed with Marv Albert, Sugar Ray Leonard, and BJ Flores the role of nationalism in promoting fighters, the state of the heavyweight division, and more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web, at http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/no-holds-barred-with-eddie-goldman.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player for iOS is available for free on the App Store.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

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

MMA World Expo. The mixed martial arts community comes to New York City December 12 and 13, 2015, for the sixth annual MMA World Expo, featuring two days of the Renzo Gracie Open 2015 no-gi and gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, catch wrestling competition, and much more. The MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, December 12, and Sunday, December 13, 2015, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

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 AmericanTopTeam.com.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.com.

Gracie Tournaments, featuring regional, national, and world competitions in submission-only Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. For more information, go to GracieWorlds.com.

No Holds Barred: Deontay Wilder, Johann Duhaupas, The Heavyweights

(Photos of Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte by Lawrence Lustig. Photo of Wladimir Klitschko and Eddie Goldman by Keisha Morrisey.)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with heavyweights Deontay Wilder and Johann Duhaupas, who fight this Saturday, September 26, and reviews the state of boxing's heavyweight division.

Wilder (34-0, 33 KOs), who holds the WBC heavyweight belt, faces Duhaupas (32-2, 20 KOs) of France in the main event of the prime time Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on NBC telecast from the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama, Wilder's home state.

We also discuss how the real and only heavyweight champion of the world today is Wladimir Klitschko, who holds just about every belt except the one Wilder has. We also discuss the many heavyweight contenders, including Tyson Fury, WBC mandatory number one challenger Alexander Povetkin, Vyacheslav Glazkov, Bermane Stiverne, Luis Ortiz, Erkan Teper, and others, as well as unbeaten U.K. fighters Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte, who face each other December 12 in the O2 Arena in London.

We spoke with both Deontay Wilder and Johann Duhaupas on this past Thursday's media conference call.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web, at http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/no-holds-barred-with-eddie-goldman.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player for iOS is available for free on the App Store.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

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

MMA World Expo. The mixed martial arts community comes to New York City December 12 and 13, 2015, for the sixth annual MMA World Expo, featuring two days of the Renzo Gracie Open 2015 no-gi and gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, catch wrestling competition, and much more. The MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, December 12, and Sunday, December 13, 2015, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

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 AmericanTopTeam.com.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.com.

Gracie Tournaments, featuring regional, national, and world competitions in submission-only Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. For more information, go to GracieWorlds.com.

No Holds Barred: Andre Ward, Paul Smith, Shawn Porter, Errol Spence Jr.; Plus Bob Mayeri on Wilder-Molina

(Photograph of Deontay Wilder and Eric Molina by Bob Mayeri)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews this Saturday's Andre Ward-Paul Smith, Shawn Porter-Adrien Broner, and Errol Spence Jr.-Roberto Garcia fights, and reviews with our correspondent Bob Mayeri this past Saturday's Deontay Wilder-Eric Molina fight.

The 2004 U.S. Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward, with a spotless record of 27-0 and 14 KOs, and still holding a super middleweight title, will be returning to the ring after an absence of 19 months, due to injuries and legal battles. His opponent in what he refuses to call a tune-up fight is British fighter and TV commentator Paul Smith (35-5, 20 KOs), who is coming off two consecutive close losses to slugger Arthur Abraham. This fight will take place at a catch weight of 172 pounds.

The Andre Ward-Paul Smith fight headlines a Throne Boxing card, presented by Roc Nation Sports, this Saturday, June 20, at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. It will be televised live in the U.S. on BET and streamed globally on Tidal.com at 10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT, as well as shown in the U.K. on Sky Sports.

Earlier the same day, former world champion Shawn Porter (25-1-1, 16 KOs) will face another former world champion, Adrien Broner (30-1, 22 KOs), in the main event of a Premier Boxing Champions on NBC (PBC on NBC) card at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. This fight, also at a catch weight, will be at a limit of 144 pounds. The co-feature will have unbeaten prospect Errol Spence Jr. (16-0, 13 KOs) facing veteran Roberto Garcia (37-3, 23 KOs) in a ten-round welterweight bout.

The PBC on NBC telecast, this Saturday, June 20, begins in the U.S. at 8:30 PM ET/5:30 PM PT, and will also be shown in the U.K. on Sky Sports.

We spoke with Andre Ward, Paul Smith, Shawn Porter, and Errol Spence Jr. on Monday's media conference calls.

In his comments, Andre Ward discussed what needs to happen for him to become a mega-star like Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Paul Smith explained why he is inspired to do his best in this fight, even though the card is aimed at showcasing the return of Andre Ward.

Shawn Porter discussed what he has learned in his career and why he believes he will defeat Adrien Broner. Broner no-showed the conference call. Also, Errol Spence Jr. discussed why Roberto Garcia is the most experienced and one of the toughest fighters he will face. Garcia was unavailable for the conference call.

In addition, we spoke about the ninth-round knockout win by WBC heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder (34-0, 33 KOs) over journeyman Eric Molina (23-3, 17 KOs) this past Saturday, June 13, in Birmingham, Alabama, with Bob Mayeri, who was covering and photographing that fight live in the Bartow Arena. We also discussed what might be next for Wilder, how he might fare against the top heavyweight Wladimir Klitschko, and what might be learned by those running the sport of wrestling from the promotion of this fight.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web, at http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/no-holds-barred-with-eddie-goldman.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player for iOS is available for free on the App Store.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

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

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 AmericanTopTeam.com.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.com.

No Holds Barred: Deontay Wilder, Eric Molina, The Heavyweights

(Wilder Photo Credit: Bill Hoffman)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with heavyweight boxers Deontay Wilder and Eric Molina. Wilder (33-0, 32 KOs), who holds the WBC heavyweight belt, will face the huge underdog Molina (23-2, 17 KOs) in Birmingham, Alabama, headlining a card which will be televised live in the U.S. on Showtime.

We spoke with Deontay Wilder and Eric Molina on a media conference call last Wednesday.

While Molina is given almost no chance of defeating Wilder and this fight has been criticized by many, we discuss why these types of fights are typical in boxing, where there is no central governing body. We also discuss the future of the heavyweight division, including the top champion Wladimir Klitschko, undefeated fighters like Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, and what appear to be plans to develop Wilder into a major star. We also discuss the resurgence of interest in boxing this year, how several recent televised mismatches have nonetheless drawn good TV ratings in the U.S., why major premium TV networks are essentially acting as promoters, and much more.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

You can also listen to No Holds Barred via Stitcher through iOS or Android devices or on the web, at http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/no-holds-barred-with-eddie-goldman.

The PodOmatic Podcast Player for iOS is available for free on the App Store.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

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

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 AmericanTopTeam.com.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.com.

No Holds Barred: Bermane Stiverne, Deontay Wilder, Don King, Eric Gomez Conference Call

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman presents the media conference call with WBC heavyweight champ Berman Stiverne, unbeaten challenger and 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Deontay Wilder, Stiverne's promoter Don King, and Eric Gomez, Senior Vice President of Golden Boy Promotions, which promotes Wilder. The subject was the January 17 Stiverne-Wilder heavyweight title fight.

Stiverne (24-1-1, 21 KOs), born in Haiti, living for many years in Canada, and now based in Las Vegas, Nevada, will be making the first defense of his belt. He won that title, then vacant, with a sixth-round TKO over Chris Arreola on May 10, 2014.

Wilder (32-0, 32 KOs), from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, has scored a KO or TKO in all of his pro fights, but has been criticized for not facing top contenders -- until now.

This fight will take place Saturday, January 17, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, and will be televised live in the U.S. on Showtime, in Canada on the Fight Network, and in the U.K. on BoxNation.

Bermane Stiverne, Deontay Wilder, Don King, Eric Gomez, and several others involved in this fight were on the December 18 media conference call. Here we present the complete and unedited audio of it.

Stiverne, the less talkative of the two fighters, said, "Don't blink." The flashier Wilder, though as confident of victory as Stiverne, agreed with him on one thing, that this will be a short fight which will be ended by a knockout. The ever-quotable Don King promised that this fight will help the cause of "world peace". King also denounced the failure of grand juries to indict anyone for the deaths of Mike Brown and Eric Garner as "a tragedy".

You can play or download No Holds Barred here and here. If one link doesn't work, please try another.

No Holds Barred is also available on mobile phones and iPads through Stitcher.

Also, No Holds Barred is available through iTunes.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", which is also available on iTunes by composer Ian Snow.

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

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 AmericanTopTeam.com.

Defense Soap, an effective, deep penetrating body soap with natural antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial soap ingredients. Defense Soap is the best cleansing body soap for men and women athletes who are involved in contact sports such as MMA, wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and judo, to help their antifungal, anti-ringworm, anti-jock itch strategy. Check out their web site, at DefenseSoap.com.

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Takedown Wrestling Media, America's wrestling TV and radio shows, which are hosted by founder Scott Casber, and have been airing on radio and Internet for over 17 years. Takedown Media produces a weekly TV program seen in 54 million homes in the U.S. on DirecTV, Dish Network, and cable affiliates around the country, called Takedown TV. Takedown Media also produces the weekly USA Wrestling TV show for the governing body of the sport, USA Wrestling. For more information, go to TakedownRadio.com.