No Holds Barred: 49-0

(Photo of Mayweather and Berto, Esther Lin/Showtime. Photo of Zerafa on stretcher, Suzanne Teresa/Premier Boxing Champions.)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses Floyd Mayweather's unanimous decision victory over Andre Berto on September 12, which upped his record to 49-0 with 26 knockouts, and which Mayweather said is the final fight of his career. Among the topics are the brilliance of Mayweather's defense while still landing a significant amount of punches, the controversy over his stylish technique which some fans brand as "boring", how different cultures view aesthetics and technique in boxing, American culture and vulgarity, what constitutes an exciting fight, how Mayweather has been an artist in the ring, why many people dislike him, why he wants to retire for good from boxing without suffering permanent brain damage, 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:

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: Badou Jack, George Groves, Peter Quillin, Michael Zerafa, Why Mayweather-Berto Haters Are Wrong

(McDonnell-Kameda photo from Lucas Noonan/Premier Boxing Champions, Mayweather-Berto photo from Esther Lin/Showtime)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with boxers Badou Jack, George Groves, Peter Quillin, and Michael Zerafa, discusses this past Sunday's PBC on CBS show, and explains why the haters of the upcoming September 12 Mayweather-Berto card are wrong, wrong, wrong.

On that September 12 card, a co-feature will have WBC super middleweight champ Badou Jack (19-1-1, 12 KOs), originally from Sweden, in the first defense of his belt against British challenger George Groves (21-2, 16 KOs). This will be shown in the U.S. on Showtime pay-per-view and in the U.K. on BoxNation, as well in many other countries and in some movie theaters, and take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

On a PBC on NBC free-to-air show on the afternoon of September 12, Peter "Kid Chocolate" Quillin (31-0-1, 22 KOs), now based in Brooklyn, takes on Michael Zerafa (17-1, 9 KOs) of Australia in a ten-round middleweight fight. This fight is basically a stay-busy bout for Quillin, as a fight with WBA middleweight champ Danny Jacobs, also of Brooklyn, is tentatively planned for later this year. Also on that card, IBF super welterweight champion Cornelius "K-9" Bundrage (34-5, 19 KOs) of Detroit will defend his title against the undefeated Jermall Charlo (21-0, 16 KOs) of Houston. This card takes place at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut, in the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation.

We spoke with Badou Jack, George Groves, Peter Quillin, and Michael Zerafa on recent media conference calls.

This past Sunday, September 6, the PBC on CBS show featured a main event where Anthony Dirrell (28-1-1, 22 KOs) of Flint, Michigan, shut out veteran Marco Antonio Rubio (59-8-1, 51 KOs) of Mexico over ten rounds. The co-feature, which was actually a better and more important fight, had WBA bantamweight champ Jamie McDonnell (27-2, 12 KOs) of the U.K. win a clear but somewhat controversial unanimous decision over Tomoki Kameda (31-2, 19 KOs), originally from Japan and now based in Mexico. This card took place at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.

We discuss this PBC on CBS card, analyze the rankings of the fighters on the September 12 Mayweather-Berto pay-per-view undercard, reiterate why the Mayweather-Berto fight and the accompanying fights should be interesting and worthwhile to watch, analyze the culture of negativity in boxing, 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.

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 Berto

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with Andre Berto.

Andre Berto (30-3, 23 KOs), who turns 32 on September 7, is a former WBC and IBF welterweight champ, and now holds what is called the WBA interim welterweight title. He will next be fighting the unbeaten Floyd Mayweather (48-0 and 26 KOs), as Mayweather will be trying to tie the historic 49-0 record of heavyweight icon Rocky Marciano. The 38-year-old Mayweather has also stated that this will be the final fight of his career.

This fight will take place Saturday, September 12, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, and will be shown live in the U.S. on Showtime pay-per-view, and also around the world on various networks including BoxNation in the U.K.

We spoke with Andre Berto on a media conference call Tuesday, September 1, and present both the questions we had for him as well as the entire conference call.

In it, Berto explains why he is so confident that he can become the first and only fighter to defeat Floyd Mayweather, the obstacles he has overcome in his career, why he should not be judged by the losses he has had in recent fights, 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.

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

No Holds Barred: Why Mayweather vs. Berto Should Be Splendid

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman presents a commentary on why the September 12 fight between Floyd Mayweather and Andre Berto, contrary to the prevailing opinions of many who scribble about boxing, should be splendid.

This fight is being described as the final one in the career of the 38-year-old unbeaten Mayweather, who holds WBA and WBC welterweight belts. With a record of 48-0 and 26 KOs, Mayweather will be trying to tie the historic 49-0 record of heavyweight icon Rocky Marciano.

Mayweather's opponent, the 31-year-old Andre Berto (30-3, 23 KOs), is a former WBC and IBF welterweight champ, and now holds what is called the WBA interim welterweight title, for what that is worth. He has won his last two fights, although he is just 3-3 in his last six, including losses to Victor Ortiz and Robert Guerrero, both of whom Mayweaher has defeated.

This fight will take place Saturday, September 12, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, and will be shown live in the U.S. on a Showtime pay-per-view, and also around the world on various networks.

In analyzing this fight and why it will exceed the expectations of many, a key factor is the likelihood of an exciting matchup of styles between Mayweather and the usually aggressive Berto, who will no doubt be highly motivated to display his best skills.

Also considered is why choosing other possible opponents for Mayweather does not make sense given the prevailing business structure in place in boxing. Some potential opponents like Keith Thurman, Amir Khan, Shawn Porter, and Danny Garcia also have Al Haymon as their manager/advisor as does Mayweather, but are all apparently in future plans when Mayweather retires and relinquishes his belts. Others, like Tim Bradley or Canelo Alvarez, whom Mayweather has already defeated, are under exclusive contracts to promoters who are suing Haymon in regards to his Premier Boxing Champions venture, which is not exactly a good way to get into his good graces to be part of what should be another lucrative Mayweather fight. They also have exclusive contracts with HBO, which of course is the premium network rival of Showtime, which has an exclusive contract with Mayweather. These networks have only worked together on mega-fights like Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson in 2002, and Mayweather-Pacquiao earlier this year.

In addition, also discussed are the relative popularity and drawing power of Berto compared to other possible opponents for Mayweather, the possibility of a crowd-pleasing knockout to cap off Mayweather's career, the relative lack of Black fighters who have been opponents of Mayweather over his career, 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: The Fight Against Boxing Misinformation and Disinformation

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the misinformation in the boxing media about this coming Saturday's PBC on ESPN Thurman-Collazo card; the idiotic over-reporting in the mainstream media about what should have been a footnote with laughter on one of the alphabet soup groups stripping Floyd Mayweather of its belt; the failure of much of the boxing media to notice that this past Saturday's Jamie Conlan-Junior Granados battle in Dublin was a thrilling fight of the year candidate; 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:

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: Amir Khan, Chris Algieri, Paulie Malignaggi, PBC Figueroa-Burns and McDonnell-Kameda and HBO Canelo-Kirkland Reviews

(Photo of Omar Figueroa and Ricky Burns by Esther Lin/PBC on CBS, photo of Canelo Alvarez and James Kirkland by Ed Mulholland/Golden Boy/Golden Boy via Getty Images)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews the Friday, May 29, Premier Boxing Champions card at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, by speaking with Amir Khan, Chris Algieri, and Paulie Malignaggi.

On that card, Amir Khan (30-3, 19 KOs) will face Chris Algieri (20-1, 8 KOs) and Paulie Malignaggi (33-6, 7 KOs) will take on Danny O'Connor (25-2, 9 KOs) in welterweight bouts. These fights will be televised live in the U.S. on Spike TV.

We spoke with Amir Khan, Chris Algieri, and Paulie Malignaggi on a media conference call Wednesday.

This past weekend there were several televised fights, and we review Saturday's action on the PBC on CBS card and the HBO card later that evening.

On the PBC on CBS card, which took place at the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas, Omar Figueroa of Texas (25-0-1, 18 KOs) got a close and controversial unanimous decision over Ricky Burns of Scotland (37-5-1, 11 KOs), in a super lightweight fight. Also on that show, the U.K.'s Jamie McDonnell (25-2-1, 12 KOs) defended his WBA bantamweight belt by winning a unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Tomoki Kameda (31-1, 19 KOs), who is from Japan but trains in Mexico.

On the HBO card, which took place at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas, and as many expected, super welterweight Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (45-1-1, 32 KOs) knocked out James Kirkland of Texas (32-2, 28 KOs) in the third round of a slugfest.

We compare the PBC on CBS card to the Canelo-Kirkland fight on HBO, discuss more of the fallout over Pacquiao's claim he was injured during his fight with Floyd Mayweather, rip the mainstream and most of the boxing media for not properly discussing this issue and dealing with doping in boxing, and much more.

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.

No Holds Barred: Chris Baldwin on the Mayweather-Pacquiao Debacle

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with trainer and fight manager Chris Baldwin.

Based in Los Angeles, she is the head trainer at Baldwin Rocks Fitness.

She was also in Las Vegas to watch the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight on May 2, won by Mayweather by a clear-cut unanimous decision, and had a lot to say about it.

We spoke with Chris Baldwin by phone Wednesday.

For the first few rounds, she said, "Floyd came out and did what people thought he wasn't going to do. He stood in front of Manny and shot jabs at him. He pretty much controlled the center of the ring. And Manny for some odd reason wasn't his normal typical, bouncy, let-me-throw-a-thousand-punches-in-a-fight."

Pacquiao's uncharacteristic lack of effective offense, however, was likely not due to a shoulder injury which after the fight he blamed for his performance, she argued.

"Not once did I hear Manny complain about his shoulder. Not once did I hear [trainer] Freddie [Roach] ask Manny about his shoulder. So that to me was kind of an indication that maybe there wasn't really an injury and that they're just saying this stuff now," she said.

"They make themselves look bad to even say one, you're a sore loser, you didn't congratulate Floyd that he beat you fair and square, I thought. You said you won the fight. And now the excuse is, 'I have this shoulder injury.'"

And, she noted, "Now your integrity is shot. You have no honor. Everything is done for the love of money. To me, it's just a sad, pathetic case."

She also knows quite a bit about Pacquiao and Roach, as for two years she had trained fighters at Roach's Wild Card Gym, and when Pacquiao was training there as well.

We discussed why this fight should have been postponed had Pacquiao really had a serious shoulder injury, her experiences training fighters, how her "passion is boxing", domestic violence and combat sports, the issues of concussions and head trauma, her varied martial arts background, police murders and brutality against Black people, and much, much more.

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.

No Holds Barred: Charles Farrell on Mayweather-Pacquiao and the Black Code of Fighting

(Photo of Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao by Esther Lin/Showtime)

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

He is also co-editor of The Boxing Standard.

We spoke with him by phone Sunday.

Our kickoff, of course, was Saturday's mega-fight, where Floyd Mayweather outpointed and outboxed Manny Pacquiao to win a deserved unanimous decision by scores of 118-110 and 116-112 twice. Mayweather, now the holder of three major welterweight belts, increases his record to 48-0 with 26 KOs, while Pacquiao falls to 57-6-2 with 38 KOs.

Besides evaluating Mayweather's successful neutralizing of Pacquiao's offense and his greater accuracy and volume of punches landed in this fight, we discussed the art of boxing and how Mayweather's performance measured up in this category.

While Charles Farrell said he is "a real advocate of art in boxing," he added that Mayweather "fell short of art" while having a "highly efficient performance." He also said his favorite fighter today is the super bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux of Cuba, whom he called a "supreme artist."

We refuted those who claimed that this fight showed that "boxing is dead" because it was not a bloody brawl with multiple knockdowns ending in one fighter sprawled on the mat.

This fight was a prime example of what Charles Farrell calls the "Black code of fighting". He explained this in depth in his recent pre-fight article "Why Floyd Mayweather Is The Last Of A Kind".

Black code fighting is, he said, "a style that Black fighters developed starting around the turn of the twentieth century. It hit its heyday probably from the 1930s right through the 1950s. And this is a style that Black fighters developed among themselves to keep themselves healthy, to not get hurt, to be able to stay busy because they had to fight a lot to make a living. So it was a style based on efficiency, tremendous defensive skill, the ability to set traps, to lure people into situations where they couldn't do their work. It's a very subtle style."

In it, "You don't do much."

And he said, "In many ways, Floyd Mayweather is just about the last of a long line of fighters who are really proficient at it. And what we saw last night was a good example of that style of fighting."

We also discussed Pacquiao's post-fight excuses about having an injury; his absurd claim that he won the fight; how the many technical problems with the pay-per-view telecast along with the emergence of many streaming video apps will further weaken boxing's pay-per-view model; what may be next for Mayweather in what he says will be the final fight of his career; and much, much more.

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.

No Holds Barred: Keisha Morrisey on Expecting the Unexpected in Mayweather-Pacquiao

(Photo of Floyd Mayweather Sr., Floyd Mayweather Jr., Manny Pacquiao, and Freddie Roach by Esther Lin/Showtime)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with our colleague and correspondent Keisha Morrisey.

She will be traveling to Las Vegas, Nevada, for the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao mega-fight this Saturday, May 2.

We spoke with her by phone Wednesday.

While the unbeaten Mayweather, at 47-0, goes into this fight the favorite, it is far from a given that he will win this long-awaited battle.

"I'm expecting the unexpected," she said. "Actually I'm a bit nervous. I have butterflies in my stomach, because I think that you have two great fighters here. Manny Pacquiao was really great in the beginning of his career when he first started in boxing. And then he took the loss to [Juan Manuel] Marquez, which was really unexpected to everyone. Sometimes things happen in boxing, so you just never know."

She added, "Floyd is training really hard. Manny has always been a one-sided fighter. So I think that again, anything could happen, but I'm really expecting the unexpected."

We discussed possible scenarios for this fight, including the rendering of a controversial verdict which would set the stage for a lucrative rematch.

While she did not offer a prediction about who will win this fight, she did say, "Something is just not going to be right."

We also discussed her long history of correctly predicting fights through the years including many upsets, the importance of proper training for fighters, the role of trainers Floyd Mayweather Sr. and Freddie Roach in this fight, and much, much more.

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.

No Holds Barred: Floyd Mayweather Conference Call

(Photo by Esther Lin/Showtime)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman plays the media conference call recorded Wednesday, April 22, featuring Floyd Mayweather. The unbeaten Mayweather (47-0, 26 KOs) faces Manny Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KOs) in a welterweight title unification mega-fight Saturday, May 2, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. This fight, boxing's most anticipated in years, will be shown live in the U.S. on pay-per-view and televised all around the world, and is expected to shatter all records for revenue and viewership for any pay-per-view event.

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.

No Holds Barred: Michael Marley on Manny Pacquiao Conference Call, Mayweather-Pacquiao, and the Media

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with veteran boxing journalist Michael Marley.

Marley, who currently writes for the Examiner.com, also tried to speak by asking a question on Monday's media conference call featuring Manny Pacquiao, trainer Freddie Roach, and promoter Bob Arum, to publicize the May 2 Mayweather-Pacquiao mega-fight. But just minutes into the call, and after apparent confusion and general disorganization on it, Arum abruptly ended the call, and only right after the call's operator announced that the first question would be from Michael Marley. Arum interrupted the operator with an expletive, and said they should "reorganize" and that the call should be rescheduled. So the call was stopped prematurely.

We spoke with Michael Marley by phone Monday shortly after this abbreviated conference call, which we also play on this show.

"I wasn't looking to make a scene or anything. I just had a question I have in mind which I think is a valid question," he said.

"I wanted to ask Manny Pacquiao how he could believe or think or say that he can knock out or stop Mayweather, because the fact is that, all due respect to Pacquiao, a great champion, he'll be fighting one of the greatest defensive fighters ever. And that's coupled with the fact that Manny hasn't knocked anybody out since November 14th of 2009, when he stopped Miguel Cotto in the 12th round."

We went on to discuss what might happen in the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight and why he expects that this will be the first of what will become a trilogy of fights.

We also discussed the reduction of free access for the media to cover and interview fighters compared with the past, how this has only hurt boxing, his many years of experience in working with promoter Don King and in the media, and much more.

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.

No Holds Barred: Roger Mayweather on Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s Place in Boxing History

(Photo by Keisha Morrisey)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman replays an interview with Roger Mayweather from February 28, 2012, about the place of his nephew, Floyd Mayweather Jr., in boxing history. This classic interview took place at the prefight press conference at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York, for the Floyd Mayweather-Miguel Cotto light middleweight title fight, which was held May 5, 2012, in Las Vegas, and won by Mayweather by unanimous decision.

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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:

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No Holds Barred: Charles Farrell on Stevenson-Bika, Mayweather-Pacquiao Scenarios, and PBC So Far

(Photo credit: Amanda Kwok / PBC on CBS)

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.

The Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) series made its debut on CBS in the U.S. on Saturday, April 4, headlined by a fight from Quebec City's Pepsi Coliseum featuring WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson (26-1, 21 KOs) winning a 12-round unanimous decision over Sakio Bika (32-7-3, 21 KOs). This followed PBC cards on March 7 on NBC and March 13 on Spike TV, with many more scheduled in the coming weeks and months.

To discuss these, as well as the May 2 mega-fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas and other upcoming bouts, we spoke with Charles Farrell by phone Sunday.

Regarding the progress of the PBC in its first month of televised cards, he said, "I certainly think that putting them on NBC, CBS, even Spike, opens up the door for a lot of potentially interesting things." While there has been "some but not great success" in the quality and presentation of these cards, there are still numerous problems.

"The one thing that you can't do is you can't necessarily guarantee that you're going to get great fights. And yesterday they had a problem," referring to the Stevenson-Bika fight.

Part of it was "not very good matchmaking" pitting Stevenson against Bika, who has never been knocked out and is known as an awkward and sometimes dirty fighter.

"Adonis Stevenson underperformed in a way that they didn't expect and probably was hard to predict, and he didn't do what he needed to do," he said.

Commentary, much of it ill-informed, is already filling up the sports media about the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight. But already there has been some open speculation about one possible scenario in this fight: that the fight goes all 12 rounds, that the unbeaten Mayweather (47-0) deserves to win a clear-cut decision, and that he is robbed of it, thus ensuring an incredibly lucrative rematch.

With high stakes betting taking place on this fight and all the money involved, "The logic is to rob Mayweather," he said. We discussed this scenario as well as several others for this bout.

In addition, we discussed many upcoming fights including this coming Saturday's Garcia-Peterson and Quillin-Lee fights on NBC; why Stevenson must next fight the undefeated Sergey Kovalev; the corporate feel of the PBC cards; problems with the announcers on them; and much more.

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.

No Holds Barred: Charles Farrell on PBC on NBC Boxing, Mayweather-Pacquiao, and the State of Boxing

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.

The return of boxing to network TV in the U.S. and the announcement that the long-awaited mega-fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao will take place May 2 have sparked much interest and discussion about the state of boxing.

Saturday's debut PBC (Premier Boxing Champions) on NBC show featured an exciting decision victory by Keith Thurman over Robert Guerrero and a not-so-exciting decision victory by Adrien Broner over John Molina Jr.

According to the Nielsen Ratings, the PBC on NBC telecast averaged 3.4 million viewers, ranking as the most-watched professional boxing broadcast in 17 years (Oscar De La Hoya’s Fight Night on FOX, 5.9 million, Mon., March 23, 1998). Viewership increased every half hour through the telecast and peaked at 4.2 million from 10:30-11 p.m. ET during the final six rounds of the Keith Thurman-Robert Guerrero fight. The PBC on NBC also led NBC to a Saturday primetime victory among adults 18-49, with a 1.08 rating in that demographic. Also, according to NBC Sports, more than 575,000 minutes (576,435) of PBC on NBC coverage was live streamed via NBC Sports Live Extra to desktops, tablets and mobile devices. The show thus has to be considered a ratings success.

We spoke with Charles Farrell by phone Sunday.

"I do think the idea of making competitive fights is a very good idea. I think star-building is a very good idea," he said.

"There's probably interest in trying to resurrect Adrien Broner. I dont think that that happened, and I think maybe they have to think about what to do with Adrien Broner at this point."

He continued, "But they probably did pretty well by Keith Thurman. And my guess is that people who were watching who were casual fans will be inclined to watch the next one. So you give it a passing grade, and I would say at this point we sort of have to wait and see."

As for the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight, where Mayweather puts his 47-0 record on the line, we discussed potential outcomes, including one possibility that the fight will end in a highly controversial and disputed decision, thus leading to much antipathy for boxing but also a highly lucrative rematch.

We also discussed the announcing and overall production of the debut PBC on NBC show, the need to present boxing "as boxing" on TV, the decision loss by Chinese fighter Zou Shiming to IBF flyweight champion Amnat Ruenroeng of Thailand in Macao in China, why boxing seems to rebound after each period of decline, and much, much more.

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.

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.

No Holds Barred: Floyd Mayweather, Marcos Maidana, Jeff Mayweather

(Photo: Stephanie Trapp/Showtime)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman spoke with Floyd Mayweather, Marcos Maidana, and Jeff Mayweather.

The subject was the rematch between the 37-year-old Floyd Mayweather (46-0, 26 KOs) and the 31-year-old Marcos Maidana (35-4, 31 KOs), which takes place Saturday, September 13, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. This fight is scheduled for 12 rounds in the welterweight division, and will be for Mayweather's WBA welterweight belt and WBC welterweight and super welterweight belts.

It will be shown live on Showtime Pay-Per-View in the U.S., BoxNation in the U.K., Main Event Pay-Per-View in Australia, and many other networks around the world, as well in many movie theaters.

This will be only the second time in his career that Mayweather will be having a rematch, and an immediate rematch at that. In his first fight with Maidana, on May 3 of this year, Mayweather won a majority decision, although most observers had him winning the fight comfortably. Still, Maidana did unexpectedly well in the early rounds, and it took Mayweather some time to adjust to the pressure and power of Maidana. This reminded many of the only other time Mayweather had a rematch, in 2002 with Jose Luis Castillo.

Mayweather, the highest paid athlete in any sport in the world, remains a heavy favorite to win this rematch, and up his record to 47-0.

We spoke with both Floyd Mayweather and Marcos Maidana on their recent media conference calls about what to expect in this rematch. We also heard comments from Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions, which is co-promoting this fight with Golden Boy Promotions.

In addition, we got comments on this fight from Jeff Mayweather, a former boxer and current trainer who is Floyd Mayweather's uncle, after the Bellator MMA show this past Friday at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

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.

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.

No Holds Barred: Mayweather-Maidana, Stiverne-Arreola 2

(Floyd Mayweather Photo Credit: Ed Mulholland/Golden Boy Promotions)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman previews and provides analysis of the May 3 Floyd Mayweather-Marcos Maidana and May 10 Bermane Stiverne-Chris Arreola fights.

The pound-for-pound king Mayweather (45-0, 26 KOs) will be fighting a welterweight title unification fight with Maidana (35-3, 31 KOs) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, this Saturday, May 3. This fight headlines a card which will be televised live on Showtime pay-per-view in the U.S., BoxNation in the U.K., Main Event pay-per-view in Australia, and many other networks around the world, as well as being shown live in select movie theaters.

We have excerpted some poignant comments from Mayweather, Maidana, and his trainer Robert Garcia, on their recent media conference calls.

The following week, on Saturday, May 10, the WBC heavyweight title will be determined as two veterans, Bermane Stiverne and Chris Arreola, meet at the USC Galen Center on the campus of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. This fight will be televised live in the U.S. on ESPN. The WBC title was recently vacated by Vitali Klitschko so he could focus on his political career in Ukraine amidst the ongoing events there.

This fight is actually a rematch between Stiverne (23-1-1, 20 KOs) and Arreola (36-3-1, 31 KOs). When they first fought in April 2013, Stiverne upset Arreola, winning a clearcut unanimous decision, knocking him down, and breaking his nose.

We also have excerpted some key comments from both Stiverne and Arreola from their recent media conference calls.

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:

MMA World Expo. The mixed martial arts community comes to New York City July 26 and 27, 2014, for the fifth annual MMA World Expo, featuring the Fighters Source U.S. Nationals amateur MMA tournament, two days of ADCC no-gi and gi grappling tournaments, MMA fighters, seminars with world-class trainers, vendors, panel discussions, catch wrestling competition, and much more. The MMA World Expo takes place Saturday, July 26, and Sunday, July 27, 2014, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

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No Holds Barred: Charles Farrell on Mayweather-Canelo

(photo: Esther Lin/Showtime)

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.

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.

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:

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

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No Holds Barred: Why They Do Not Have To Fix Boxing Matches Anymore

(Photo by Tom Casino/Showtime)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman discusses the major fights in boxing held Saturday, May 4, and why, despite some brilliant performances, they were all showcase fights, and the fighters who were supposed to win all won, one way or another.

In those fights, welterweight and pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. won a unanimous decision over Robert Guerrero in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, while heavyweight champ Wladimir Klitschko scored a sixth-round knockout over Francesco Pianeta in Mannheim, Germany. Also in Las Vegas, Abner Mares won by a somewhat controversial ninth-round TKO over Daniel Ponce De Leon, Leo Santa Cruz stopped veteran Alexander Munoz with a TKO in the fifth round, and J'Leon Love survived a knockdown to win a controversial split decision over Gabriel Rosado.

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:

ONE Fighting Championship. ONE FC is Asia's largest and most prestigious mixed martial arts event. ONE FC features the best Asian fighters and has initiated the ONE Asia Partnership Network, which includes most of the major MMA promotions and MMA gyms in Asia. For more information, go to their web site, at ONEFC.com.

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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/.