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.

The National Registry for Wrestling, whose mission is to increase wrestling's fanbase, to build a registry of all wrestling fans, to serve as a connecting point for all wrestling fans, and to provide TV and Internet listings for wrestling. For more information, go to NR4W.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, 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.