My guest on this podcast is boxing writer and attorney Scott Shaffer. We analyzed last weekend’s busy schedule of fights including Usyk-Chisora, Inoue-Moloney and Davis-Santa Cruz. We also discussed recent comments by Deontay Wilder breaking his silence after Fury-Wilder III fell through, the proposed "Junior Heavyweight" division the WBC is implementing and the continuing saga of the Canelo lawsuit. This will be my last show as host of the Boxing Esq. Podcast but I am passing it on to Scott to host. It was a really fun conversation - hope you enjoy it.

My guest on this episode is former two-time Heavyweight Champion of the World - Chris Byrd. We talk about Chris’s miraculous recovery from years of debilitating pain from nerve damage in his foot, hip replacement surgery, and numerous shoulder problems. We discussed Chris's new diet and alternative therapies that aided his recovery. We also spoke about Chris’s great career from his days in the amateurs and sparring in an 8 by 10 ring in his parents' basement; his trip to the Olympic trials in 1988; his Olympic Silver Medal in 1992; not getting signed by a major promoter coming off of that medal and his roundabout journey as an avoided fighter to a shot at the Heavyweight title and eventually becoming a two-time champ. We also go into his battles in the ring with Ike Ibeabuchi, Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir Klitschko, Maurice Harris, David Tua, Evander Holyfield, Jameel McCline and many more and how he found out that many of his contemporaries were using PEDs. It was a great conversation - hope you enjoy it.

My guest on this episode is author and boxing historian Mike Silver. We talk about Mike’s new book, "The Night The Referee Hit Back - Memorable Moments from the World of Boxing". It’s a compilation of articles and interviews that Mike’s done over the years that is really captivating and provocative. We discuss Mike’s background and how he had the chance to train alongside Emile Griffith and Ingemar Johansson at the iconic Stillman’s Gym in mid-town Manhattan in the late-50’s early 60’s. Mike gives a great account of the history of that gym and its significance. We also spoke about the history of the governance of the sport. How there was generally only one world champion per division for decades. And how tournaments of contenders fighting to determine a new champion in divisions where the title was vacant were a common occurrence throughout the 1920s through the late 1960s. Finally, Mike gives boxing fans a great list of fights from boxing’s Golden Age that demonstrate the skills and technique that may be missing from today's fighters. It was a great conversation - Hope you enjoy it.

My guests on this episode are the undisputed Women’s World Welterweight Champion and unified WBC/WBA Junior Welterweight Champion Jessica McCaskill and her manager and trainer Rick Ramos. We talked about their backgrounds growing up in Illinois and how both of them came to the sport of boxing. I spoke to Jessica about her time at Pagedale Boxing in St. Louis with my late friend and mentor Marvin “Coots” Millett. I talked with Rick about his opening of the Body Shot Boxing Club and how he competes with the fitness gyms and stays afloat during the pandemic. We got into how Jessica’s big fights with Katie Taylor and Cecilia Braekhus got made and how Rick thought he might have burned a bridge with Eddie Hearn. We spoke about how difficult it is to fight in your hometown and the challenges of maintaining focus while being pulled in a million directions marketing the fight. And we also discussed what’s next for Jessica and how big fight rematches with Katie Taylor and Cecilia Braekhus are possible and how a superfight with Claressa Shields is also in play. It was a great conversation - Hope you enjoy.

My first guest on this is episode one of the heroes of our sport - Dr. Margaret Goodman. We talked about her views on COVID protocols and which states are doing it right. We discussed how VADA’s testing protocols have been affected by COVID and how they have used the downtime in the sport to make informational videos available on the VADA website. We also got into the debate about the proper use of MRIs. My second guest on this podcast was boxing writer and attorney extraordinaire Scott Shaffer. We analyzed last weekend’s busy schedule of fights including Whyte-Povetkin. Taylor-Persoon, Smith-Alvarez, and Porter-Formella. And how it finally seemed like boxing was back after the long hiatus due to the pandemic. Two really fun conversations - hope you enjoy it.

My guest on this episode the VP of Communications at Haymon Sports - Mr. Tim Smith. We spoke about the PBC’s game plan in not rushing to be first to come back to the airways Post-COVID. And how their schedule of fights came together over the months that they were off-air. We got into the difficulties of putting on shows with the various medical and logistical problems associated with COVID and how PBC prepared for the inevitability of a fighter testing positive - as it happened on their very first show with Stephon Fulton. We then spoke about the excellent schedule of fights that PBC rolled out on Showtime including the Charlos shared PPV, Tank vs Santa Cruz, and Ouballi-Donaire. We also got into what to expect for the upcoming schedule for PBC on FOX. It was a really fun conversation. Hope you enjoy it.

My guest on this episode is promoter and New York State Boxing Hall of Fame inductee Joe DeGuardia. We spoke about Joe’s upbringing in the Bronx where his father and uncle were professional fighters. We talked about Joe’s amateur boxing career which culminated in him winning the 1988 New York Golden Gloves. We got into how he started in the pro game as a manager and then switched to promoting to keep his fighters busy and how that lead him to co-promoting such big events as Roy Jones-Antonio Tarver and Manny Pacquiao-Chris Algieri. We also discussed his current roster of fighters including Joe Smith and Carlos Takam, the difficulties of putting on club shows in the time of COVID and Joe’s attempt at organizing the sport with the Boxing Promoters Association. It was a great conversation. Hope you enjoy it.

My guest on this episode is the Editor-in-Chief of Ring Magazine - Mr. Doug Fischer. We spoke about how The Ring Magazine and ringtv.com are faring during this pandemic. We also undertook the difficult task of making mid-year assessments of the traditional year-end categories such as Fight of the Year, Round of the Year, KO of the Year, Upset of the Year, and Fighter of the Year in the time of COVID. We also discussed the upcoming boxing schedule and previewed some of the bigger tentatively scheduled big fights such as Lonachenko-Lopez and Dubois-Joyce. It was a great conversation. Hope you enjoy it.

My guest on this episode is a 2020 IBHOF inductee, top promoter, film producer, and minor league franchise owner - Mr. Lou DiBella. Lou shared his feelings on not being able to enjoy his induction into the IBHOF this year due to the COVID shutdown. We spoke about how major league baseball is making a mistake in retracting a big part of its minor league system. We talked about how Top Rank is managing at implementing their COVID protocols and still putting on shows - and how Lou’s fighter Mikkel LesPierre’s COVID situation went down. We also got into how the financial burden of testing is particularly rough on smaller promoters and club shows. We discussed what’s next for other members of the DiBella Entertainment roster including Regis Prograis, Amanda Serrano, Ivan Baranchyk, Jerry Forrest, Tevin Farmer, Charles Conwell, and Bakhodir Jalalov. We also find out if Lou is making plans to go to Bahrain for the big boxing summit later this year. It was a lively and informative conversation. Hope you enjoy it.

My guests on this episode are two distinguished Irish sports writers - Kieran Cunningham, Chief Sports Writer at the Irish Daily Star in Dublin and Ewan MacKenna, Host of The Black Eye Podcast and Columnist for the Irish Independent News. We discussed the recent comments by Promoter Bob Arum about using alleged drug cartel boss Daniel Kinahan as his agent in United Arab Emirates to negotiate a potential deal for the Heavyweight unification fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Additionally, we spoke about the origins of MTK Global and the chilling effect the shooting at a weigh-in at The Regency Hotel in Dublin has had on boxing in The Republic of Ireland. Great conversation - I hope you enjoy.

My guest on this episode is one of the top matchmakers in the game, Golden Boy’s Roberto Diaz. We discussed how Roberto got into the sport through a chance meeting with one of his favorite fighters - Marco Antonio Barrera and how Eric Gomez drafted him to be a matchmaker for Golden Boy out of necessity. We got into how Roberto learned matchmaking on the job and what a typical day in the life of a matchmaker is like. We talked about how Golden Boy has handled the COVID lockdown on social media and what their plans are for coming back after the lockdown is lifted. Roberto broke down GB’s plans for the starfighters and prospects on their roster including Canelo Alvarez, JoJo Diaz, Ryan Garcia, Vergil Ortiz, Xu Can, and many more. It was a great conversation - hope you enjoy!