Beat the Clock: Sports Talk with Anthony Felli
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Beat the Clock: Sports Talk with Anthony Felli
Crawford's Historic Victory and USWNT Glory
Can a single victory etch a boxer’s name into the annals of history? On this episode of Beat the Clock Sports Talk, I'm diving headfirst into the unparalleled triumph of Terrence "Bud" Crawford, who made history by becoming the first boxer to clinch a world championship in four distinct weight classes. We dissect Crawford's masterful strategy against the formidable Israel Madrimov, scrutinizing the fight’s electrifying dynamics and Madrimov’s relentless style that ultimately fell short. Speculations abound on what the future holds for Crawford—could there be a rematch, or perhaps a dream bout with Canelo Alvarez on the horizon?
Switching gears, we celebrate the indomitable spirit of the US Women's National Team, who, under new head coach Emma Hayes, clinched Olympic gold. Hear about the pivotal roles of stars like Lindsey Horan, Naomi Girma, and Mal Swanson as they overcame both tactical criticisms and grueling match schedules. We also confront the darker side of sports, detailing WNBA player Dearica Hamby's serious allegations against the Las Vegas Aces and NFL Jets linebacker Hassan Redick's tense trade request. This episode promises a comprehensive analysis of these game-changing moments in sports history, so tune in for an exhilarating ride through triumphs and tribulations alike.
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Welcome to Beat the Clock.
Speaker 2:Sports Talk A swing and a belt left field way back, blue Jays win it. The Blue Jays are World Series champions as Joe Carter hits a three-run home run in the ninth inning and the Blue Jays have repeated as World Series champions Joe, you'll never hit a bigger home run in your life. Six yards away from Pontiac Third and three Montana Throwing in the end zone. Sharp on it.
Speaker 1:Dwight Clark Beat the clock sports talk.
Speaker 2:Martez looking Gets it to Bryant. Bryant dribbling has to put it up with the buzzer, banks it in Ha ha, he banks in the three and the Lakers win the game. And now your host, Anthony the Ant-Man Feli.
Speaker 1:What is up. Wherever you are and however you are listening, I am the Ant-Man and this is Beat the Clock Sports Talk. Thank you for spending your time with me today. Before we get started, make sure you subscribe to Beat the Clock, anywhere you listen to your podcast. Check out the website All links will be in the show description and be part of the conversation by checking out the contact, the host feature and get your voice heard. Conversation by checking out the contact, the host feature and get your voice heard. The 2024 Olympics are done and you better believe that we are going to talk about a few of the biggest stories and outcomes. The NFL preseason is here and there's a big change to kickoffs. Is it good for the game or is it a waste of time? I'll give my take, but first we have got to talk about something I've been wanting to talk about for a few weeks.
Speaker 1:Now it comes in the world of combat sports, the sweet science, the OG, the square circle. All right, enough with the monikers, you know what I'm getting to. The world of championship boxing Frazier Foreman and the greatest of all time, muhammad Ali. Or staying up late as a kid with pop to watch any combination of Lennox, lewis Holyfield, riddick Bowe or Iron Mike Tyson. I've always had an affinity for the sweet science. At one point in my younger years I even dabbled in the sport myself, but with short lived. I had never been better shape in my life. So, needless to say, I love the sport of boxing, all the history, grit and glory that came along with it.
Speaker 1:So on August 3rd and another great event the current pound for pound world number one Terrence Bud Crawford not only added to his own legacy, but the legacy of boxing as a whole, by beating Israel Majumov in a stunning fight by unanimous decision. With the win, and having moved up in weight to challenge, bud Crawford became the first person to win a world championship in four different weight classes. At 36 years old, with a 40 and 0 unbeaten record, crawford set his sights on Madrimov and his super welterweight title after beating Earl Spence Jr in July of last year, making him the undisputed welterweight champion. Well, I say that as if it was an immediate choice, but it was not like most things in boxing. Many believe that Earl Spence Jr would have activated his rematch clause, but he didn't. Then it was reported that Crawford was looking to move up to fight Canelo Alvarez, but that didn't materialize either. So I guess, if you're going to move up and wait, why not seek a title shot? Am I wrong? But Majumov is no slouch by any means, having been 10-0-1 coming into this fight and impressively finishing off hold on, I just had it here in my notes Impressively finishing off the undefeated Magomed Kurbanov in the fifth round to claim the vacant super welterweight title and Madrimov, a younger talent that, in my opinion, clearly held his own with the pound-for-pound number one, breaking Crawford's stoppage streak in the process and forcing a 12-round decision.
Speaker 1:So here's how it went down. Like most Crawford fights, it was slow, technical, waiting out his opponent, trying to time and figure Madjermov out. But the difference was Madjermov was not like any of Bud's previous opponents. He stayed jittery and in constant motion, fainting, keeping his head off center, successfully keeping Bud from timing anything. So this fight was boxing at its finest. It did not fall into the lust for big power shots, but certainly leaned into the precision and skill that each fighter possessed. By the end of the 12-round championship fight, crawford had thrown 158 more punches than his opponent and only landed 11 more Crawford based on CompuPunch.
Speaker 1:Crawford, based on CompuPunch, landed 21 more jabs than Madramov. Surprisingly, madramov landed 10 more power punches, but the difference of the fight seemed to be the seven rounds that Bud outlanded Madramov, and so the judges scored the fight closely 1-16, 1-12, 1-15, 1-13, 1-15, 1-13. Unanimously for the Omaha native and new super welterweight champion of the world. I always wanted to do that Terrence Bud Crawford. All in all, it was a great fight, bud now 41-0 and having set a new mark for champions in the sport, one that might not ever be touched in my lifetime. But what's next? A rematch, maybe A run at Canelo? The fan in me wants to see Bud fight and entertain for as long as I can watch the sport. But come on, come on. This is real life. You don't play boxing. It's a battle, it's a fight. It's a constant grind, mentally and physically. So, realistically, bud Crawford has nothing left to prove in the ring. He could walk away as one of the best to ever do it, although immensely underrated. He would face little to no criticism if he chose to walk away, and in a sport that is seemingly flatlined and often needing to be revived over the span of many years, bud Crawford, the Omaha native, has been a bright spot for the entirety of his prolific 16-year career. But he'll probably fight. Mike Tyson's doing it, roy Jones Jr is doing it. That's what fighters do. Arguably many greats have stretched their career out beyond their physical prime and some moderate success. So when, where and who? Are probably the most likely of the questions to be asked, and I will be sure to be covering it when the answers are revealed. Until then, congrats to the champ.
Speaker 1:And now it's time for the news. This is Beat the Clock. Sports Talk News NFL kickoffs. On the surface in the NFL, it would seem that not much has changed. The Chiefs are still projected to be the best team. The Jets and the Giants well, their front offices will presumably get in the way of their own success. And Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys well, they're still doing Jerry Jones things by making a mess on how they handle key free agents and the inability or willingness to make moves in the free agency, in the free agency and trade markets, especially during this offseason. And the Patriots find themselves in a deeper, much colder rebuild after moving off Bill Belichick than maybe even they had expected. After moving off Bill Belichick, then maybe even they had expected. But yes, on the surface the NFL Not much has changed. But in between the lines where the game is played, there is one key and very recognizable change and that is how each team will now execute kickoffs, now referred to as a dynamic kickoff.
Speaker 1:Teams will kick from the 35-yard line, same as before. Safeties will be kicked from the 20-yard line, which also stays the same, but the alignment is where the changes will be most noticeable. If you've watched them preseason, I'm sure everybody has noticed and I hope that this has been a positive thing for all you fans out there. All of the kicking team is except let's try that again All of the kicking team except the kicker, will line up with one foot on the receiving 40-yard line. The kicker cannot cross the 50-yard line until the ball hits the ground or a up in the setup zone. Five-yard area from their 35-yard line to their 30-yard line, where at least nine players must line up and at least seven players with a foot on the 35-yard line in some formation, whether it be outside the numbers from the numbers to the hashes or inside of the hashes, numbers from the numbers to the hashes or inside of the hashes the players not on the restricting line must, or restraining line must, be lined up in the setup zone outside of the hash marks and all players in the setup zone cannot move until the kick has hit the ground or a player in the landing zone or end zone Bear with me, it's a lot to follow. A maximum of two returners may line up in the landing zone and can move at any time prior to or during the kick. So the returners two of them can move anytime.
Speaker 1:How do you feel about it? Me personally, I love this for the NFL, absolutely love this, and I love this for all NFL fans. And why, might you ask? Come on, think about how it's been over the last several years. This means we get more football where, over the last several years, we may as well have had the ball placed at the 25 and the referee blow a whistle to start the game or the possession. In my opinion, the more the league can find ways to have action and movement in the game, the better the product is for us fans to watch. On a side note, did you know that during last year, the 23 season, the NFL reached the lowest kickoff return rate in its history, with that combined with an unacceptable injury rate, which is the reason why the kickoff rules changed. Excuse me, everyone who enjoys the game should be excited about this change. That's the bottom line, cause I know I am. And the NFL, over the past few years, has been a clear cut leader of viewership over the three major sports leagues.
Speaker 1:So with the extra rules intended for player safety which should be the highest of priorities it has, to this point, slowed the game down. That is the inherent risk. You add more rules, you slow the game down. There's more whistles, or baseball is trying to speed their game up. Football said whoa, whoa, wait a minute. Our athletes are way too fast and they hit each other way too hard. It's unsafe. So put more rules in, slow the game down. The math is simple, but it all equates to one thing more whistles, more dead balls, less actual football. That's not what fans want and certainly not how the league will stay at the top amongst its peers. So, even though this change will look and feel different, there's more action, the ball is in motion and all a much better product for us to consume. So give it a chance.
Speaker 1:Like Colin Calhoun said, the NBA set a standard when they implemented the three-point line. It took a while to catch on, but now it is the basis for NBA offenses. Now Everybody's shooting the three. The mid-range has died. Nobody's going to the rim. Everybody's shooting threes. Analytics shows that you have a higher chance of winning if you make three-point shots. That's easy analytics, but that's what it shows, so give this a shot. The NBA did it with the three-point line.
Speaker 1:I love this new kickoff rule. I love seeing more football, I love seeing kick returns and I'm excited for a whole season with this rule implemented. Oh and, by the way, I think it was just for historical reference. I think that this rule was taken from the XFL and so, look, I love it. I love the integration of the leagues. I love how players use that as a path to the NFL, or try to use it as a path to the NFL, and I love the fact that the NFL recognized man. That game is fun, that game is exciting, or at least that aspect of it, and we should try and implement something like that in our league, in our league.
Speaker 1:Next up, staying with the NFL Vikings first round pick rookie QB JJ McCarthy will undergo knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. It's still undetermined how much time he is likely to miss, but the Vikings are in good shape. They have former Jets first round pick, my guy from USC, sam Darnold, and by all accounts has looked like the likely QB1 so far in training camp in the preseason. So I don't expect that to change anytime soon, especially with no real competition at that position heading into the season. Opener In the WNBA, current Sparks and former Aces forward, derricka Hamby, filed a federal lawsuit against the WNBA and her former team regarding her treatment after revealing to the Aces that she was pregnant.
Speaker 1:Per ESPN's Michael Volpel, hamby alleges that she was subject to repeated acts of intimidation, discrimination and retaliation from the aces, leading up to her being traded to the Sparks in January of last year. Hamby also alleges that the WNBA failed to quote properly investigate the issue. According to the lawsuit, hamby is seeking economic losses, compensatory and punitive damages and attorney's fees. And lastly, back to the NFL Jets linebacker Hassan Redick has informed the team that he wants to be traded. The Jets acquired Redick from the Eagles for a conditional third round pick in 2026, but it seems that Redick and the Jets could not come to terms for a new contract, and so Redick has requested the trade. The Jets have reportedly answered back that they will not seek a trade with Hassan, who has been a training camp holdout so far, all preseason, and would be fined per the CBA for every day of camp missed. They stated per Ian Rapoport that their position remains clear and consistent and that they will continue to focus on the guys who are in camp as they prepare for the start of the season. And that is the news.
Speaker 1:What if I told you that the last time the U? S women's national team won an Olympic gold, there wasn't a woman's professional soccer league in the U? S. That's right. The WPS folded in January of 2012 and the NWSL, the current professional league in the States, got its start in 2013, 12 years later.
Speaker 1:But now now, after those 12 years, the US women's national team is golden again, led by Captain Lindsey Horan, naomi Gurma, mal Swanson, trini Rodman, alyssa Nair and new head coach Emma Hayes. The US women national team is headed back towards the top of the mountain after an undefeated run in this tournament that saw them play six games in seven days, a gauntlet of a schedule that include travel to far-spread cities around France in between matches. Much more impressive, the road to gold included two back-to-back matches that required extra time to complete the quarterfinal with Japan and the semis with Germany, all on their way back to the gold medal match versus a very speedy and talented Brazilian team. Now, before I get into what the US women accomplished, I have to take the time to talk about this Brazil team. The Brazilian team, led by legendary.
Speaker 1:Marta was every bit of the challenge that US women soccer fans have come to expect. I mean, they had some epic battles. Just mentioning the name Marta, in fact, is enough in most cases to create a sense of concern and stress for any opponent on the schedule. A sense of concern and stress for any opponent on the schedule. But the sheer resilience of this team, a team that scraped out of the group stage without their legend because of a questionable red card given Brazil's last match of the group. Well, let me rephrase that A questionable red card that was given in Brazil's last match of the group stages. If you're given a red card, it requires a two-game ban in the Olympics. So Marta's out for two games.
Speaker 1:Or maybe perhaps just an impromptu moment of emotion and lack of discipline by the Brazilian star. However, you see it, this young Brazilian team, and an incredible resilient team, made sure to get themselves and their captain to the gold medal match so that she could have a chance to close out her career as a gold medal winner. And of all the accolades and prizes and awards in Marta's illustrious career, an Olympic gold medal is one that has eluded her. Unfortunately, the story would not be a fairytale ending for Marta as she once again finds herself and her team on the wrong end of the scoreboard in a major tournament match against the US women. Now I could do a whole episode on all Marta has accomplished in some of the epic battles she's led and represented her nation in throughout the years, and maybe I will sometime. Or maybe I will sometime, or maybe.
Speaker 1:A social media series, but for this episode we focus on the champs. The US women, after having many questions, coming off a horrific World Cup showing the expectations, while usually very high, were somewhat tampered, tampered, tempered, tempered, somewhat tempered. But let's start with head coach Emma Hayes. Emma Hayes comes from Chelsea FC and she had only been with the team for four games prior to the Olympics, though she consulted the interim coach throughout the she Believes Cup, installing sets and culture, long before she herself got to step on the sideline. Well, oftentimes throughout the tournament, her tactics and use of substitutions I'm speaking of the Olympic tournament, this recent tournament, not the she Believes Cup tournament Her tactics and use of substitutions were heavily questioned and criticized, most notably by former player turned commentator, julie Fowdy.
Speaker 1:The US women stayed the course and together rode it all the way to victory. She has said her dream was to win a gold medal, and I found this fascinating. Emma Hayes is not American. Emma Hayes is from England, is from England and she said her dream was to win a gold medal, but not by leading the team of her home country, england, but by leading the United States. And just 10 games into a promising start, she has done it, us women are gold.
Speaker 1:They are golden. But one example of Emma Hayes' lack of rotation showed in defender Naomi Girma, who played every minute of every match in this tournament, yet proved to be an absolute star, many dubbing her best defender by far in the game today, and she certainly was the best defender in this tournament. Defender in this tournament, gurman was an absolute force and often the last line of defense, even though that really falls on Golia Lissanaer another star we'll talk about later and although she made some ball handling mistakes early on in the gold medal match, she has been the glue that has held this iteration of the US women's national team together. Other stars joined in the fun too, including the three-headed spear of forwards, mal Swanson, trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith. This trio is so dynamic. I mean really. They possess incredible speed and ball handling that is top tier. They possess incredible well, Top tier. They possess incredible Well. They are just incredible.
Speaker 2:A few key notes from the gold medal game.
Speaker 1:Brazil pressed and stressed the US defense the entire first half. If not for a listener in the net making key saves early on, this game could have been very different very early when the first half ended. I'd be surprised if the US women felt anything other than relief to survive the tidal wave of offense that Brazil relentlessly displayed all half. I would have thought that set plays, especially corner kicks, I would have thought that set plays, especially corner kicks, would have been the bigger factor and an advantage Brazil might capitalize on. But the US did a good job of limiting first half opportunities, while them themselves having a few. The results, however, were very underwhelming, as the US went 0-4 and Brazil followed that misery, going 0-3 in the first half.
Speaker 1:This game was really a game of two halves. Brazil, who had controlled the pace, played high pressure and held the US defense under pressure the entire first half and they came out looking completely different, as if Brazil just couldn't sustain that for another 45-plus minutes. Also, as an aside, the great Marta was held out of the starting lineup in her return from suspension and didn't see minutes until the 60-minute mark. Well after Mal Swanson broke free and finally got the ball through to the back of the net, jumping ahead a little. But that was the story of the second half. Several early balls through or individual runs lead into chances that just were not finished by the US and finally the best goalie in the world, alyssa Nair, made one final huge game-saving play near the end of the half. That score, a header by one of the Brazilian players off of a ball in by Marta, would have forced a third consecutive game that the US would have been in extra time and for anybody who doesn't know how extra time works in big tournaments like this.
Speaker 1:You play your 45-minute halves. Each half usually has stoppage time, so they make up for time that may have been lost or wasted during the course of the first 45 minutes for each half. And games can't end in a tie. So rather than going straight to penalty kicks, they play two 15-minute halves, called extra time, and at the end of extra time, those two halves. If the score is still tied, then you go to penalty kicks. So that's how extra time those two halves. If the score is still tied, then you go to penalty kicks. So that's how extra time works.
Speaker 1:I don't believe the US was equipped to handle a third game extra. Again, questions about rotation and substitution usages in Emma Hayes' strategy. Substitution usages in Emma Hayes' strategy. And, by the way, I should mention that Emma Hayes told reporters that the reason why she uses the same starting 11 and doesn't have a set rotation is because she's had so little time with the whole team that the starting 11 are the women that she trusts the most in the game, which makes a lot of sense. She's new. Leading up to this, she had only four matches with the US team. She didn't have a lot of time to really get to know the players on this roster and how they fill in past the first 11. I thought that was pretty interesting and it made a lot of sense. But, all in all, an amazing tournament, an amazing game, a statement made to the rest of the world by the U? S women, and the U? S intends to get back to the top of the women's international soccer world, loud and clear Now.
Speaker 1:I had intended to look up the FIFA rankings, which I'll do that right now. Let's look it up Women's FIFA World Rankings, because, coming into the tournament after the World Cup loss, the women seem to have dropped to fifth. Coming into the Olympics, let's see what this gold medal does for them. I don't know that they total up points and all of that. Update this as frequently as Um, just just one week later or so. But let's just see Uh, right now, spain, spain, france, England, so yeah, okay. So French jumped. England, germany and the USA. Uh, as of June 14th, it says the next update to this will be August 15th, so in two days. So, on the next episode, I'll update that. But right now the rankings are the pre-Olympic rankings, with the USA having dropped to fifth, so okay, so that's that and uh, congratulations to the ladies on the U S women's national team and congratulations to um all the medalists in in that tournament. I love watching uh international women's soccer. I think they play hard. Um, I think they're gritty.
Speaker 1:Um and and and. It's soccer. I mean the men. You don't see a lot of flopping in women's. Now I will tell you this Brazil, they are a fouling bunch. Brazil is so physical and they fouled so much that it just stopped the game. And there's a tactic to that, especially when you're trying to keep momentum and you're trying to stop. I mean, especially in the first half they were pressing so much. But one of the reasons why the US could not get out and run on them and make them pay for the high press is because they would foul and stop the movement of the ball. It's frustrating, frustrating to watch, but they foul so much. But I tell you what they are fast, they are young and Brazil is going to be a problem Brazil, I think we're going to enter a phase where we're going to see Brazil. We're going to see Germany.
Speaker 1:Spain team is always tough and I wouldn't be surprised if the Swedes and if Australia gets back in the mix here Because you know, aside from Japan, who's pretty consistent all the time, that list of international teams that I just mentioned Spain, germany, sweden and Brazil and Australia I mean that's top-notch soccer right there Always has been, always been tough test for the US ladies team. But we need that. We need not only parity but we need the pedigree to also stand out, much like college football. But that's about it for this episode. So before I go, I just want to shout out all the Olympic athletes, all the medalists. Congrats to our American athletes who finished the games in Paris leading the medal count and tied for the most golds. Shout out to the women's 4x400 relay team who won eight golds in a row. Huge congrats to the women's basketball team holding off the host French team and winning their eighth straight gold and 61st straight international win. Finally, the US men's team, also beating a host French team led by Wimby and Gobert, and this US men's men's have won four straight Olympic golds.
Speaker 1:Now May have to have a gold medal exclusive basketball episode as a follow-up to this one, maybe near the end of the week. I don't know, but there's so much to talk about LeBron James, steph Curry waking up out of a slumber to save the day. Two games in a row, the tough Serbia matchup and what that might mean moving forward. And what does the team look like past this year? Knowing and understanding that Steph is probably not coming back, lebron is probably finished and KD also may have seen his last days wearing the red, white and blue on this team. So more to come know. Like I said, we'll follow up, maybe do a standalone basketball episode at the end of the week, but until then, that is all for this episode. Check out beat the clock on instagram, facebook and x. Check out the website. Like, follow and subscribe. Let me find this. Let me find this, all the links in the show description Below. And until next time, I am the Ant-Man and this is Beat the Clock, so long.
