Famed as much for his mental fortitude as for his boxing skill and career longevity, Bernard Hopkins is one of the greatest boxers ever to compete professionally. He made a record 20 successful defenses of his middleweight crown before jumping up in weight, at age 41, to capture light-heavyweight gold. Now a partner in Golden Boy Promotions, Hopkins is passionate about fighter welfare, and in this episode he shares his thoughts on how boxers should take care of themselves; about training and diet, weight classes and weigh-ins; and the importance of looking out for athletes who put their lives on the line for others’ entertainment.

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Jim Lampley is not just a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame; he is one of the most recognizable faces and voices in the sport. After calling HBO fights for three decades, he recently published his autobiography, and in this episode he discusses his formative years, the influence of his mother, the various stages in what he calls a “uniquely lucky” life in sports broadcasting, watching Mike Tyson destroy Jesse Ferguson’s nose, the unexpected friendship between Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales, the value of silence, what makes boxers special, and what the sport should be doing better to protect its most important participants: the fighters themselves.

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Apologies for our prolonged absence. Blame it on the distractions of summer. But we're back with a new slate of interviews lined up, and we begin with one of the best-known and most influential voices in the sport: New Jersey boxing commissioner Larry Hazzard.

Larry was a Golden Gloves champion as an amateur boxer, became a referee in 1978 and was appointed to head the New Jersey athletic commission in 1985 - a task he has fulfilled, apart from a brief break earlier this century, ever since.

In this fascinating and wide-ranging conversation, Larry reveals the most difficult fight he refereed and the most unexpected situations he's had to deal with as the third man in the ring. He also talks about, among other things, the importance of health and safety, whether boxing needs a national commission, and whether the Muhammad Ali Act has been successful.

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Dr. Rudy Mondragón is an Assistant Professor of Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies at Loyola Marymount University. He was formerly a UC Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow in the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment at the University of California, Los Angeles. He brings a different perspective to boxing, examining the inequities in the sport’s labor market and drawing parallels with agricultural workers. In this podcast, he discusses his work to inprove fighter pay, encourage financial planning, and establish protections for retired and injured boxers. It is a fascinating and important topic, and it makes for a terrific episode.

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Alan D. Rogol, MD, Ph. D is Professor Emeritus (Pediatrics and Pharmacology) at the University of Virginia and an expert in the human endocrine system. In this fascinating conversation, he leads us through the basics of the endocrine system and how various PEDs and other substances affect it. He also discusses the tricky issue of therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs), and when to treat them with suspicion.

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Marc Ratner is probably the best-known regulator in combat sports. From 1992 to 2006, he was executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, after which he became senior vice president for regulatory affairs for Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC). In this rare interview, he shares memories of events such as The Fan Man and the Bite Fight, discusses the challenges with such issues as weigh-ins and fighter health, talks about the growth in female fighters in both boxing and MMA, and much more. It's a rare and illuminating conversation with one of the most respected people in the business

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Bruce Trampler has been the chief matchmaker for Top Rank for 45 years, and has also seen boxing from just about every angle: as an amateur boxer, a trainer, a cut man, a referee, a manager, and a judge. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2010.

In this episode, he explains the art of matching boxers strategically but carefully, about what he looks for in a young boxer, and about how the boxing business has changed. He also talks candidly about the dangers of the sport, about the art of trying to gently persuade boxers to move toward the exit, and even the emotionally shattering experience of having a boxer die in his arms. It's a compelling conversation with one of the sport's smartest and most experienced observers

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How do referees prepare for fights? How do they know when to stop a fight and when to let it play out? What are judges looking for when they score a bout? What do inspectors do? What do officials wish fans and media understood better?

Referees, judges, and inspectors aree vital elements in making boxing fair and safe, but their work is frequently little understood or maligned. Kenny Bayless and Robert Hoyle have been inspectors, judges, and referees in Nevada and in this episode they share their knowledge and thoughts and share stories from inside the ropes: from battling Mike Tyson after he bit Evander Holyfield's ear to being booed after stopping a fight only for the defeated boxer to pass away several days later. It's an absorbing episode you won't want to miss.

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When an athlete tests positive for a banned substance and claims it was the result of a contaninated supplement, eyes generally roll. But while it can simply be an effort to deflect blame and responsibility, contaminated supplements are a real issue and a genuine problem. In this episode, Oliver Catlin - president and co-founder with his late father Don of the Banned Substances Control Group (BSCG) - explains how supplements can be contaminated, what athletes can do to protect themselves against testing positive because of supplements they have consumed,and how BSCG's Certified Drug Free labeling helps to steer athletes and others toward trusted products.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fighterhealthpodcast.substack.com

In 2003, Taylor E. Hooton, a 17-year old high school student from Plano, TX, took his own life as a result of using anabolic steroids. His family established the Taylor Hooton Foundation to educate youth and adult influencers on the dangers of anabolic steroids, human growth hormone (HGH), dietary supplements, and other Appearance and Performance Enhancing Substances. In this episode, Taylor's brother, Don Hooton Jr., talks about Taylor and his life, the foundation's work, and the challenges of keeping performance enhacing drugs away from high schoolers in a social media age.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fighterhealthpodcast.substack.com