Podbit · The Louis Theroux Podcast
In a single line, Lineker captured his entire life arc: born to be in the penalty box as a striker, became reasonably good on the television box as a presenter, and will soon be in a box in the ground. Perfect, unimprovable, and completely effortless — just like his goals.
Where this was said
At 1:13:00 · chapter starts 1:07:50
The final substantive section covers Goalhanger's rise. Lineker explains the origin of the company: he and business partner Tony Pastore dabbled with the podcasts Behind Closed Doors with Danny Baker, then Tony noticed in a bookshop that four of the top ten books were about World War II and couldn't find a podcast on the subject. They recruited Al Murray and James Holland to make We Have Ways of Making You Talk, still running and with an annual festival. From there, Lineker had the idea to ask James's brother Tom Holland to make a broader history podcast. Finding Tom a co-host took months until Tony asked who he'd want next to him in a pub of historians — 'Dominic,' said Tom — and The Rest Is History was born. Apple has since announced it as the world's biggest podcast. Lineker describes his own role with characteristic self-deprecation: 'I let everyone else do the work and then get all the praise, exactly the same as my football career.' The episode closes on his legendary three-act boxing of his life, and Theroux's warm outro. [1] — Gary Lineker "Tony Pastore noticed four of the top 10 books in a shop were about World War II and couldn't find a podcast on it, so Goalhanger made one. …" 1:08:15
Tony Pastore noticed four of the top 10 books in a shop were about World War II and couldn't find a podcast on it, so Goalhanger made one. That led to The Rest Is History with Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook — now announced by Apple as the biggest podcast in the world.
Apple recently announced that The Rest Is History, produced by Lineker's Goalhanger company, is the biggest podcast in the world.
Thomas's wife deferred her CrossFit career — she's in the global top 1% of athletes — to put him through law school debt-free. He wants her to chase the dream now; she wants the emergency fund and house down payment first. On a $200K lawyer income with no debt, the opportunity cost is just a few months of slower saving.
Underground calisthenics battles are exactly like UFC meets a rap battle — 150 people crowded around a circle, fighters walking out with masks and chains, nicknames like 'Extra Money' vs 'Calisthenics the Prince,' and people throwing money and betting. The battle set: 100 burpees, 50 muscle-ups, 75 dips, 75 squats with a 65-pound dumbbell. This is the next big spectator sport.
Rico Verhoeven controlled the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion for approximately 10 rounds — and had his appeal upheld when officials admitted the fight was stopped after the bell. The result was never overturned. Rogan calls it either incompetence or corruption, and argues the money behind Usyk made an upset politically inconvenient.
Rogan lays out a blunt case: boxing's 3-judge system is structurally broken, and the judges know who the promoter wants to win. Glory's 5-judge format is the right model. Corruption doesn't have to be conscious — just knowing Usyk is the cash cow is enough to tilt the scales.
With the Usyk-Wilder fight stalling and Fury-Joshua coming too late, the real fight the world wants is the rematch. Rico is a free agent. Usyk vacated his belts. The story is unfinished and both Rogan and Rico know it. His Excellency Turki Alasheikh already called for it ringside — the question is money.
Rico texted Jason Statham during the Canelo-Crawford fight. Statham showed Rico's highlight videos to promoters. Two days later, Rico was on a call about fighting Anthony Joshua. When Joshua pulled out, Rico pitched Usyk himself — Undisputed vs. Undisputed. Usyk said yes in two weeks. The whole thing started with one text.
Every heavyweight who faced Usyk tried to move to the right — straight into his power hand. Rico and Peter Fury identified the obvious solution: move left, away from the left hand, and smother him with size. It sounds simple. Nobody had done it. That one adjustment was the foundation of 10 dominant rounds.
MMA fans boo when fights go to the ground. They love stand-up. Kickboxing is pure stand-up. Yet it barely exists in America while boxing and MMA are enormous. Rogan's diagnosis: no promotion machine. If the UFC got behind kickboxing the way they've built MMA, it would explode. The talent is there — the storytelling machine is not.
A nation of 17 million people gave the world Ramon Deckers, Peter Aerts, Badr Hari, Melvin Manhoef, Rob Kamen, Ernesto Hoost, and Rico Verhoeven. Rico's theory: the country is so small that every gym shares knowledge freely. In the US, you need a flight. In Holland, you drive 40 minutes and spar the national champion.
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