The Art Of Ward

Skye Nicolson joins Andre Ward and Roy Jones Jr. on HALL OF GAME ahead of her November 8th fight against former three-time world champion Miyo Yoshida in Arlington, Texas on Most Valuable Promotion’s #MVPW07 live on ESPN. Skye breaks down the challenge of controlling a high-volume opponent in two-minute rounds, returning from the first injury of her career and preparing for her first fight under the MVP and Matchroom co-promotion.The conversation turns personal when Skye revisits her only professional loss to Tiara Brown. Despite believing boxing was 90 percent mental, she admits she had done virtually no mental preparation—and spent the night before the fight at dinner with roughly 40 friends and family members. Now she journals, visualizes and keeps a five- or six-person bubble throughout fight week.Andre and Roy share what their own careers taught them about isolation, responsibility and the difference between the people who come to watch and the fighter who has to perform. Family can support you, but they cannot make weight, execute the game plan or fight for you when the bell rings.[11:57 AM]getting timecodes together rn — dropping in 5 at 3pm ET 00:00 Skye Nicolson joins Hall of Game01:05 Postponed fight and first injury of her career01:48 Is Skye a happy fighter in camp?02:11 Why camp started in Dubai03:08 The value of pre-camp04:11 Scouting Miyo Yoshida’s high-volume style11:01 Coming back from injury the smart way12:15 Ring walks, style, and 150 amateur fights13:20 Competitiveness inside and outside the ring15:05 Lessons from the Tiara Brown loss, the mental side of boxing17:23 “My bubble”: setting boundaries in fight week19:16 Dre and Roy on isolating before a fight20:09 How Roy assesses a loss with his fighters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Andre Ward is joined by Roy Jones Jr. and Zab Judah for a three-champion breakdown of the biggest conversations in boxing. They react to Daniel Dubois’ win over Fabio Wardley, debate whether Ermal Hadribeaj deserved to finish the Sebastian Fundora fight on his feet, and explain why boxing may need instant replay.The conversation turns to weight, leverage and the fights that never get made. Andre reveals the preparation mistake he made before facing Sergey Kovalev, the panel challenges boxing’s “weight bully” label, and Roy draws a hard line on Devin Haney vs. Shakur Stevenson: fight at 140, fight at 147 or move on—with Tank Davis waiting as the alternative.0:00 — Welcome to Hall of Game2:00 — Zab Judah’s Youth Football Championship Run4:03 — Roy Jones Jr. on Building an Old-School Champion9:24 — Remembering Charles King11:32 — Daniel Dubois vs. Fabio Wardley18:52 — Sebastian Fundora vs. Ermal Hadribeaj28:58 — Emanuel Navarrete vs. O’Shaquie Foster34:06 — The “Weight Bully” Debate38:25 — Andre Ward’s Kovalev Training Mistake41:32 — Haney vs. Shakur: 140, 147 or No Fight?45:55 — Catchweights, Money and Negotiating Leverage55:31 — Roy Jones: Haney Must Stay at 1471:01:01 — Closing Thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this special Mike Tyson edition of HALL OF GAME, Andre Ward sits down with six-time world champion Zab Judah to look ahead to Netflix’s four-part ‘TYSON’ documentary series and unpack the contradictions behind one of boxing’s most feared figures. Zab recalls spending a month with Tyson as a teenager—and wrecking one of his brand-new custom Ducati motorcycles. Zab expected the worst. Instead, Mike asked whether he and his brother were okay and told them, “That bike is replaceable. You guys are not replaceable.” Dre and Zab also discuss Tyson’s intelligence, his honesty about entering fights terrified, and how that openness helped other champions understand and overcome their own fear.They close with the Mike Tyson they see today: calmer, family-focused and still capable of commanding the world’s attention. From his evolution outside the ring to the way he sold the Jake Paul fight approaching 60, the aura remains unmistakable. 0:00 – Mike Tyson Special0:50 – Can Four Episodes Capture Tyson’s Life?4:21 – Zab’s Month With Mike Tyson4:56 – The Wrecked Ducati Story8:10 – The Reader Behind the Knockouts8:50 – Tyson’s Honesty About Fear12:39 – What Andre Ward Learned From Tyson13:49 – What the Netflix Series Must Show14:59 – Who Mike Tyson Is Today17:10 – How Tyson Still Sells a Fight18:24 – Final Thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Roy Jones Jr. is out this week, so Andre Ward brings in the newest member of the All The Smoke family: six-time world champion, former undisputed welterweight king and Hall of Famer Zab Judah, the pride of Brooklyn, sitting in on Hall of Game. They start with Ben Whittaker's unanimous decision over Conor Wallace, the 10th round that had him in real trouble for the first time as a pro, and his own admission that he switched off. Dre shares the uppercut that wobbled him in his second pro fight, and both have a message for Eddie Hearn on how to move Whittaker from here. Then it's Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua, finally made for December 11 in Cardiff. Zab calls it the UK Super Bowl and real beef, while Dre wonders if the bigger fight is Dana White vs. Eddie Hearn. Neither of them knows what to make of AJ tickling Fury at the face-off. They close on the state of the game: fighters controlling their own story on social media, wolf tickets that never turn into fights, the business that gets in the way of the fights fans want, and why anyone saying boxing is dead has it wrong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Marshawn Lynch pulls up on Andre Ward for a sit-down between two guys from the same soil. North Oakland, Oakland Tech, and a whole lot of people who knew them before anyone else did. Marshawn gets into how he kept his family together through the fame when so many athletes lose theirs, the Seahawks contract talk in a locker room that got so heated he nearly put hands on his GM, and the lesson it taught him about leverage that he still uses on every deal.Then it’s Beast Mode. The coaches who told a kid at Oakland Tech he was training for the league, the shoulder-pad sensors that clocked a single game at seven total car crashes, why he still can’t tell you what he was thinking on the Beast Quake run, and the 31 straight days of Seattle rain that welcomed him to the city that became home. He talks about Mama Lynch and the village that raised him, the day his mom refused to put him on medication, and walking away from football at Super Bowl 50 without telling his agent.And he opens up about his father like he never has: the driving lesson his dad never showed up for, seven years without seeing him, and the call that came the day he was supposed to fly home and visit. Weeks before that call, Dre had met his father in person. They close on what every athlete needs to take care of on the way out, and on lifting up Chris Johnson following his diagnosis. 0:00 Intro1:15 Staying Grounded and Keeping Family Close Through Fame7:44 Never Buying Into the Fame10:44 The First Contract Blowup and Stacking Leverage17:25 Negotiating Under Pressure (Lessons From the Fight Game)21:16 How a $10K Shoot Turns Into $25K25:17 Giving Back and Turning Resources Into Income27:41 The Media Narrative and Proving Them Wrong30:12 Ad Break32:32 Oakland Tech and Where “Beast Mode” Came From38:02 The Running Back Mindset: Getting Through All 1140:32 Seven Car Crashes a Game42:42 The Stiff Arm, the Geometry, and the Beast Quake48:44 Winning Over the 12s and Seattle55:34 Mama Lynch and the Village1:01:43 Growing Up Without His Dad1:08:37 Seeing His Father Again1:11:55 The Call, the Six-Hour Walk, and No Resentment1:18:41 The Memories He Does Have1:26:42 Why the Community Needs Fathers and Mentors1:31:42 When Family Can’t Grow With You1:43:31 Retiring at Super Bowl 50 and Life After Football1:51:42 Body, Mind, and Money1:57:57 Chris Johnson and the Message to Young Athletes2:05:16 Getting Proactive About Your Health Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this episode of HALL OF GAME, Andre Ward and Roy Jones Jr. are back to break down Ryan Garcia’s round 2 TKO win over Conor Benn, why big weight cuts aren’t a flex, and the difference between criticism and hate. Pitbull Cruz wants next, while Roy wants to see Ryan solve the Shakur Stevenson puzzle, and Dre explains why the Devin Haney rematch still matters. Plus, Pitbull’s knockout of Nestor Bravo sparks a disagreement: was Bravo looking for a way out, or had he simply reached his level? Plus, Dre and Roy break down David Benavidez vs. Jai Opetaia and explain why Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua belongs in front of the UK fans. To cap off the discussion, Dre reflects on nine years of retirement as Terence Crawford faces pressure over Boots Ennis. Dre knows what it’s like to have your résumé questioned after you walk away. Roy explains why the competitive fire never leaves, and why talking back can pull a retired fighter into a fight he never intended to take. 0:00 – Intro & show rundown 1:32 – Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz demolishes Néstor Bravo 14:45 – Cruz calls out Ryan Garcia 19:59 – Ryan Garcia’s next move: Pitbull, Teo, Devin or Shakur? 25:58 – AD BREAK 27:06 – Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn breakdown 34:34 – Keeping a ‘championship mindset’ 43:43 – AD BREAK 44:30 – Jai Opetaia stops Noel Mikaelian, Benavidez showdown looms 49:55 – Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury finally set? 54:14 – Retirement talk: Ward’s 9-year anniversary & Terence Crawford 1:11:13 – Outro See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joe Tessitore sits down with Andre Ward, his broadcast partner of thousands of hours and, as Dre puts it, a mentor and a brother.The career is all here. Local news in Hartford, the ESPN call in late 2001 that put him next to Teddy Atlas on Friday Night Fights, the Emanuel Augustus fights he still calls flashes of genius, and why he never negotiates his own deals. He talks about getting pulled off Monday Night Football in the New York Post and not attaching emotion to a corporation, what actually separates a professional from a talent, and the Mike McQuade introduction that made a whole production room sit up straight.And then April 20, 2019. Madison Square Garden, Crawford vs. Khan, and Tessitore collapsing on air from the top of the building. The EKG, the ambulance, the son riding with him, and the moment he told the doctor to take the IV out, handed his kid a wad of cash for an Uber, and walked back into the Garden sweating through his shirt with the hospital band still on to call Bud Crawford’s fight. Ninety minutes after the main event, one person was still waiting outside the green room to make sure he was okay. It was the champion. 00:00 – Intro: Meeting a broadcasting legend04:38 – Origin story: his mother’s journey from Italy11:08 – Young Joe: quiet childhood, his sister’s death11:56 – His father and alcoholism15:01 – Forgiveness and looking forward, not back18:11 – Big Italian family, horse racing, cards20:30 – “I loathe mediocrity”21:42 – Chasing “magis” — the pursuit of more26:28 – Saint Joseph and fatherhood as identity29:52 – The football injury that changed everything32:25 – Discovering “the voice”35:19 – Survivor’s guilt and his sister’s death39:37 – Business degree over communications44:16 – Getting removed from Monday Night Football45:57 – The 2002 ESPN call and boxing roots51:13 – Uncle Mike the baker: talent vs. opportunity1:04:45 – Crawford vs. Khan: the medical episode begins1:09:25 – Hospital, IV, and walking out of the ER1:14:28 – Calling his son John’s fake field goal1:26:38 – Stripped down: “Who is Joe Tessitore?” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fourteen years after the fight that changed both their lives, Andre Ward sits down with “Bad” Chad Dawson and gets some things off his chest. Ward opens up about why he never wanted the fight, the apology he’s carried ever since, and what he knew about Dawson’s camp that he saved for the weigh-in. Dawson holds nothing back either: getting dropped in sparring two weeks out, who leaked it, why he’s “110% sure” Bernard Hopkins faked the shoulder injury, the Adonis Stevenson knockout, and the same referee who stopped both of his worst nights.From gloves on his hands as a baby to signing his first pro contract in the gym without anyone reading it, the three-time world champion walks through a career built on fighting anyone, anywhere, and the price he paid for it: three years in Vegas after the losses and the long road back home. Plus a first-time reveal about why he really chased Antonio Tarver, his pick in the Keyshawn Davis vs Devin Haney debate, and sparring Jake Paul. 00:00 - Welcome & Reconnecting with Chad Dawson03:23 - Andre Ward’s Reflection & Weight Class Regrets05:49 - Adonis Stevenson Camp & Weigh-In Scuffle08:13 - Press Conference Energy & Sparring Southpaws11:45 - Growing Up in a Boxing Family & Turning Pro18:15 - Glenn Johnson Reality Check & Style Identity25:01 - Breaking Out: The 2007 Tomas Adamek Title Win30:23 - Moving Camps to Vegas & Team Friction36:38 - Vacating Titles & Fighting Antonio Tarver41:16 - Chasing Big Names & Boxing Business Mistakes48:41 - Breakdown: Modern Fighters & Style Matchups51:44 - Facing Jean Pascal in Canada & Controversial Stoppage55:16 - Bernard Hopkins Drama: Ring Toss & Mind Games1:02:15 - The Aftermath of the B-Hop Fights1:08:40 - Weight Cut Nightmares1:14:20 - Reflection on Career Accomplishments & Hall of Fame Debates1:18:05 - Current State of the Light Heavyweight Division1:23:50 - Passing the Torch & Final Message to the Fans See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re BACK for PART 2 of THE ART OF WARD featuring Zab Judah. Zab kicks off by telling Andre Ward what the Cory Spinks fight week actually looked like: checking into the hotel under an alias and getting a death threat on the room phone anyway, armed security rotating outside his door through the night, and sending his conditioning coach out in street clothes to order the team’s food because he was certain somebody would try to poison it.Then the run that defined the rest of his career. He lost the undisputed title to Carlos Baldomir, and Don King had him re-signing his contract that same night, because the IBF belt was the only thing left that could get him Floyd Mayweather. Zab makes his full case on that fight: the glove that touched the canvas and was never called a knockdown, the first five rounds, Roger Mayweather coming into the ring in the tenth and his own father walking in right behind him, the $8 million purse and the $350,000 he handed straight back in fines, and why the year they suspended him afterward hurt more than the loss.Plus Miguel Cotto’s low blows on Puerto Rican Day weekend at the Garden, the Lucas Matthysse camp he built off a tape of Matthysse’s third professional fight, the three million dollars he refused to hand an investor, the accountants who ran through what was left, and the walk he took by himself to a Brooklyn hospital thirty days after his final fight that ended in emergency brain surgery. 0:00 – Intro: Fight week lockdown before Corey Spinks II7:53 – The knockout & the Harlem Shake celebration10:21 – Post-fight bond with Corey Spinks15:57 – The Carlos Baldomir loss & re-signing with Don King20:15 – Setting up the Floyd Mayweather superfight23:13 – Fight week tension with Mayweather27:06 – Breaking down Floyd’s style and the early rounds30:25 – Controversial scoring & the suspension conspiracy33:02 – The ring brawl breaks out37:04 – Body shots, fatigue, and respect for Floyd40:18 – Nevada fine, one-year suspension, moving forward41:36 – Miguel Cotto war at MSG & the low blows45:47 – When boxing became “just a job”46:27 – Underestimating Lucas Matthysse & the mid-fight adjustment52:10 – Becoming his own promoter and dealmaker56:09 – Money problems and hard financial lessons1:03:30 – Comeback fights and the Cletus Seldin stoppage1:04:28 – Hospital scare and emergency brain surgery1:11:10 – Recovery, reflection, and closing thoughts See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Zab Judah sits down with Andre Ward for a two-part conversation on a career that started at six years old and didn’t end until he was 41. The Brownsville-born six-time world champion takes Dre all the way back to the beginning: a mother and father who met in karate school, a house where you fought your own brothers for food and for who got the bike, the Golden Gloves chain snatched off his neck on the train, and the night his father woke him up in the middle of the night just to put him in front of Mike Tyson.Part 1 is the climb and the first collapse. Duva pulled him out of the Golden Gloves at sixteen and put him on a plane to spar Pernell Whitaker, who didn’t know who he was for three days. At eighteen he was the co-main event on HBO. At fifteen and zero he took the Micky Ward fight everybody told him to turn down, and ended up in the corner telling his own father he thought his ribs were broken. Then Kostya Tszyu: undefeated, headlining Vegas for the first time, and it was over in two rounds. Zab tells all of it, the stool, the referee, the year they took from him, and why he still says he never got to go out on his shield.Plus the recruitment that changed his career: Don King walking into Justin’s in New York with a bag of cash in the limo, the plane tickets to Florida that somehow didn’t exist for his two lawyers, the Statue of Liberty in the backyard, and the $250,000 in a Gucci bag and the green convertible Bentley he drove home himself because he wasn’t about to let anybody ship it. 0:00 – Welcome Zab Judah to The Art of Ward3:26 – Combat Family Roots & Growing Up with 14 Siblings6:01 – Brooklyn Amateur Days & High School Survival9:52 – Life in the Brownsville Projects11:09 – Meeting Mike Tyson at Age 813:07 – Tyson’s Highs, Lows, and Wisdom21:26 – AD BREAK22:51 – Golden Gloves Champion & NYC vs. Upstate Mentality26:26 – 1996 Olympic Trials & Linking Up with Floyd Mayweather29:12 – Turning Pro & Sparring with Pernell Whitaker33:24 – Tyson Undercards & the Mickey Ward War36:55 – First Title Win & Living Large as Champ39:44 – The Kostya Tszyu Fight & Aftermath44:07 – Throwing the Chair & Dealing with the Fallout52:39 – Second World Title & First Deal with Don King55:34 – Signing with Don King in Florida (the Bentley Bonus)1:07:55 – The Corey Spinks Fights & Becoming Undisputed Champ in St. Louis1:13:37 – Chaos in the Corner (Part 1 Ends) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Andre Ward & Roy Jones Jr are BACK after a wild weekend of boxing. Errol Spence Jr. came back after three years away, flew to Australia to fight Tim Tszyu in his own backyard, went the distance, and then walked away from the sport for good. The internet decided he looked shot. Dre and Roy see it completely differently, and Roy has a message for everybody with an opinion: if you never told him when to start, you don’t get to tell him when to stop.Plus Stephen Fulton misses weight again and comes home from Australia with no check, Edgar Berlanga climbs off the canvas to save his night at the Garden, and Roy tells young fighters exactly what happens when you let a promoter put words in your mouth. 00:00 – Intro00:23 – Weekend Recap: Spence Returns, Charlo & Fulton Fall Out03:54 – Andre Ward Gets Emotional on Chad Dawson18:08 – Hackett vs. Derevyanchenko & Berlanga Stops Butler22:07 – Stephen Fulton’s Weight Problem, Again29:54 – Errol Spence vs. Tim Tszyu Breakdown44:14 – AJ, Fury & Errol Spence’s Legacy See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fresh off his 2026 International Boxing Hall of Fame induction, Antonio “The Magic Man” Tarver sits down with Andre Ward and takes him from Ivy Lane in Orlando to Canastota: raised by a single mom with three sisters, put in the ring at nine as a punishment at the Boys and Girls Club, and the rock bottom at 18 that ended in drug rehab, where he was telling anyone who’d listen that he was going to the Olympics.Tarver gets into the stories only he can tell: watching Roy Jones get robbed in Seoul and getting up off the couch to run, captaining the ’96 Olympic team that consisted of a young Floyd Mayweather and Zab Judah, turning pro at 27 with not one promoter or manager calling, fighting four rounds on a jaw broken in two places, and the three-year campaign that ended with “You got any excuses tonight, Roy?” and the punch heard around the world.Plus the Bernard Hopkins fight he says deserves an asterisk, being Al Haymon’s first fighter alongside Vernon Forrest, playing Mason Dixon in Rocky Balboa, and finally getting his flowers. 0:00 – Welcoming Antonio Tarver, Newly Crowned Hall of Famer0:23 – Induction Weekend & Honoring His Mom and Trainer2:29 – Growing Up in Orlando with a Single Mom6:11 – Starting Boxing at 9 at the Boys & Girls Club7:24 – Leaving Boxing for Other Sports, Moving Out of the Inner City10:26 – Depression, Cocaine, and Hitting Rock Bottom11:41 – Watching Roy Jones Jr. “Robbed” at the 1988 Olympics15:33 – Deciding to Wait for Atlanta 199617:50 – ’96 Team Captain: Mentoring Floyd Mayweather & Zab Judah20:44 – Bronze Medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics22:46 – Turning Pro with No Promoters Calling27:53 – First Loss vs. Eric Harding29:54 – Turning the Tide and Knocking Out Harding with a Broken Jaw33:05 – The Years-Long Campaign to Fight Roy Jones Jr.35:12 – The Infamous Post-Fight Press Conference Callout44:39 – Breaking Down Roy Jones Fight I (2003)48:45 – The Controversial Decision49:31 – Fighting for the Rematch53:18 – Training Camp for the Rematch55:41 – “You Got Any Excuses Tonight, Roy?”56:14 – The Knockout Heard Around the World1:00:45 – Life After the Knockout1:05:47 – Al Haymon and the Business Side of Boxing1:07:20 – The Trilogy Fight in Tampa1:19:15 – The Bernard Hopkins Fight and Feeling Off1:28:16 – Owning His Lane and His Story1:30:38 – Final Lessons and Closing Thoughts See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jermall Charlo sits down with Andre Ward in Houston for his first real conversation in years, just as his comeback fight on the Tim Tszyu/Errol Spence card in Australia is around the corner. The two-time world champion and one half of Lions Only takes Dre back to the beginning: a two-parent household in H-Town, fighting on the same amateur card as his own father, the ingrown toenail that cost him the 2008 Olympics, and why he turned pro without ever signing a contract with anyone.Jermall gets into the stories only he can tell: jumping the gate to introduce himself to Al Haymon and the handshake that’s lasted 20 years, the mystery package sent to his room the night before his first world title fight, the divorce that took his kids and nearly took him, and the truth about turning down the Canelo fight in 2023 and watching his twin brother take it instead. Plus the Julian Williams counter he drilled every single day of camp, life as “the other twin,” and why at 36 he’s still in love with boxing. 00:00 Intro – Welcoming Jermall Charlo in Houston01:44 Body at 3602:26 Pushing each other with Jermell03:38 Early years in Houston, family life04:35 Amateur days, fighting on his dad’s card06:03 Twin dynamic – growing up as Jermall & Jermell08:16 From other sports to realizing boxing was “the thing”09:41 Early trainers & the amateur circuit11:35 Twin life, differences inside & outside the ring16:03 Missing the 2008 Olympics – injury & surgery17:21 Turning pro & staying self-made18:33 Meeting Al Haymon23:04 2015 – Winning his first title26:20 AD BREAK27:07 Life as a champion & the start of his faith journey29:55 Divorce, rock bottom & hitting his lowest point34:44 Full surrender – his testimony47:44 Julian Williams fight – the real tension52:03 Life after the win – spending, business side54:14 Two-year layoff & comeback vs. Benavidez55:42 Scouting opponents & in-ring adjustments56:42 The 2023 Canelo opportunity – why he passed it to Jermell1:00:22 Watching his brother take on Canelo1:01:23 Motivation for the Benavidez rematch1:01:55 Identity, legacy & the pressure of “being the lion”1:05:03 What’s next – real estate, ministry, business1:06:53 Closing thoughts & outro See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Andre Ward and Roy Jones Jr. are back with a new edition of HALL OF GAME, and they’re going straight at the fight everybody just watched: Jaron “Boots” Ennis stopping Xander Zayas in the 7th round at Barclays. Boots broke Zayas down to the body, but the Hall of Fame duo don’t see the third round firefight the same way. Roy calls it going to sleep, Dre calls it an exchange, and they go back and forth on whether it’s a real flaw or just the cost of having that much in the bag.From there it’s the stoppage everyone’s arguing about: should Zayas’ corner have waved it off in the fifth to save him the punishment? Did he quit, or did he show enough? Roy and Dre get into the difference between quitting and getting beat and the mental side of prizefighting.Then they look ahead: what’s actually next for Boots, chase the Vergil Ortiz fight, or Fundora? Plus shout-outs to Emiliano Vargas, Ben Whittaker, and Jose Valenzuela avenging his loss to Edwin de la Santos. 0:00 Intro0:46 Setting the scene: Zayas vs. Boots at Barclays Center1:36 First reactions: fight, atmosphere, stoppage2:07 Body shots that set up the finish4:01 Round 1 power and the Round 3 wobble7:05 Is Boots’ “defensive lapse” overblown?9:11 Ad break10:31 Zayas’ round 3 strategy debated12:57 Boots’ defense, standards, and grading his own performance18:19 Ward’s “mental letdown” theory22:07 The “bag of stuff” theory & lack of elite competition37:08 Setting up the late rounds38:33 Round 5 knockdown breakdown39:45 Should the corner have stopped it?44:18 Round 7 stoppage and the corner look46:28 Did Zayas quit? The big debate51:18 Where Zayas goes from here53:51 What’s next for Boots Ennis56:56 Shoutouts: Vargas Jr., Whittaker, Valenzuela1:01:16 Roy Jones Jr.’s award shoutout1:01:34 Outro See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Andre Ward and Roy Jones Jr. are back in a new edition of HALL OF GAME, and they’re not holding back. They break down the fight everybody’s talking about, Jaron “Boots” Ennis vs. Xander Zayas on June 27 at Barclays, and Roy makes his pick clear: on paper, Boots is supposed to win, and the only question is whether Zayas can take the punch. Who will come out on top?First they get into the NBA Finals: how the New York Knicks erased a 29-point Game 4 lead and snatched the title from Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs after 53 years, why Roy says De’Aaron Fox’s turnovers “turned the team off,” and what Wemby still has to prove. Then it’s Bam Rodriguez making history as a three-division champ at 24, the Inoue super-bantamweight fight everybody wants, and Roy’s blunt take on the modern “duck game” and the media that fuels it.Finally, the Hall of Fame duo talk Errol Spence Jr.‘s comeback fight vs. a tough Tim Tszyu, Errol opening up on THE ART OF WARD, and a message to the haters. 0:00 - Intro: Hall of Game Is Back1:15 - Roy Jones Jr. Catches Us Up: Franklyn Dwomoh, Newman vs. Munguia & Dallas Fight Card2:10 - NY Knicks Win the NBA Championship After 53 Years4:15 - Roy’s Take: De’Aaron Fox’s Turnovers & the Spurs’ Collapse7:34 - The Boxing Parallel: How Leads Slip Away12:08 - Shout Out to Jalen Brunson & the Knicks’ Grit13:54 - AD BREAK14:49 - Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez Becomes 3-Division World Champion16:40 - Can Bam Beat Naoya Inoue? Breaking Down the Styles25:30 - Xander Zayas vs. Jaron “Boots” Ennis | June 27 Preview27:43 - Is This Fight Too Soon for Zayas?30:23 - Breaking Down Boots’ Fight Game & the Weight Class Move36:20 - Winner Gets “The Towering Inferno” — What’s at Stake40:28 - Errol Spence Jr. Is Back! July 25 vs. Tim Tszyu41:48 - Roy’s Coaching Take: What Spence Needs to Rediscover43:27 - Dre’s Interview with Spence: The Crawford Fight, the Camp & the Comeback47:51 - Addressing the 10%: YouTube Critics Calling Spence’s Interview “Excuses”50:32 - Andre & Roy on Biased Media & Fighters Feeding Narratives58:45 - Katie Taylor Sells Out Croke Park (82,000 Tickets in 30 Min!)1:01:16 - Outro See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Errol Spence Jr. pulls up to THE ART OF WARD in Houston, in the middle of training for Tim Tszyu, for one of the most open conversations of his career. The Dallas native and former unified welterweight champion takes Andre all the way back — fighting in the DeSoto streets, a 120-degree gym with no AC, starting boxing late but making the 2012 Olympic team anyway, and the mindset that made him a feared sparring-session legend before he ever turned pro.Errol gets into the stories only he can tell: the day Floyd Mayweather called him an expletive mid-session and they turned off the bell to keep going, why his father steered him to Al Haymon over a $250K Top Rank signing bonus, the car crash that nearly took everything, the eye injury that cancelled Pacquiao, and the truth about the Crawford camp and the loss that reset his life. 00:00:00 – Intro00:00:19 – Relationship Between Andre & Errol00:02:30 – Training Camp & Working Smarter With Age00:06:03 – Growing Up in DeSoto, Texas00:07:16 – How Errol Got Into Boxing00:09:47 – Amateur Career & Roy Jones Influence00:13:00 – Competitive Mentality & Sparring Intensity00:15:30 – Starting Late & Being Preserved00:18:51 – 2012 Olympics Experience00:20:01 – Turning Pro & Signing With Al Haymon00:28:24 – Financial Wisdom & Life After Boxing00:34:13 – Sparring Floyd Mayweather00:38:58 – Kell Brook Fight in England00:42:52 – Relationship With Jerry Jones & AT&T Stadium Fight00:47:04 – Free Agent on Handshakes Only00:50:29 – Drinking & The Car Accident00:54:13 – The Shawn Porter Fight00:58:51 – Financial Discipline & Living Off Interest01:01:11 – The Car Accident: What He Remembers01:07:25 – Life After the Accident01:10:22 – Reconnecting With God After the Crawford Loss01:15:26 – Being a Present Father01:22:58 – Manny Pacquiao Fight Falling Through & Eye Injury01:29:13 – Making the Crawford Fight Happen01:31:47 – Crawford Camp Issues & Derrick James01:38:41 – The Crawford Fight Night01:44:59 – Life After the Crawford Loss01:52:32 – Why He’s Still Fighting at 3601:57:47 – Closing Thoughts & Appreciation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shakur Stevenson sits down with Andre Ward on THE ART OF WARD for the third time, and it might be the most unfiltered one yet. Fresh off selling out Madison Square Garden and turning Teofimo Lopez into a one-sided beatdown, the four-division world champ breaks down how he played that fight a thousand times in his head before the first bell, why he’s suddenly boxing’s most wanted (and most clout-chased) name, and the real story behind walking away from his WBC belt.Shakur goes deep on the Devin Haney standoff and the 144 vs 147 weight tug-of-war, fires back at Bill Haney’s “easy work” claim, sizes up Conor Benn, and guarantees he’d stop any UFC crossover that dares step in the ring, like an Ilia Topuria. He and Dre get into the boxing brain that separates the elite, studying tape vs trusting instincts, and the young fighters and managers Shakur is now building behind the scenes.Then it gets personal: why fame is a “cold game,” the Floyd Mayweather obsession that genuinely scares him, the J Prince lessons on teaching a man to fish, the O’Shaquie Foster beef, and what going out on top actually looks like. 0:00 - Intro & Sparring Session (Andre Ward & Shakur Stevenson)3:32 - Breaking Down the Teofimo Lopez Fight5:28 - Sold Out MSG & Handling the Pressure6:40 - “I Was Born for This” | Performing Under Bright Lights8:20 - Corner Advice & Almost Stopping Teo10:29 - The Post-Fight High | A Month to Come Down11:44 - Appreciating Teofimo for Making the Fight12:02 - Making Big Fights Happen Directly (Like Bud & Crawford)12:55 - Why Everyone Wants to Fight Shakur Now14:09 - Shakur’s Boxing Brain & Future in Broadcasting15:17 - The Imagination in the Gym | Envisioning Every Opponent17:15 - Having a Boxing Mind vs. Just Being Talented17:54 - Watching Film & Learning from Floyd19:11 - AD BREAK22:16 - The WBC Stripping Him of His Belt26:23 - The Devin Haney Fight | Weight Negotiations & Business Talk29:28 - Could Haney vs. Stevenson Actually Get Made?31:47 - Taking Callouts Less Personally | It’s Business Now34:06 - Conor Benn Situation | What Happened?34:41 - Assessing Conor Benn as a Fighter36:49 - Would Shakur Do a UFC Crossover Fight? Ilia Topuria40:39 - Does Shakur Like Being Famous? (Honest Answer)45:19 - The J. Prince Relationship | A Real Mentor47:11 - Managing Fighters50:33 - How Would You Beat Andre Ward?51:48 - How Would You Fight Bud Crawford?52:03 - Floyd Mayweather vs. Sugar Ray Robinson GOAT Debate54:09 - The State of Boxing Today55:20 - Biggest Lesson from 9 Years as a Pro55:47 - What Does the Rest of Shakur’s Career Look Like?56:31 - Thoughts on Adrien Broner’s Current Lifestyle58:39 - Floyd Mayweather’s Money Situation & Can’t-Let-Go of Boxing1:02:42 - Errol Spence Is Back | Thoughts on Spence vs. Tszyu1:03:45 - Shakur’s Message to O’Shaquie Foster1:06:07 - “I Don’t Run” | On Character & Integrity1:07:39 - Going Out on Top | Comparing Ward & Crawford’s Retirements1:11:21 - Outro See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Picking up where Part 1 left off, Virgil and Andre go all the way through the pro career. The 2004 Staples Center debut. The knockdown by Darnell Boone that nearly cost him an HBO deal. The frantic red-eye to Germany to lock in the Super Six tournament and opening the bracket against Mikkel Kessler at home, plus the collision course with Andre Dirrell that Bumper kept saying wouldn’t happen — and the moment Andre’s mind shifted on his own friend. Skipping Lucian Bute, beating Chad Dawson, and the two-year lawsuit that almost derailed everything.Then the Kovalev story like it’s never been told. Virgil admits he was a fan of Sergey Kovalev before him and Dre ever fought. The knee that swelled to three times its size in training camp and ultimately getting it drained two hours before he walked to the ring. Getting up off the canvas in Round 2 and closing like a champion, and the decision the critics still argue about — and Andre’s full response to all of it.And then, for the first time on tape, Andre reveals he knew going into the second Kovalev fight that it was his last fight — and never told Virgil. The phone call from Jack London Square the night before he announced his retirement. Virgil’s response, the investment lessons, the jewelry-vs-houses speech, and why Virgil refuses to be the old coach on a stump watching one of his fighters take brain damage for a paycheck.Part 2 of 2. If you missed Part 1, go back and watch the origin story. 0:00 – Intro: From the Streets to the Pro Game1:40 – The Super Six Tournament & Moving to 168 lbs3:34 – Facing Mikkel Kessler: Setting the Tone5:22 – Patterns of Success: The Journey & God’s Plan6:23 – Financial Wisdom & Having an Exit Strategy13:45 – Virgil’s Training Philosophy & Locker Room Rules21:20 – Keeping Fighters Focused & Blocking Distractions23:00 – Cleaning Out Super Middleweight & Moving to 17525:20 – Preparing for Sergey Kovalev: The 3-Fight Plan27:40 – Knee Injury & Doubt Before the Kovalev Fight29:43 – Walking to the Ring: Confidence Despite the Injury30:07 – The Knockdown & Corner Adjustments vs. Kovalev32:06 – Breaking Down the Kovalev Win & Critics34:04 – The Rematch & Kovalev’s Decline42:32 – Ward’s Retirement Decision44:13 – Knowing When It’s Over: The Mindset of Retiring on Top46:22 – Financial Lessons for Young Fighters49:18 – The Danger of Eroding Skills & Spending Your Prime51:38 – Retiring When You’ve Proven Everything55:06 – Missing the Gym & Staying Away After Retirement See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For the first time ever, the man behind Andre Ward’s undefeated career and 2004 Olympic Gold sits down on THE ART OF WARD... and they go all the way back.Virgil Hunter, 2011 Boxing Writers Association Trainer of the Year, pulls up for Part 1 of a two-part conversation 32 years in the making.This isn’t just a boxing conversation. This is the full story.The day a 10-year-old Andre walked into US Karate & Boxing in Hayward and locked eyes with a quietly depressed Virgil, still grieving the loss of his first prospect. Frank Ward’s simple request: “teach my son how to hit and not get hit.” The years Andre and his brother Jonathan lived with Virgil and his wife. The crack era in Oakland that pulled Andre into the streets — selling rocks two blocks from the apartment where his own mother was using. The psychology Virgil used to pull him back: the guilt-trip phone call, the jailhouse intervention, the Hennessy bottle quietly pulled from Andre’s bag in Las Vegas. The James Prince connection. Marrying Tiffney young against everyone’s advice. Losing his father in 2002. And the 2004 Olympic Gold in Athens and how Virgil had to move mountains to be there ringside. 00:00 - Intro & Welcome Hall of Fame trainer, Virgil Hunter, to The Art of Ward02:30 - The First Meeting & Frank Ward’s Request06:02 - Virgil’s Depression & Why That Day Was Spiritual06:47 - Building a Foundation Before the Temptations08:30 - Andre & His Brother Move In With Virgil & His Wife10:30 - Frank Ward, Andre’s Mom & The Mother Wound14:00 - Battle Testing With Donaire & The First Fights16:00 - The Silver Gloves Nationals & Curtis Stevens20:00 - Sparring Pros at 13 & The Strength Behind It21:11 - The Difference Between Andre & His Brother21:57 - Drive, Tenacity & Being a Student of The Game24:30 - The Junior Olympics & When The Streets Started Calling27:13 - The Oakland Mystique & Virgil’s Focus Shifts29:39 - The Psychology: Guilt Trips, Interventions & The Hennessy Bottle32:06 - Can You Make A Great Without Sacrifice?33:16 - Structure Is The Foundation of Greatness35:33 - His Mother’s Relapse & Selling Dope Two Blocks Away37:00 - The Prayers Working & Virgil’s Street Intelligence39:41 - Structure Kept Him From Crossing The Line42:47 - Virgil’s Diary Entry & The Full Prophecy44:50 - Washington, Tiffney & Marrying Young Against Everyone’s Advice49:04 - James Prince Enters The Picture52:17 - “He’ll Win Us A Gold Medal”: The Guarantee To J Prince53:22 - Exposed To The Life: Floyd, Roy & Dre Losing His Father58:00 - Surrendering & Locking In For The Olympics01:00:10 - “You Don’t Think I Can Get You To Athens?“: The Faith Moment01:02:35 - Front Row Tickets & God Paying For The Whole Trip01:08:13 - The Last American Male Olympic Gold & USA Boxing’s Problem01:11:24 - It Takes A Team & No Great Man Stands Alone01:13:34 - Body Language, Technical Ability & What Wins At The Highest Level01:16:46 - The Decision That Shook Everything Up See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

14 years later, Carl ‘The Cobra’ Froch sits down face-to-face with Andre Ward. The 2023 Hall of Famer, 4-time super middleweight world champion, and one of the most fearless personalities in boxing pulls up to THE ART OF WARD for a conversation almost nobody thought would ever happen.Froch walks Andre through the full story. From a skinny kid in Nottingham getting flattened on a rugby pitch, to walking back into a boxing gym at 19, to becoming a four-time world champion at super middleweight. He gets into the Pascal war, the Jermain Taylor stoppage with torn ankle ligaments and a scratched cornea three weeks out, the Lucian Bute destruction, the controversial first Groves fight he openly admits he was under-trained for, and the 80,000-strong Wembley KO that closed his career. And then he gives Andre what nobody expected: a flat-out admission that he bit Andre’s shoulder during their 2011 Super Six final, his read on the body shots Andre took that night that left him unable to move for a week after, and his decision to pull his family out of England for good and move to Dubai. He also tells the real story on Joe Calzaghe ghosting their planned exhibition, and weighs in on whether he’d actually get back in a ring with Andre Ward today.This is one of the most loaded sit-downs in The Art of Ward’s run. Don’t miss it. Subscribe to All The Smoke Fight for more raw conversations with boxing’s biggest names. Tap in. 0:00 Intro — Carl Froch comes on the show1:35 How Andre and Froch reconnected through David Haye5:40 Froch on leaving Sky Sports and going independent5:59 Growing up in Nottingham7:23 Family background and his relationship with his father11:47 His unorthodox style and the four-year break from boxing at 1513:47 Coming back to boxing at 19 and turning professional28:00 The Jean Pascal fight — his first world title35:00 The Jermain Taylor fight — torn ankle, scratched cornea, three weeks out44:00 The Super Six World Boxing Classic — entering the tournament51:53 First meeting with Andre Ward at the Super Six press conference55:21 Froch’s honest scouting report on Ward going into their fight58:27 The 2011 Super Six Final — what really happened that night1:01:15 Froch admits he bit Andre’s shoulder during the fight1:24:11 Froch’s honest self-assessment1:26:01 The body shots that left Andre unable to move for a week1:27:45 Lucian Bute — the destruction in Nottingham1:31:58 George Groves — the controversial first fight1:32:32 Wembley Stadium — 80,000 fans and the KO that ended his career1:38:01 Would Froch and Ward do an exhibition today?1:40:58 The Joe Calzaghe exhibition that never happened1:41:27 Life after boxing1:45:29 Why Froch is moving his family out of England to Dubai1:50:11 Wrap-up See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices