The Art Of Ward

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 legend 04:38 – Origin story: his mother’s journey from Italy 11:08 – Young Joe: quiet childhood, his sister’s death 11:56 – His father and alcoholism 15:01 – Forgiveness and looking forward, not back 18:11 – Big Italian family, horse racing, cards 20:30 – “I loathe mediocrity” 21:42 – Chasing “magis” — the pursuit of more 26:28 – Saint Joseph and fatherhood as identity 29:52 – The football injury that changed everything 32:25 – Discovering “the voice” 35:19 – Survivor’s guilt and his sister’s death 39:37 – Business degree over communications 44:16 – Getting removed from Monday Night Football 45:57 – The 2002 ESPN call and boxing roots 51:13 – Uncle Mike the baker: talent vs. opportunity 1:04:45 – Crawford vs. Khan: the medical episode begins 1:09:25 – Hospital, IV, and walking out of the ER 1:14:28 – Calling his son John’s fake field goal 1:26:38 – Stripped down: “Who is Joe Tessitore?” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Dawson 03:23 - Andre Ward’s Reflection & Weight Class Regrets 05:49 - Adonis Stevenson Camp & Weigh-In Scuffle 08:13 - Press Conference Energy & Sparring Southpaws 11:45 - Growing Up in a Boxing Family & Turning Pro 18:15 - Glenn Johnson Reality Check & Style Identity 25:01 - Breaking Out: The 2007 Tomas Adamek Title Win 30:23 - Moving Camps to Vegas & Team Friction 36:38 - Vacating Titles & Fighting Antonio Tarver 41:16 - Chasing Big Names & Boxing Business Mistakes 48:41 - Breakdown: Modern Fighters & Style Matchups 51:44 - Facing Jean Pascal in Canada & Controversial Stoppage 55:16 - Bernard Hopkins Drama: Ring Toss & Mind Games 1:02:15 - The Aftermath of the B-Hop Fights 1:08:40 - Weight Cut Nightmares 1:14:20 - Reflection on Career Accomplishments & Hall of Fame Debates 1:18:05 - Current State of the Light Heavyweight Division 1:23:50 - Passing the Torch & Final Message to the Fans See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 II 7:53 – The knockout & the Harlem Shake celebration 10:21 – Post-fight bond with Corey Spinks 15:57 – The Carlos Baldomir loss & re-signing with Don King 20:15 – Setting up the Floyd Mayweather superfight 23:13 – Fight week tension with Mayweather 27:06 – Breaking down Floyd’s style and the early rounds 30:25 – Controversial scoring & the suspension conspiracy 33:02 – The ring brawl breaks out 37:04 – Body shots, fatigue, and respect for Floyd 40:18 – Nevada fine, one-year suspension, moving forward 41:36 – Miguel Cotto war at MSG & the low blows 45:47 – When boxing became “just a job” 46:27 – Underestimating Lucas Matthysse & the mid-fight adjustment 52:10 – Becoming his own promoter and dealmaker 56:09 – Money problems and hard financial lessons 1:03:30 – Comeback fights and the Cletus Seldin stoppage 1:04:28 – Hospital scare and emergency brain surgery 1:11:10 – Recovery, reflection, and closing thoughts See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Ward 3:26 – Combat Family Roots & Growing Up with 14 Siblings 6:01 – Brooklyn Amateur Days & High School Survival 9:52 – Life in the Brownsville Projects 11:09 – Meeting Mike Tyson at Age 8 13:07 – Tyson’s Highs, Lows, and Wisdom 21:26 – AD BREAK 22:51 – Golden Gloves Champion & NYC vs. Upstate Mentality 26:26 – 1996 Olympic Trials & Linking Up with Floyd Mayweather 29:12 – Turning Pro & Sparring with Pernell Whitaker 33:24 – Tyson Undercards & the Mickey Ward War 36:55 – First Title Win & Living Large as Champ 39:44 – The Kostya Tszyu Fight & Aftermath 44:07 – Throwing the Chair & Dealing with the Fallout 52:39 – Second World Title & First Deal with Don King 55:34 – Signing with Don King in Florida (the Bentley Bonus) 1:07:55 – The Corey Spinks Fights & Becoming Undisputed Champ in St. Louis 1:13:37 – Chaos in the Corner (Part 1 Ends) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 – Intro 00:23 – Weekend Recap: Spence Returns, Charlo & Fulton Fall Out 03:54 – Andre Ward Gets Emotional on Chad Dawson 18:08 – Hackett vs. Derevyanchenko & Berlanga Stops Butler 22:07 – Stephen Fulton’s Weight Problem, Again 29:54 – Errol Spence vs. Tim Tszyu Breakdown 44:14 – AJ, Fury & Errol Spence’s Legacy See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Famer 0:23 – Induction Weekend & Honoring His Mom and Trainer 2:29 – Growing Up in Orlando with a Single Mom 6:11 – Starting Boxing at 9 at the Boys & Girls Club 7:24 – Leaving Boxing for Other Sports, Moving Out of the Inner City 10:26 – Depression, Cocaine, and Hitting Rock Bottom 11:41 – Watching Roy Jones Jr. “Robbed” at the 1988 Olympics 15:33 – Deciding to Wait for Atlanta 1996 17:50 – ’96 Team Captain: Mentoring Floyd Mayweather & Zab Judah 20:44 – Bronze Medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics 22:46 – Turning Pro with No Promoters Calling 27:53 – First Loss vs. Eric Harding 29:54 – Turning the Tide and Knocking Out Harding with a Broken Jaw 33:05 – The Years-Long Campaign to Fight Roy Jones Jr. 35:12 – The Infamous Post-Fight Press Conference Callout 44:39 – Breaking Down Roy Jones Fight I (2003) 48:45 – The Controversial Decision 49:31 – Fighting for the Rematch 53:18 – Training Camp for the Rematch 55:41 – “You Got Any Excuses Tonight, Roy?” 56:14 – The Knockout Heard Around the World 1:00:45 – Life After the Knockout 1:05:47 – Al Haymon and the Business Side of Boxing 1:07:20 – The Trilogy Fight in Tampa 1:19:15 – The Bernard Hopkins Fight and Feeling Off 1:28:16 – Owning His Lane and His Story 1:30:38 – Final Lessons and Closing Thoughts See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Houston 01:44 Body at 36 02:26 Pushing each other with Jermell 03:38 Early years in Houston, family life 04:35 Amateur days, fighting on his dad’s card 06:03 Twin dynamic – growing up as Jermall & Jermell 08:16 From other sports to realizing boxing was “the thing” 09:41 Early trainers & the amateur circuit 11:35 Twin life, differences inside & outside the ring 16:03 Missing the 2008 Olympics – injury & surgery 17:21 Turning pro & staying self-made 18:33 Meeting Al Haymon 23:04 2015 – Winning his first title 26:20 AD BREAK 27:07 Life as a champion & the start of his faith journey 29:55 Divorce, rock bottom & hitting his lowest point 34:44 Full surrender – his testimony 47:44 Julian Williams fight – the real tension 52:03 Life after the win – spending, business side 54:14 Two-year layoff & comeback vs. Benavidez 55:42 Scouting opponents & in-ring adjustments 56:42 The 2023 Canelo opportunity – why he passed it to Jermell 1:00:22 Watching his brother take on Canelo 1:01:23 Motivation for the Benavidez rematch 1:01:55 Identity, legacy & the pressure of “being the lion” 1:05:03 What’s next – real estate, ministry, business 1:06:53 Closing thoughts & outro See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Intro 0:46 Setting the scene: Zayas vs. Boots at Barclays Center 1:36 First reactions: fight, atmosphere, stoppage 2:07 Body shots that set up the finish 4:01 Round 1 power and the Round 3 wobble 7:05 Is Boots’ “defensive lapse” overblown? 9:11 Ad break 10:31 Zayas’ round 3 strategy debated 12:57 Boots’ defense, standards, and grading his own performance 18:19 Ward’s “mental letdown” theory 22:07 The “bag of stuff” theory & lack of elite competition 37:08 Setting up the late rounds 38:33 Round 5 knockdown breakdown 39:45 Should the corner have stopped it? 44:18 Round 7 stoppage and the corner look 46:28 Did Zayas quit? The big debate 51:18 Where Zayas goes from here 53:51 What’s next for Boots Ennis 56:56 Shoutouts: Vargas Jr., Whittaker, Valenzuela 1:01:16 Roy Jones Jr.’s award shoutout 1:01:34 Outro See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Back 1:15 - Roy Jones Jr. Catches Us Up: Franklyn Dwomoh, Newman vs. Munguia & Dallas Fight Card 2:10 - NY Knicks Win the NBA Championship After 53 Years 4:15 - Roy’s Take: De’Aaron Fox’s Turnovers & the Spurs’ Collapse 7:34 - The Boxing Parallel: How Leads Slip Away 12:08 - Shout Out to Jalen Brunson & the Knicks’ Grit 13:54 - AD BREAK 14:49 - Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez Becomes 3-Division World Champion 16:40 - Can Bam Beat Naoya Inoue? Breaking Down the Styles 25:30 - Xander Zayas vs. Jaron “Boots” Ennis | June 27 Preview 27:43 - Is This Fight Too Soon for Zayas? 30:23 - Breaking Down Boots’ Fight Game & the Weight Class Move 36:20 - Winner Gets “The Towering Inferno” — What’s at Stake 40:28 - Errol Spence Jr. Is Back! July 25 vs. Tim Tszyu 41:48 - Roy’s Coaching Take: What Spence Needs to Rediscover 43:27 - Dre’s Interview with Spence: The Crawford Fight, the Camp & the Comeback 47:51 - Addressing the 10%: YouTube Critics Calling Spence’s Interview “Excuses” 50:32 - Andre & Roy on Biased Media & Fighters Feeding Narratives 58:45 - Katie Taylor Sells Out Croke Park (82,000 Tickets in 30 Min!) 1:01:16 - Outro See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 – Intro 00:00:19 – Relationship Between Andre & Errol 00:02:30 – Training Camp & Working Smarter With Age 00:06:03 – Growing Up in DeSoto, Texas 00:07:16 – How Errol Got Into Boxing 00:09:47 – Amateur Career & Roy Jones Influence 00:13:00 – Competitive Mentality & Sparring Intensity 00:15:30 – Starting Late & Being Preserved 00:18:51 – 2012 Olympics Experience 00:20:01 – Turning Pro & Signing With Al Haymon 00:28:24 – Financial Wisdom & Life After Boxing 00:34:13 – Sparring Floyd Mayweather 00:38:58 – Kell Brook Fight in England 00:42:52 – Relationship With Jerry Jones & AT&T Stadium Fight 00:47:04 – Free Agent on Handshakes Only 00:50:29 – Drinking & The Car Accident 00:54:13 – The Shawn Porter Fight 00:58:51 – Financial Discipline & Living Off Interest 01:01:11 – The Car Accident: What He Remembers 01:07:25 – Life After the Accident 01:10:22 – Reconnecting With God After the Crawford Loss 01:15:26 – Being a Present Father 01:22:58 – Manny Pacquiao Fight Falling Through & Eye Injury 01:29:13 – Making the Crawford Fight Happen 01:31:47 – Crawford Camp Issues & Derrick James 01:38:41 – The Crawford Fight Night 01:44:59 – Life After the Crawford Loss 01:52:32 – Why He’s Still Fighting at 36 01:57:47 – Closing Thoughts & Appreciation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Fight 5:28 - Sold Out MSG & Handling the Pressure 6:40 - “I Was Born for This” | Performing Under Bright Lights 8:20 - Corner Advice & Almost Stopping Teo 10:29 - The Post-Fight High | A Month to Come Down 11:44 - Appreciating Teofimo for Making the Fight 12:02 - Making Big Fights Happen Directly (Like Bud & Crawford) 12:55 - Why Everyone Wants to Fight Shakur Now 14:09 - Shakur’s Boxing Brain & Future in Broadcasting 15:17 - The Imagination in the Gym | Envisioning Every Opponent 17:15 - Having a Boxing Mind vs. Just Being Talented 17:54 - Watching Film & Learning from Floyd 19:11 - AD BREAK 22:16 - The WBC Stripping Him of His Belt 26:23 - The Devin Haney Fight | Weight Negotiations & Business Talk 29:28 - Could Haney vs. Stevenson Actually Get Made? 31:47 - Taking Callouts Less Personally | It’s Business Now 34:06 - Conor Benn Situation | What Happened? 34:41 - Assessing Conor Benn as a Fighter 36:49 - Would Shakur Do a UFC Crossover Fight? Ilia Topuria 40:39 - Does Shakur Like Being Famous? (Honest Answer) 45:19 - The J. Prince Relationship | A Real Mentor 47:11 - Managing Fighters 50:33 - How Would You Beat Andre Ward? 51:48 - How Would You Fight Bud Crawford? 52:03 - Floyd Mayweather vs. Sugar Ray Robinson GOAT Debate 54:09 - The State of Boxing Today 55:20 - Biggest Lesson from 9 Years as a Pro 55:47 - What Does the Rest of Shakur’s Career Look Like? 56:31 - Thoughts on Adrien Broner’s Current Lifestyle 58:39 - Floyd Mayweather’s Money Situation & Can’t-Let-Go of Boxing 1:02:42 - Errol Spence Is Back | Thoughts on Spence vs. Tszyu 1:03:45 - Shakur’s Message to O’Shaquie Foster 1:06:07 - “I Don’t Run” | On Character & Integrity 1:07:39 - Going Out on Top | Comparing Ward & Crawford’s Retirements 1:11:21 - Outro See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Game 1:40 – The Super Six Tournament & Moving to 168 lbs 3:34 – Facing Mikkel Kessler: Setting the Tone 5:22 – Patterns of Success: The Journey & God’s Plan 6:23 – Financial Wisdom & Having an Exit Strategy 13:45 – Virgil’s Training Philosophy & Locker Room Rules 21:20 – Keeping Fighters Focused & Blocking Distractions 23:00 – Cleaning Out Super Middleweight & Moving to 175 25:20 – Preparing for Sergey Kovalev: The 3-Fight Plan 27:40 – Knee Injury & Doubt Before the Kovalev Fight 29:43 – Walking to the Ring: Confidence Despite the Injury 30:07 – The Knockdown & Corner Adjustments vs. Kovalev 32:06 – Breaking Down the Kovalev Win & Critics 34:04 – The Rematch & Kovalev’s Decline 42:32 – Ward’s Retirement Decision 44:13 – Knowing When It’s Over: The Mindset of Retiring on Top 46:22 – Financial Lessons for Young Fighters 49:18 – The Danger of Eroding Skills & Spending Your Prime 51:38 – Retiring When You’ve Proven Everything 55:06 – Missing the Gym & Staying Away After Retirement See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Ward 02:30 - The First Meeting & Frank Ward’s Request 06:02 - Virgil’s Depression & Why That Day Was Spiritual 06:47 - Building a Foundation Before the Temptations 08:30 - Andre & His Brother Move In With Virgil & His Wife 10:30 - Frank Ward, Andre’s Mom & The Mother Wound 14:00 - Battle Testing With Donaire & The First Fights 16:00 - The Silver Gloves Nationals & Curtis Stevens 20:00 - Sparring Pros at 13 & The Strength Behind It 21:11 - The Difference Between Andre & His Brother 21:57 - Drive, Tenacity & Being a Student of The Game 24:30 - The Junior Olympics & When The Streets Started Calling 27:13 - The Oakland Mystique & Virgil’s Focus Shifts 29:39 - The Psychology: Guilt Trips, Interventions & The Hennessy Bottle 32:06 - Can You Make A Great Without Sacrifice? 33:16 - Structure Is The Foundation of Greatness 35:33 - His Mother’s Relapse & Selling Dope Two Blocks Away 37:00 - The Prayers Working & Virgil’s Street Intelligence 39:41 - Structure Kept Him From Crossing The Line 42:47 - Virgil’s Diary Entry & The Full Prophecy 44:50 - Washington, Tiffney & Marrying Young Against Everyone’s Advice 49:04 - James Prince Enters The Picture 52:17 - “He’ll Win Us A Gold Medal”: The Guarantee To J Prince 53:22 - Exposed To The Life: Floyd, Roy & Dre Losing His Father 58:00 - Surrendering & Locking In For The Olympics 01:00:10 - “You Don’t Think I Can Get You To Athens?“: The Faith Moment 01:02:35 - Front Row Tickets & God Paying For The Whole Trip 01:08:13 - The Last American Male Olympic Gold & USA Boxing’s Problem 01:11:24 - It Takes A Team & No Great Man Stands Alone 01:13:34 - Body Language, Technical Ability & What Wins At The Highest Level 01:16:46 - The Decision That Shook Everything Up See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 show 1:35 How Andre and Froch reconnected through David Haye 5:40 Froch on leaving Sky Sports and going independent 5:59 Growing up in Nottingham 7:23 Family background and his relationship with his father 11:47 His unorthodox style and the four-year break from boxing at 15 13:47 Coming back to boxing at 19 and turning professional 28:00 The Jean Pascal fight — his first world title 35:00 The Jermain Taylor fight — torn ankle, scratched cornea, three weeks out 44:00 The Super Six World Boxing Classic — entering the tournament 51:53 First meeting with Andre Ward at the Super Six press conference 55:21 Froch’s honest scouting report on Ward going into their fight 58:27 The 2011 Super Six Final — what really happened that night 1:01:15 Froch admits he bit Andre’s shoulder during the fight 1:24:11 Froch’s honest self-assessment 1:26:01 The body shots that left Andre unable to move for a week 1:27:45 Lucian Bute — the destruction in Nottingham 1:31:58 George Groves — the controversial first fight 1:32:32 Wembley Stadium — 80,000 fans and the KO that ended his career 1:38:01 Would Froch and Ward do an exhibition today? 1:40:58 The Joe Calzaghe exhibition that never happened 1:41:27 Life after boxing 1:45:29 Why Froch is moving his family out of England to Dubai 1:50:11 Wrap-up See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the first time ever, Tiffiney Ward steps in front of the camera on THE ART OF WARD. Andre’s wife, best friend, and the woman who’s been by his side for over 25 years opens up about the life she’s kept almost entirely offline. From growing up as an Army brat in Germany, to losing her dad as a teenager, to getting pregnant at 16 and being moved down to Oakland by Virgil Hunter and his wife Millie, this is the origin story behind one of boxing’s greatest careers. Tiffiney pulls the curtain back on the moments most fans have never heard: their Wednesday-night bible study wedding, the contract Andre signed without showing her, the eight-week training camps that left her crying every single time, the surgeries, the lawsuit, the wink to her in the corner after the Kovalev knockdown, and the morning Andre laid on the bedroom floor and said “I’m done.” She talks about faith, motherhood, the Virgil and Millie blueprint, and what it really takes to stay locked in for 25 years inside a sport that breaks most marriages. This is Andre Ward’s untold story, told by the only person who’s been there for every chapter. Don’t miss it. Subscribe to All The Smoke Fight for more raw conversations with boxing’s biggest names. Tap in. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andre Ward and Roy Jones Jr. break down a stacked Cinco de Mayo weekend that delivered everything boxing fans wanted. David Benavidez became the first three-division champion across super middleweight, light heavyweight, and cruiserweight with a dominant performance against Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, and the question of what comes next is the biggest one in the sport right now. Roy makes a bold strategic call the Hall of Game audience will be debating for weeks: skip Jai Opetaia, skip every other cruiserweight, and go straight to Oleksandr Usyk while the iron is hot. Andre and Roy also dig into Naoya Inoue vs Junto Nakatani in Tokyo, where Inoue defended his undisputed junior featherweight title in front of 55,000 fans and broke Mike Tyson’s Tokyo Dome live gate record. They also react to the news that Errol Spence is officially back, set to fight Tim Tszyu in Australia on July 25. Plus: Mitchell Robinson and Dyson Daniels get tangled up in the Knicks vs Hawks 72-22 playoff blowout, and Roy explains exactly why a Pensacola fighter was never going to take that lying down. 0:00 - Intro 0:26 - Recap of Fight Weekend / Cinco de Mayo Boxing 1:32 - Undercard Review: Sanchez vs. Chavez 4:38 - Co-Main Event: Jaime Munguia vs. Armando Resendiz 5:53 - Controversial Decision? Duarte vs. Fierro Breakdown 7:41 - How to Score a Close Fight (Judging Discussion) 10:55 - Main Event: David Benavidez vs. Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez 15:57 - Benavidez at Cruiserweight: What’s Next? 16:47 - Canelo Alvarez vs. Benavidez: Will It Ever Happen? 19:09 - Benavidez vs. Usyk? Exploring the Big Money Fights 24:24 - Ad Break 27:12 - Naoya Inoue vs. Nakatani at Tokyo Dome (55,000 Fans!) 31:16 - Breaking News: Errol Spence Returns vs. Tim Tszyu 35:22 - Knicks vs. Hawks Braw 39:10 - Closing Thoughts on the State of Boxing See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Benavidez sits down with Andre Ward and Roy Jones Jr. on HALL OF GAME just days out from his cruiserweight showdown with Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez at T-Mobile Arena on May 2nd. El Monstro opens up on the move to 200 pounds, walking around at 210, and what it means to finally own a Cinco de Mayo weekend after 13 pro years and 27 years in the sport. “Greatness is not given. It’s taken.” Benavidez tells the story of sparring Zurdo at 17 years old for six weeks helping him prep for Arthur Abraham. Now they’re headlining a pay-per-view. He breaks down the speed advantage, why the punches that hurt are the ones you don’t see, and his promise to get the stoppage. Plus the rare father–son dynamic with Jose Sr., raising his own son Anthony in camp, and the threshold he says he’s about to cross. In the back half, Andre and Roy go non-boxing on the Steve Kerr era apparently ending in Golden State — what made Kerr’s run remarkable, why he transcended his own game to fit Steph, and whether stepping away makes sense at 60. They close with a health update on Shadasia Green after she suffered a brain bleed against Lani Daniels. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hall of Famers Andre Ward and Roy Jones Jr. welcome Mexico’s first-ever cruiserweight world champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez ahead of his Cinco de Mayo showdown with David Benavidez at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday, May 2 (live on PBC Prime Video PPV). Zurdo opens up about the pay-per-view-level sparring sessions he shared with Benavidez, admits Benavidez has “weaknesses” he’s been studying in the gym, and breaks down how he plans to fight a volume puncher without matching him punch-for-punch. This is a Mexico vs Mexico fight for Cinco de Mayo — the holiday Floyd Mayweather and Canelo Alvarez held hostage for a decade. Roy Jones Jr. delivers an untold story about why he refused to spar the #1 ranked Reggie Johnson in 1991 — the “I’m not teaching you anything” rule that shaped his entire career — and Andre Ward pulls back the curtain on his Super Six standoff with Andre Dirrell and why he had to “love him from a distance.” Plus: Andre’s honest assessment of Benavidez’s move up to cruiserweight, the riddle Zurdo has to solve that nobody else has, and why Benavidez gets the 60/40 edge heading into fight week. 0:00 - Intro 0:26 - Welcoming Zurdo Ramirez — Mexico’s First Cruiserweight Champion 1:06 - Zurdo on Fighting for Cinco de Mayo (After Mayweather & Canelo) 1:49 - How the Benavidez Fight Got Made 2:11 - The PPV Sparring Sessions with Benavidez 3:33 - Benavidez’s Strengths: Pressure, Volume & Power 3:59 - Zurdo Admits Benavidez Has Weaknesses (But Won’t Say What) 5:27 - Training at 34 — Is Zurdo Still in His Prime? 6:07 - The Julian Chula Relationship & Game Plan 9:46 - Zurdo’s Message to Benavidez & the Boxing World 10:10 - Ad Break 11:28 - Ward & RJJ Debate: Will Benavidez Carry His Weight at Cruiser? 13:36 - The Riddle Nobody Has Solved: Benavidez’s Unbeaten Blueprint 14:06 - RJJ’s Untold Story: Why He Refused to Spar Reggie Johnson in 1991 17:35 - Ward: Why He Kept His Distance from Fighters He Might Face 22:12 - Ward’s Full Breakdown of Benavidez vs. Zurdo 25:22 - Shoutout: Ayahna Gonzales & Combat U at Sacramento State 27:00 - Outro See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Unified 154-pound champion Xander Zayas sits down with Ak & Barak on RING CHAMPS for his most personal interview yet. The 23-year-old Puerto Rican star opens up about being bullied as a kid, his mom putting him in boxing to defend himself, getting beat up by a girl in the gym, and the moment everything clicked. Xander reveals the real story behind his stepdad becoming his father figure and how a single conversation about work ethic changed the trajectory of his career from natural talent to #1 in the nation. On the fight side, Xander breaks down his upcoming mega fight against Jaron “Boots” Ennis on June 27th at Barclays Center, revealing what worries him about Boots and why he believes Ennis has never truly been made uncomfortable. He exposes the real details behind the failed Vergil Ortiz negotiations, fires back at Shawn Porter’s “easy work” sparring claims, shares his thoughts on Devin Haney at 154, and gives his Benavidez vs Ramirez prediction. Plus: the full inside story of performing in the Super Bowl halftime show with Bad Bunny, Ricky Martin making him emotional, meeting Lady Gaga, and a tease about a potential Bad Bunny walkout on fight night. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andre Ward, Matt Barnes, and Urijah Faber hit Sacramento State for the first-ever Combat U panel, joined by university president Dr. Luke Wood, head basketball coach Mike Bibby, rising star Ayahna Gonzales, and more. This isn’t your typical fight podcast. This is a live event inside the only collegiate combat sports program in the country, where Hall of Famers across boxing, MMA, and basketball are building something nobody’s ever seen before. Andre breaks down what it means to be the GM of a college boxing team. Urijah lays out his full vision for creating a legitimate pathway from college to the UFC. Dr. Luke Wood shares his unbelievable journey from being born in prison and living in his car at Sac State to becoming its president. Mike Bibby talks about convincing Shaq to be the basketball GM in five seconds flat, coaching with his son, and what it’s really like rebuilding a program from scratch with 15 new players. And Ayahna Gonzales, Sac State’s first female boxing All-American, talks about her path from gymnastics to the ring and why she wants to be a doctor, not a pro boxer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.