The Art Of Ward

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 - Intro0:26 - Welcoming Zurdo Ramirez — Mexico’s First Cruiserweight Champion1:06 - Zurdo on Fighting for Cinco de Mayo (After Mayweather & Canelo)1:49 - How the Benavidez Fight Got Made2:11 - The PPV Sparring Sessions with Benavidez3:33 - Benavidez’s Strengths: Pressure, Volume & Power3:59 - 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 Plan9:46 - Zurdo’s Message to Benavidez & the Boxing World10:10 - Ad Break11:28 - Ward & RJJ Debate: Will Benavidez Carry His Weight at Cruiser?13:36 - The Riddle Nobody Has Solved: Benavidez’s Unbeaten Blueprint14:06 - RJJ’s Untold Story: Why He Refused to Spar Reggie Johnson in 199117:35 - Ward: Why He Kept His Distance from Fighters He Might Face22:12 - Ward’s Full Breakdown of Benavidez vs. Zurdo25:22 - Shoutout: Ayahna Gonzales & Combat U at Sacramento State27:00 - Outro
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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.
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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.
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The VIRAL Roy Jones Corner Moment Explained, Boots vs Zayas & Tyson Fury ReturnsFury’s Comeback, Benn & Prograis’ ‘Crossroads Fight’ and The Corner Moment That Broke BoxingBoots vs Zayas Is OFFICIAL, Fury Returns + Inside Roy Jones & Kevin Newman’s Viral Corner Moment

Andre Ward & Roy Jones Jr. are back with another HALL OF GAME, and this one gets personal. The Hall of Famers sit down with Roy’s fighter, Kevin Newman II, to break down the viral corner moment that took over social media during Newman’s fight against Elijah Garcia on the Fundora-Thurman undercard. Roy reveals what was going through his mind, why he went to that level, and the alter ego he calls “RJ” that he doesn’t like coming out. Kevin shares his perspective, his late father’s last text about Roy, and why this fight was bigger than boxing.

Beyond the viral moment, the crew dives into the biggest fights on the boxing calendar. Tyson Fury is making yet another comeback against Arslanbek Makhmudov on April 11th at Tottenham Stadium. They debate the Conor Benn vs Regis Prograis crossroads fight and why it matters for both legacies. Plus, the BIG announcement: Jaron “Boots” Ennis vs Xander Zayas, June 27th at Barclays Center.
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Andre Ward sits down with ALL THE SMOKE co-founder, Matt Barnes, for one of the most raw, unfiltered conversations in THE ART OF WARD history. Matt opens up about growing up biracial in Sacramento, fighting for respect on both sides, and the terrifying moment a racist incident at his high school turned into a hit on his life -- complete with NAACP intervention, 24-hour security, and a phone call from his own cousin in prison.

Matt goes deep on his NBA career: getting cut and grinding through the D-League, finally getting a chance under Don Nelson, the vindication game where he lit up Mo Cheeks for 25 points and 7 threes while talking trash the whole time, the Warriors’ famous “We Believe” playoff run against the Mavs, and the moment Nelly looked him in the eye and said “your time is up.”

But the core of this episode is the relationship with the late Kobe Bryant. Matt shares stories nobody has heard before. What their friendship was really like, the 4:30am workouts, Kobe’s belief that his next 20 years would be even bigger than his playing career, and a chance encounter in a grocery store with the man who was guiding Kobe’s helicopter the day he died.

Plus: losing his mom to stage-4 cancer that her healthcare provider failed to catch six times, finding God, the Derek Fisher story and how it actually ended, and when he knew to walk away from the NBA and enter media.
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