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

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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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