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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The VIRAL Roy Jones Corner Moment Explained, Boots vs Zayas & Tyson Fury Returns
Fury’s Comeback, Benn & Prograis’ ‘Crossroads Fight’ and The Corner Moment That Broke Boxing
Boots 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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Sebastian Fundora and Keith Thurman join Andre Ward and Roy Jones Jr. on HALL OF GAME just days before their blockbuster WBC super welterweight championship fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena Saturday, March 28th on PBC PPV on Prime Video. I

n this exclusive pre-fight episode, Thurman opens up about his emotional response to the original fight cancellation, reveals his tactical game plan for closing the 9-inch height gap against The Towering Inferno, and delivers one of the most psychologically intense breakdowns we've ever heard on the show. Meanwhile, WBC champion Sebastian Fundora explains why he's actually more dangerous on the inside than the outside, reflects on bouncing back from his only career KO loss, and confidently predicts this fight will NOT go to the scorecards.

Andre Ward and Roy Jones Jr. deliver their expert analysis, including Roy's unforgettable "two ways in the house" breakdown of how Thurman can win this fight. Both hosts agree: this is going to be a war.

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Katie Taylor sits down with Andre Ward for an unforgettable conversation that spans her entire legendary career. From growing up in a rough area of Bray, Ireland during a heroin epidemic, to disguising herself as a boy just to compete because women’s boxing wasn’t sanctioned, Taylor’s origin story is unlike anything in sports.

The two-time undisputed champion takes us through her impossible dream of winning Olympic gold before women’s boxing was even in the Games, the heartbreak of losing in Rio after stepping away from her father as coach, and how a cold call to her eventual coach in Connecticut and a message to Eddie Hearn launched one of the greatest professional careers in boxing history. Katie opens up about headlining Madison Square Garden, the electric Serrano trilogy (including the 74-million-viewer Netflix sequel), responding to “dirty fighter” accusations, and why she chose to make the third fight “boring” on purpose.

Ward and Taylor also go deep on balancing intensity with family life, the role of faith in the fight game, walking away on your own terms, and what legacy really means when the gloves come off for good. This is a must-watch for any boxing fan.

0:00 - Intro & Ring Magazine Awards
2:57 - Growing Up in Bray, Ireland & Falling in Love with Boxing
9:02 - Disguising as a Boy & The Impossible Olympic Dream
12:48 - Discipline, Sacrifice & Dominating the Amateur Scene
16:39 - Can Katie Taylor Turn Off the Intensity?
19:35 - Humility, Work Ethic & Staying Grounded
21:52 - 2012 Olympic Gold: The Day Ireland Stood Still
25:38 - Rio 2016 Heartbreak & Stepping Away from Dad
29:40 - Cold Calling Her Way to the Pros & Eddie Hearn
34:45 - Becoming Undisputed & The Sanction Fee Pain
37:17 - Taylor vs Serrano I: The Instant Classic at MSG
47:15 - First Pro Loss, Torn Calf & The Comeback
49:08 - Serrano II on Netflix: 74 Million Viewers & Mike Tyson
57:53 - “Dirty Fighter” Accusations & 2-Min vs 3-Min Rounds
1:05:01 - Serrano III: The Art of Adjustment
1:08:31 - Retirement, Legacy & Walking Away on Top
1:12:33 - Faith & Identity

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Andre Ward welcomes welterweight contenders Arnold Barboza and Kenneth Simms, Jr. to the Hall of Game ahead of their March 14th main event at the Honda Center in Anaheim. Both fighters are coming off losses and looking to make a major statement in what’s shaping up to be a true crossroads fight at 147 pounds.

Kenneth Simms, Jr. opens up about his razor-thin loss to Oscar Duarte, reveals the DM exchange where he told Barboza “You’re NOT a big name, bro,” and breaks down his game plan to take the fight to the trenches. He also shares the moment Tim Bradley told him he didn’t think he could beat Elvis Rodriguez, a slight that still fuels him today. Arnold Barboza gets real about being mentally and physically broken after fighting Teofimo Lopez following three back-to-back camps over nine months in Big Bear, and explains why he finally said yes to the Sims fight after years of passing.

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