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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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