The Art Of Ward

On this special Mike Tyson edition of HALL OF GAME, Andre Ward sits down with six-time world champion Zab Judah to look ahead to Netflix’s four-part ‘TYSON’ documentary series and unpack the contradictions behind one of boxing’s most feared figures. Zab recalls spending a month with Tyson as a teenager—and wrecking one of his brand-new custom Ducati motorcycles. Zab expected the worst. Instead, Mike asked whether he and his brother were okay and told them, “That bike is replaceable. You guys are not replaceable.” Dre and Zab also discuss Tyson’s intelligence, his honesty about entering fights terrified, and how that openness helped other champions understand and overcome their own fear.They close with the Mike Tyson they see today: calmer, family-focused and still capable of commanding the world’s attention. From his evolution outside the ring to the way he sold the Jake Paul fight approaching 60, the aura remains unmistakable. 0:00 – Mike Tyson Special0:50 – Can Four Episodes Capture Tyson’s Life?4:21 – Zab’s Month With Mike Tyson4:56 – The Wrecked Ducati Story8:10 – The Reader Behind the Knockouts8:50 – Tyson’s Honesty About Fear12:39 – What Andre Ward Learned From Tyson13:49 – What the Netflix Series Must Show14:59 – Who Mike Tyson Is Today17:10 – How Tyson Still Sells a Fight18:24 – Final Thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Marshawn Lynch pulls up on Andre Ward for a sit-down between two guys from the same soil. North Oakland, Oakland Tech, and a whole lot of people who knew them before anyone else did. Marshawn gets into how he kept his family together through the fame when so many athletes lose theirs, the Seahawks contract talk in a locker room that got so heated he nearly put hands on his GM, and the lesson it taught him about leverage that he still uses on every deal.Then it’s Beast Mode. The coaches who told a kid at Oakland Tech he was training for the league, the shoulder-pad sensors that clocked a single game at seven total car crashes, why he still can’t tell you what he was thinking on the Beast Quake run, and the 31 straight days of Seattle rain that welcomed him to the city that became home. He talks about Mama Lynch and the village that raised him, the day his mom refused to put him on medication, and walking away from football at Super Bowl 50 without telling his agent.And he opens up about his father like he never has: the driving lesson his dad never showed up for, seven years without seeing him, and the call that came the day he was supposed to fly home and visit. Weeks before that call, Dre had met his father in person. They close on what every athlete needs to take care of on the way out, and on lifting up Chris Johnson following his diagnosis. 0:00 Intro1:15 Staying Grounded and Keeping Family Close Through Fame7:44 Never Buying Into the Fame10:44 The First Contract Blowup and Stacking Leverage17:25 Negotiating Under Pressure (Lessons From the Fight Game)21:16 How a $10K Shoot Turns Into $25K25:17 Giving Back and Turning Resources Into Income27:41 The Media Narrative and Proving Them Wrong30:12 Ad Break32:32 Oakland Tech and Where “Beast Mode” Came From38:02 The Running Back Mindset: Getting Through All 1140:32 Seven Car Crashes a Game42:42 The Stiff Arm, the Geometry, and the Beast Quake48:44 Winning Over the 12s and Seattle55:34 Mama Lynch and the Village1:01:43 Growing Up Without His Dad1:08:37 Seeing His Father Again1:11:55 The Call, the Six-Hour Walk, and No Resentment1:18:41 The Memories He Does Have1:26:42 Why the Community Needs Fathers and Mentors1:31:42 When Family Can’t Grow With You1:43:31 Retiring at Super Bowl 50 and Life After Football1:51:42 Body, Mind, and Money1:57:57 Chris Johnson and the Message to Young Athletes2:05:16 Getting Proactive About Your Health Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 legend04:38 – Origin story: his mother’s journey from Italy11:08 – Young Joe: quiet childhood, his sister’s death11:56 – His father and alcoholism15:01 – Forgiveness and looking forward, not back18:11 – Big Italian family, horse racing, cards20:30 – “I loathe mediocrity”21:42 – Chasing “magis” — the pursuit of more26:28 – Saint Joseph and fatherhood as identity29:52 – The football injury that changed everything32:25 – Discovering “the voice”35:19 – Survivor’s guilt and his sister’s death39:37 – Business degree over communications44:16 – Getting removed from Monday Night Football45:57 – The 2002 ESPN call and boxing roots51:13 – Uncle Mike the baker: talent vs. opportunity1:04:45 – Crawford vs. Khan: the medical episode begins1:09:25 – Hospital, IV, and walking out of the ER1:14:28 – Calling his son John’s fake field goal1:26:38 – Stripped down: “Who is Joe Tessitore?” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 Ward02:30 - The First Meeting & Frank Ward’s Request06:02 - Virgil’s Depression & Why That Day Was Spiritual06:47 - Building a Foundation Before the Temptations08:30 - Andre & His Brother Move In With Virgil & His Wife10:30 - Frank Ward, Andre’s Mom & The Mother Wound14:00 - Battle Testing With Donaire & The First Fights16:00 - The Silver Gloves Nationals & Curtis Stevens20:00 - Sparring Pros at 13 & The Strength Behind It21:11 - The Difference Between Andre & His Brother21:57 - Drive, Tenacity & Being a Student of The Game24:30 - The Junior Olympics & When The Streets Started Calling27:13 - The Oakland Mystique & Virgil’s Focus Shifts29:39 - The Psychology: Guilt Trips, Interventions & The Hennessy Bottle32:06 - Can You Make A Great Without Sacrifice?33:16 - Structure Is The Foundation of Greatness35:33 - His Mother’s Relapse & Selling Dope Two Blocks Away37:00 - The Prayers Working & Virgil’s Street Intelligence39:41 - Structure Kept Him From Crossing The Line42:47 - Virgil’s Diary Entry & The Full Prophecy44:50 - Washington, Tiffney & Marrying Young Against Everyone’s Advice49:04 - James Prince Enters The Picture52:17 - “He’ll Win Us A Gold Medal”: The Guarantee To J Prince53:22 - Exposed To The Life: Floyd, Roy & Dre Losing His Father58:00 - Surrendering & Locking In For The Olympics01:00:10 - “You Don’t Think I Can Get You To Athens?“: The Faith Moment01:02:35 - Front Row Tickets & God Paying For The Whole Trip01:08:13 - The Last American Male Olympic Gold & USA Boxing’s Problem01:11:24 - It Takes A Team & No Great Man Stands Alone01:13:34 - Body Language, Technical Ability & What Wins At The Highest Level01:16:46 - The Decision That Shook Everything Up See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 MomentAndre 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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices