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

Andre Ward and Roy Jones Jr. are back with a new edition of HALL OF GAME, and they&rsquo;re going straight at the fight everybody just watched: Jaron &ldquo;Boots&rdquo; Ennis stopping Xander Zayas in the 7th round at Barclays. Boots broke Zayas down to the body, but the Hall of Fame duo don&rsquo;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&rsquo;s a real flaw or just the cost of having that much in the bag. From there it&rsquo;s the stoppage everyone&rsquo;s arguing about: should Zayas&rsquo; 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&rsquo;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&rsquo; &ldquo;defensive lapse&rdquo; overblown? 9:11 Ad break 10:31 Zayas&rsquo; round 3 strategy debated 12:57 Boots&rsquo; defense, standards, and grading his own performance 18:19 Ward&rsquo;s &ldquo;mental letdown&rdquo; theory 22:07 The &ldquo;bag of stuff&rdquo; theory &amp; 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&rsquo;s next for Boots Ennis 56:56 Shoutouts: Vargas Jr., Whittaker, Valenzuela 1:01:16 Roy Jones Jr.&rsquo;s award shoutout 1:01:34 Outro

THE ART OF WARD is a series hosted by Boxing Hall of Famer and Chief Content Officer for ALL THE SMOKE FIGHT Andre Ward exploring the fight game from the inside out. THE ART OF WARD series is a tapestry of thoughtful content showcasing Ward’s personal, unmatched perspective shaped by his evolution as a fighter, a man and an influential figure in combat sports.

A series hosted by Hall of Fame boxing legend, Andre Ward exploring the fight game from the inside out.

The Art Of Ward

Boots Ennis BROKE Xander Zayas Down, but Roy & Dre Don’t Agree on That “Mental Lapse”

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/15a742ea-1a7d-4a1a-ae7d-b479017b3cbb/transcript