Two of boxing’s brightest young stars join Andre Ward & Roy Jones Jr. on this edition of THE HALL OF GAME to discuss the biggest fights of their careers. WBO junior middleweight champion Xander Zayas breaks down his upcoming unification bout against former sparring partner Abass Baraou in San Juan, Puerto Rico, revealing the insider dynamics of fighting someone you trained with and what it means to carry Puerto Rico’s boxing legacy. WBC interim featherweight champion, Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington, opens up about his Madison Square Garden homecoming fight, the weight of being the eighth world champion from Brownsville, Brooklyn, and the emotional near-quit moment in 2018 that almost ended his career.

Two of boxing&rsquo;s brightest young stars join Andre Ward &amp; Roy Jones Jr. on this edition of THE HALL OF GAME to discuss the biggest fights of their careers. WBO junior middleweight champion Xander Zayas breaks down his upcoming unification bout against former sparring partner Abass Baraou in San Juan, Puerto Rico, revealing the insider dynamics of fighting someone you trained with and what it means to carry Puerto Rico&rsquo;s boxing legacy. WBC interim featherweight champion, Bruce &ldquo;Shu Shu&rdquo; Carrington, opens up about his Madison Square Garden homecoming fight, the weight of being the eighth world champion from Brownsville, Brooklyn, and the emotional near-quit moment in 2018 that almost ended his career.

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

Why Xander Zayas Is Fighting His Former Sparring Partner & Bruce Carrington’s MSG Dream

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/6c6be325-3dd5-4ccc-9aa0-b3df014b09cd/transcript

Andre Ward & Roy Jones Jr are BACK after a wild weekend of boxing. Errol Spence Jr. came back after three years away, flew to Australia to fight Tim Tszyu in his own backyard, went the distance, and then walked away from the sport for good. The internet decided he looked shot. Dre and Roy see it completely differently, and Roy has a message for everybody with an opinion: if you never told him when to start, you don’t get to tell him when to stop.

Plus Stephen Fulton misses weight again and comes home from Australia with no check, Edgar Berlanga climbs off the canvas to save his night at the Garden, and Roy tells young fighters exactly what happens when you let a promoter put words in your mouth.

00:00 – Intro
00:23 – Weekend Recap: Spence Returns, Charlo & Fulton Fall Out
03:54 – Andre Ward Gets Emotional on Chad Dawson
18:08 – Hackett vs. Derevyanchenko & Berlanga Stops Butler
22:07 – Stephen Fulton’s Weight Problem, Again
29:54 – Errol Spence vs. Tim Tszyu Breakdown
44:14 – AJ, Fury & Errol Spence’s Legacy

Andre Ward &amp; Roy Jones Jr are BACK after a wild weekend of boxing. Errol Spence Jr. came back after three years away, flew to Australia to fight Tim Tszyu in his own backyard, went the distance, and then walked away from the sport for good. The internet decided he looked shot. Dre and Roy see it completely differently, and Roy has a message for everybody with an opinion: if you never told him when to start, you don&rsquo;t get to tell him when to stop. Plus Stephen Fulton misses weight again and comes home from Australia with no check, Edgar Berlanga climbs off the canvas to save his night at the Garden, and Roy tells young fighters exactly what happens when you let a promoter put words in your mouth.
00:00 &ndash; Intro 00:23 &ndash; Weekend Recap: Spence Returns, Charlo &amp; Fulton Fall Out 03:54 &ndash; Andre Ward Gets Emotional on Chad Dawson 18:08 &ndash; Hackett vs. Derevyanchenko &amp; Berlanga Stops Butler 22:07 &ndash; Stephen Fulton&rsquo;s Weight Problem, Again 29:54 &ndash; Errol Spence vs. Tim Tszyu Breakdown 44:14 &ndash; AJ, Fury &amp; Errol Spence&rsquo;s Legacy

Dre & Roy Break Down Spence vs Tszyu, Fulton’s Weight Disaster, Berlanga’s Must-Win & Fury-Joshua

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/125ec4ab-0ac8-41b2-8739-b497003aa1e9/transcript

Fresh off his 2026 International Boxing Hall of Fame induction, Antonio “The Magic Man” Tarver sits down with Andre Ward and takes him from Ivy Lane in Orlando to Canastota: raised by a single mom with three sisters, put in the ring at nine as a punishment at the Boys and Girls Club, and the rock bottom at 18 that ended in drug rehab, where he was telling anyone who’d listen that he was going to the Olympics.

Tarver gets into the stories only he can tell: watching Roy Jones get robbed in Seoul and getting up off the couch to run, captaining the ’96 Olympic team that consisted of a young Floyd Mayweather and Zab Judah, turning pro at 27 with not one promoter or manager calling, fighting four rounds on a jaw broken in two places, and the three-year campaign that ended with “You got any excuses tonight, Roy?” and the punch heard around the world.

Plus the Bernard Hopkins fight he says deserves an asterisk, being Al Haymon’s first fighter alongside Vernon Forrest, playing Mason Dixon in Rocky Balboa, and finally getting his flowers.

0:00 – Welcoming Antonio Tarver, Newly Crowned Hall of Famer
0:23 – Induction Weekend & Honoring His Mom and Trainer
2:29 – Growing Up in Orlando with a Single Mom
6:11 – Starting Boxing at 9 at the Boys & Girls Club
7:24 – Leaving Boxing for Other Sports, Moving Out of the Inner City
10:26 – Depression, Cocaine, and Hitting Rock Bottom
11:41 – Watching Roy Jones Jr. “Robbed” at the 1988 Olympics
15:33 – Deciding to Wait for Atlanta 1996
17:50 – ’96 Team Captain: Mentoring Floyd Mayweather & Zab Judah
20:44 – Bronze Medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics
22:46 – Turning Pro with No Promoters Calling
27:53 – First Loss vs. Eric Harding
29:54 – Turning the Tide and Knocking Out Harding with a Broken Jaw
33:05 – The Years-Long Campaign to Fight Roy Jones Jr.
35:12 – The Infamous Post-Fight Press Conference Callout
44:39 – Breaking Down Roy Jones Fight I (2003)
48:45 – The Controversial Decision
49:31 – Fighting for the Rematch
53:18 – Training Camp for the Rematch
55:41 – “You Got Any Excuses Tonight, Roy?”
56:14 – The Knockout Heard Around the World
1:00:45 – Life After the Knockout
1:05:47 – Al Haymon and the Business Side of Boxing
1:07:20 – The Trilogy Fight in Tampa
1:19:15 – The Bernard Hopkins Fight and Feeling Off
1:28:16 – Owning His Lane and His Story
1:30:38 – Final Lessons and Closing Thoughts

Fresh off his 2026 International Boxing Hall of Fame induction, Antonio &ldquo;The Magic Man&rdquo; Tarver sits down with Andre Ward and takes him from Ivy Lane in Orlando to Canastota: raised by a single mom with three sisters, put in the ring at nine as a punishment at the Boys and Girls Club, and the rock bottom at 18 that ended in drug rehab, where he was telling anyone who&rsquo;d listen that he was going to the Olympics. Tarver gets into the stories only he can tell: watching Roy Jones get robbed in Seoul and getting up off the couch to run, captaining the &rsquo;96 Olympic team that consisted of a young Floyd Mayweather and Zab Judah, turning pro at 27 with not one promoter or manager calling, fighting four rounds on a jaw broken in two places, and the three-year campaign that ended with &ldquo;You got any excuses tonight, Roy?&rdquo; and the punch heard around the world. Plus the Bernard Hopkins fight he says deserves an asterisk, being Al Haymon&rsquo;s first fighter alongside Vernon Forrest, playing Mason Dixon in Rocky Balboa, and finally getting his flowers.
0:00 &ndash; Welcoming Antonio Tarver, Newly Crowned Hall of Famer 0:23 &ndash; Induction Weekend &amp; Honoring His Mom and Trainer 2:29 &ndash; Growing Up in Orlando with a Single Mom 6:11 &ndash; Starting Boxing at 9 at the Boys &amp; Girls Club 7:24 &ndash; Leaving Boxing for Other Sports, Moving Out of the Inner City 10:26 &ndash; Depression, Cocaine, and Hitting Rock Bottom 11:41 &ndash; Watching Roy Jones Jr. &ldquo;Robbed&rdquo; at the 1988 Olympics 15:33 &ndash; Deciding to Wait for Atlanta 1996 17:50 &ndash; &rsquo;96 Team Captain: Mentoring Floyd Mayweather &amp; Zab Judah 20:44 &ndash; Bronze Medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics 22:46 &ndash; Turning Pro with No Promoters Calling 27:53 &ndash; First Loss vs. Eric Harding 29:54 &ndash; Turning the Tide and Knocking Out Harding with a Broken Jaw 33:05 &ndash; The Years-Long Campaign to Fight Roy Jones Jr. 35:12 &ndash; The Infamous Post-Fight Press Conference Callout 44:39 &ndash; Breaking Down Roy Jones Fight I (2003) 48:45 &ndash; The Controversial Decision 49:31 &ndash; Fighting for the Rematch 53:18 &ndash; Training Camp for the Rematch 55:41 &ndash; &ldquo;You Got Any Excuses Tonight, Roy?&rdquo; 56:14 &ndash; The Knockout Heard Around the World 1:00:45 &ndash; Life After the Knockout 1:05:47 &ndash; Al Haymon and the Business Side of Boxing 1:07:20 &ndash; The Trilogy Fight in Tampa 1:19:15 &ndash; The Bernard Hopkins Fight and Feeling Off 1:28:16 &ndash; Owning His Lane and His Story 1:30:38 &ndash; Final Lessons and Closing Thoughts

Antonio Tarver: The Roy Jones Knockout, “Any Excuses Tonight?” & The Greatest Story Never Told

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/07c3e4a4-67cf-4512-9191-b48f0011c50e/transcript

Jermall Charlo sits down with Andre Ward in Houston for his first real conversation in years, just as his comeback fight on the Tim Tszyu/Errol Spence card in Australia is around the corner. The two-time world champion and one half of Lions Only takes Dre back to the beginning: a two-parent household in H-Town, fighting on the same amateur card as his own father, the ingrown toenail that cost him the 2008 Olympics, and why he turned pro without ever signing a contract with anyone.

Jermall gets into the stories only he can tell: jumping the gate to introduce himself to Al Haymon and the handshake that’s lasted 20 years, the mystery package sent to his room the night before his first world title fight, the divorce that took his kids and nearly took him, and the truth about turning down the Canelo fight in 2023 and watching his twin brother take it instead. Plus the Julian Williams counter he drilled every single day of camp, life as “the other twin,” and why at 36 he’s still in love with boxing.

00:00 Intro – Welcoming Jermall Charlo in Houston
01:44 Body at 36
02:26 Pushing each other with Jermell
03:38 Early years in Houston, family life
04:35 Amateur days, fighting on his dad’s card
06:03 Twin dynamic – growing up as Jermall & Jermell
08:16 From other sports to realizing boxing was “the thing”
09:41 Early trainers & the amateur circuit
11:35 Twin life, differences inside & outside the ring
16:03 Missing the 2008 Olympics – injury & surgery
17:21 Turning pro & staying self-made
18:33 Meeting Al Haymon
23:04 2015 – Winning his first title
26:20 AD BREAK
27:07 Life as a champion & the start of his faith journey
29:55 Divorce, rock bottom & hitting his lowest point
34:44 Full surrender – his testimony
47:44 Julian Williams fight – the real tension
52:03 Life after the win – spending, business side
54:14 Two-year layoff & comeback vs. Benavidez
55:42 Scouting opponents & in-ring adjustments
56:42 The 2023 Canelo opportunity – why he passed it to Jermell
1:00:22 Watching his brother take on Canelo
1:01:23 Motivation for the Benavidez rematch
1:01:55 Identity, legacy & the pressure of “being the lion”
1:05:03 What’s next – real estate, ministry, business
1:06:53 Closing thoughts & outro

Jermall Charlo sits down with Andre Ward in Houston for his first real conversation in years, just as his comeback fight on the Tim Tszyu/Errol Spence card in Australia is around the corner. The two-time world champion and one half of Lions Only takes Dre back to the beginning: a two-parent household in H-Town, fighting on the same amateur card as his own father, the ingrown toenail that cost him the 2008 Olympics, and why he turned pro without ever signing a contract with anyone. Jermall gets into the stories only he can tell: jumping the gate to introduce himself to Al Haymon and the handshake that&rsquo;s lasted 20 years, the mystery package sent to his room the night before his first world title fight, the divorce that took his kids and nearly took him, and the truth about turning down the Canelo fight in 2023 and watching his twin brother take it instead. Plus the Julian Williams counter he drilled every single day of camp, life as &ldquo;the other twin,&rdquo; and why at 36 he&rsquo;s still in love with boxing.
00:00 Intro &ndash; Welcoming Jermall Charlo in Houston 01:44 Body at 36 02:26 Pushing each other with Jermell 03:38 Early years in Houston, family life 04:35 Amateur days, fighting on his dad&rsquo;s card 06:03 Twin dynamic &ndash; growing up as Jermall &amp; Jermell 08:16 From other sports to realizing boxing was &ldquo;the thing&rdquo; 09:41 Early trainers &amp; the amateur circuit 11:35 Twin life, differences inside &amp; outside the ring 16:03 Missing the 2008 Olympics &ndash; injury &amp; surgery 17:21 Turning pro &amp; staying self-made 18:33 Meeting Al Haymon 23:04 2015 &ndash; Winning his first title 26:20 AD BREAK 27:07 Life as a champion &amp; the start of his faith journey 29:55 Divorce, rock bottom &amp; hitting his lowest point 34:44 Full surrender &ndash; his testimony 47:44 Julian Williams fight &ndash; the real tension 52:03 Life after the win &ndash; spending, business side 54:14 Two-year layoff &amp; comeback vs. Benavidez 55:42 Scouting opponents &amp; in-ring adjustments 56:42 The 2023 Canelo opportunity &ndash; why he passed it to Jermell 1:00:22 Watching his brother take on Canelo 1:01:23 Motivation for the Benavidez rematch 1:01:55 Identity, legacy &amp; the pressure of &ldquo;being the lion&rdquo; 1:05:03 What&rsquo;s next &ndash; real estate, ministry, business 1:06:53 Closing thoughts &amp; outro

Jermall Charlo: The Truth About Turning Down Canelo, Al Haymon’s Handshake Deal & The Comeback at 36

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/b27e7428-c577-4a24-8fae-b48900e3a658/transcript

Why Xander Zayas Is Fighting His Former Sparring Partner & Bruce Carrington’s MSG Dream

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