The Art Of Ward

Black Effect x All The Smoke Productions
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Sports News
  • Updated Weekly

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.

  1. 2d ago

    Crawford Defends Errol Spence From the Haters, Plus Zayas vs. Boots & Bam Rodriguez Makes History

    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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1h 1m

  2. Jun 16

    Errol Spence: The Floyd Sparring Standoff, Crawford Camp Issues & The Crash That Changed Everything

    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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1h 57m

  3. Jun 10

    Shakur Stevenson: ‘I’m Not Easy Work’ & The Truth About the Devin Haney Standoff

    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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1h 9m

  4. Jun 2

    Andre Ward: ‘I Knew Going Into Kovalev 2 That Was My Last Fight’ | Virgil Hunter Part 2

    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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    55 min

  5. May 27

    Virgil Hunter On The Day Andre Almost Lost Everything: “You’re Going To Go Downhill” | Part 1

    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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1h 16m

  6. May 19

    Carl Froch On Biting Andre Ward, Calzaghe Ghosting Him & Leaving The UK

    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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1h 51m

  7. May 14

    Lady Ward: Teenage Pregnancy, Virg Saved Us & The 'I'm Done' Retirement Moment

    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.

    1h 39m

  8. May 5

    Benavidez Should Fight Usyk Next, Errol Spence Returns vs Tszyu & Inoue Breaks Tyson’s Record

    Andre Ward and Roy Jones Jr. break down a stacked Cinco de Mayo weekend that delivered everything boxing fans wanted. David Benavidez became the first three-division champion across super middleweight, light heavyweight, and cruiserweight with a dominant performance against Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, and the question of what comes next is the biggest one in the sport right now. Roy makes a bold strategic call the Hall of Game audience will be debating for weeks: skip Jai Opetaia, skip every other cruiserweight, and go straight to Oleksandr Usyk while the iron is hot.Andre and Roy also dig into Naoya Inoue vs Junto Nakatani in Tokyo, where Inoue defended his undisputed junior featherweight title in front of 55,000 fans and broke Mike Tyson’s Tokyo Dome live gate record. They also react to the news that Errol Spence is officially back, set to fight Tim Tszyu in Australia on July 25.Plus: Mitchell Robinson and Dyson Daniels get tangled up in the Knicks vs Hawks 72-22 playoff blowout, and Roy explains exactly why a Pensacola fighter was never going to take that lying down. 0:00 - Intro 0:26 - Recap of Fight Weekend / Cinco de Mayo Boxing 1:32 - Undercard Review: Sanchez vs. Chavez 4:38 - Co-Main Event: Jaime Munguia vs. Armando Resendiz 5:53 - Controversial Decision? Duarte vs. Fierro Breakdown 7:41 - How to Score a Close Fight (Judging Discussion) 10:55 - Main Event: David Benavidez vs. Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez 15:57 - Benavidez at Cruiserweight: What’s Next? 16:47 - Canelo Alvarez vs. Benavidez: Will It Ever Happen? 19:09 - Benavidez vs. Usyk? Exploring the Big Money Fights 24:24 - Ad Break 27:12 - Naoya Inoue vs. Nakatani at Tokyo Dome (55,000 Fans!) 31:16 - Breaking News: Errol Spence Returns vs. Tim Tszyu 35:22 - Knicks vs. Hawks Braw 39:10 - Closing Thoughts on the State of Boxing See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    38 min
See All (65)

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Black Effect x All The Smoke Productions
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    65
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    2026 iHeartMedia, Inc. © Any use of this intellectual property for text and data mining or computational analysis including as training material for artificial intelligence systems is strictly prohibited without express written consent from iHeartMedia
  • Show Website
    The Art Of Ward

You Might Also Like