Mayweather–Pacquiao 2 Is Official, Claressa Wins Big & Shakur Joins To Talk Ryan Garcia Fight

25 Feb 2026 · 51 min · 18 chapters

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In short

Post-fight boxing recap and upcoming fight news, plus a mindset/athlete story outside boxing.

Guests

Shakur Stevenson (newly crowned 140-pound champion; four-division world champion) and Rob Markman (DAZN telecast commentator; boxing media analyst).

Guest backgrounds

Stevenson is a top pro boxer known for smart fight analysis and competing across weight classes. Markman is a longtime boxing writer/commentator who freestyles during broadcasts and discusses fight strategy.

Key claims

Ryan Garcia looked the most complete Ward says he’s seen, with strong jab/right-hand placement and composure vs Mario Barrios. Markman says Garcia’s performance was “amazing,” while noting uncertainty around Garcia after cheating allegations. Stevenson says 147 is likely his last weight class; he’s open to Devin Haney or Ryan Garcia only if business/weight makes sense. Stevenson praises Claressa Shields as the greatest female boxer and calls her Sunday performance dominant.

Notable examples

Alyssa Liu’s Milan gold and her retirement/return mindset; Shields vs Franchon Cruz Duzern (17,000+ at Little Caesars Arena, 100-90); Floyd Mayweather’s rumored Tyson 2026 exhibition and confirmed Pacquiao rematch Sept. 19 at the Sphere on Netflix.

Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.

Chapters

Tap a time to open that second in VO

Celebrating Alyssa Liu's Journey

2:27 to 6:29

Discussing Alyssa Liu's return to figure skating and her gold medal win.

“I'm hanging out with my man, Andre Ward.”

Welcoming Shakur Stevenson

6:30 to 7:38

Introducing Shakur Stevenson and discussing his boxing career.

“I want to welcome Shakur Stevenson to the show.”

Analyzing Ryan Garcia vs. Mario Barrios Fight

7:39 to 11:39

Shakur shares insights on the recent fight and Ryan's performance.

“Like you start to go, but you still got to be sharp.”

Future Fight Prospects for Shakur

11:40 to 14:01

Discussion on potential fights against Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney.

“I was really playing a little mental games with him.”

Shakur's Thoughts on Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney

14:01 to 15:00

Shakur discusses the potential fights against Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney, particularly focusing on weight class challenges.

“Honestly, from what I took with the sparring and every session that I had with him, I always felt like I was the better fighter.”

The Mentality of Modern Fighters

15:01 to 17:36

Exploring the mindset of today’s fighters, Shakur emphasizes the importance of respect, competition, and not resorting to theatrics.

“If he's willing to do that, I'm willing to make the fight happen, but Ryan sounds more realistic because he's being, he's ready to move around.”

Clarissa Shields' Recent Victory

17:37 to 19:06

Shakur praises Clarissa Shields for her impressive performance, highlighting her achievements and growth in women's boxing.

“So if I could do that on my side of town, it's like I understand my value.”

Life After a Fight: Balancing Family and Competition

19:07 to 20:36

Shakur shares how he spends his time post-fight, emphasizing family importance while maintaining a competitive edge.

“long camp bro and for people that don't know man like it's rough like like not just the physical but every day how you feel?”

Reflections on Recent Fight Performance

20:37 to 21:42

Shakur reflects on his recent fight performance, discussing areas for improvement and his ambitions moving forward in boxing.

“That's the type of stuff that I do in my all time.”

Commentary and Future Endeavors

21:43 to 22:36

The discussion shifts to Shakur's potential future in commentating and podcasting, acknowledging his analytical skills.

“and brother we got to end on this note man you sold out MSG my boy like you ain't just sell out an arena you sold out a historic arena.”
Show all 18 chapters

Analyzing the Ryan Garcia vs. Mario Barrios Fight

22:37 to 24:45

Insights on the recent fight between Ryan Garcia and Mario Barrios, highlighting Garcia's performance and Barrios' strengths and weaknesses.

“I'm going to be asking you questions too.”

Tactical Insights on Mario Barrios

24:46 to 28:00

A deep dive into Mario Barrios' fighting style and tactics, discussing his strengths, weaknesses, and what he needs to improve.

“and you're probably not going to read about him in the headlines outside of a boxing event or match coming up.”

Ryan Garcia's Historic Title Win

28:00 to 29:10

Discussing Ryan Garcia's emotional victory and his first world title win.

“But I didn't see Ryan Garcia get away from that.”

Claressa Shields vs. Franchon Cruz Duzern Fight Recap

29:10 to 31:26

Recapping the intense fight between Claressa Shields and Franchon Cruz Duzern.

“And you got to know when you go to Detroit, you're going to get a lot of fashion.”

The Significance of the Shields-Cruz Duzern Fight

31:26 to 39:25

Exploring the implications and messages delivered by both fighters after their match.

“that said that claressa shield will never be she can't she won't where are you now this sister is a business.”

Floyd Mayweather's Upcoming Fight Announcements

39:25 to 42:02

Analyzing Floyd Mayweather's announcements regarding his future fights and rematch with Manny Pacquiao.

“I would be remiss if I didn't talk about the announcement from Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr.”

Reflections on Floyd Mayweather's Legacy

46:59 to 55:24

Discuss the impact of Floyd Mayweather on boxing and the challenges athletes face after retirement.

“He always stayed true to his roots and he perfected his craft and that's why he became who he became.”

Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao II Announcement

56:01 to 56:23

Discussing the upcoming fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao.

“But September 19th at the Spear in Las Vegas, live on Netflix, we getting ready to see Money Mayweather, Floyd Mayweather, step back into the ring for a sanctioned fight against Manny Pacquiao.”
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Transcript

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1:18Check out Shopify.com slash B-E-N to see why millions of businesses have chosen them to build their empires and maybe even start yours. The wait was worth it. The keys to your dream home have been secured. Now comes time to fill it with memories. But first, furniture and movers. When's the housewarming? Who's cooking or should you cater? All that planning can be stressful, but ensuring your home shouldn't be. And that's where State Farm comes in because State Farm agents can help you choose the coverage you need. Just call, go online, or check out the app. An agent is ready to help so you can focus on showing off your new home.

1:52If you know, you know. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Wasn't that delicious? So good. Your bill, ladies? I got it. No, I got it. Seriously, I insist. I insisted first. Oh, don't be silly. You don't be silly. People with the Wells Fargo Active Cash credit card prefer to pay because they earn unlimited 2 % cash rewards on purchases. Okay, rock, paper, scissors for it. Rock, paper, scissors, shoot. No! The Wells Fargo Active Cash credit card. Visit wellsfargo.com slash activecash. Terms apply. What up? This is your boy, Ward Jones Jr. I'm hanging out with my man, Andre Ward. We threw Hall of Famers to bring y 'all a show called the Hall of Game.

2:35A show where we discuss boxing, sports, life, and entertainment from our view. How much better than that can you get? Me and Roy don't always agree. But one thing you will get is a Hall of Fame worth the game. Welcome back to another episode of the Hall of Game. We short one Hall of Famer today. Roy Jones Jr. is somewhere in the world. I tell y 'all that all the time. A man stays on the road, and he's not just stateside oftentimes. He's in another country, so I don't know where he is. I believe he's in the U.K. Brother, we need you back. looking forward to having you back but we're coming off of a a big fight weekend of this weekend ryan garcia mario barrios at the t-mobile center on saturday we had a bonus mega fight on sunday which is rare between claressa shields and franchan cruz discern in detroit we're gonna get into that but before we touch on the boxing i want to touch on my non-boxing take today i want to give a big shout out to Oakland native.

3:39Yeah, that's right. Another Oakland native with a gold medal, Alyssa Liu, who has captured the heart of not just Americans, but the world with her story. She just won a gold medal in the Milan Winter Games last week in the individual women's figure skating competition. And she's the first gold medalist since 2002. But that's not really the big story. That's sort of the cherry on top. But this young lady started very, very young, like most phenoms and prodigies do. And her first Olympics was in 2022 in Beijing. She did not medal. Then she decides to retire from women's figure skating at 16 years of age because she wanted to live her life.

4:20She wanted to enjoy some different things. I've said this before about my own life, that when you are a prodigy and a phenom and your goal is to do major things like gold medals and world championship, you give up a childhood. But most people don't do what Alyssa Liu did, which is retire. They will stick it out. They'll just keep grinding and they'll keep their head down. She didn't do that. She stopped at 16 years old. She shocked the figure skating world. But then she comes back two years later in 2024 after she had a ski trip, got some of the old feels that she had figure skating and realized that maybe I can still do it and maybe I want to still do it.

5:06But this time she came with a renewed mindset and just a different focus. And she took the pressure off of herself of winning medals and just winning in general and just wanted to display her skill and just do it for the love of the sport. And I just thought that was powerful because I didn't have the courage or the words or the know-how to do that at any age on the way up. I just continued to fight and do what I was taught to do. But she comes back and then right off of the layoff, she wins the world championships in 2025. Then she comes and she just won a gold medal last week. Just a powerful, powerful story.

5:44She seemed very free to me as she skated. Most of the other skaters seem very tight and very rigid because this is the biggest moment of your life. You have minutes to be perfect and to try to realize this dream that you've had since a kid. She didn't have that kind of pressure on her. I don't know how she was able to switch her mindset in that two-year period, but whatever she's doing is working. I hope to have her on the show one day. I would love to sit down and talk to her about her journey and everything that I've since learned about her. So shout out again. Alyssa Liu, it's something about Oakland, it's something about the Bay Area.

6:18I don't know if it's something in the water. I don't know if it's something we I don't know what it is, but we got a lot of talent. We got a lot of grit. And we like winning gold medals in the Bay Area. Shout out to Alyssa Liu. I want to welcome my brother back to the show, to the Hall of Game. Newly crowned 140-pound champion. Four-division world champion. I want to welcome Shakur Stevenson to the show. How many more divisions you trying to climb, bro? I got one more division in me, I think. One more. Four-seven? Yeah, for sure. Okay, okay. Rob Markman, I appreciate you getting on, man. I know how it is, man.

6:53Y 'all be up late playing the video games, bro. The early mornings be rough, brother. Have you had your coffee yet? Rob Markman, Nah, I ain't had no coffee yet. Rob Markman, You ain't had your coffee? You ain't had that gasoline yet? Rob Markman, I just woke up fresh out of bed. Rob Markman, I'm not going to try to hold you, bro, too long. You did a great job, man, on DAZN's telecast, bro, this past Saturday at Ryan Garcia's fight. Man, you ain't had no notes or nothing, bro. You was just freestyling up there, bro. How did it feel to do a whole show like that at the desk? It wasn't an official desk, but it was basically the desk.

7:23I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it. I felt like I was giving good insight. I felt like at the end of the night, I was kind of like worn out. And I realized like it was harder than what I expected. But I enjoyed it. Yeah, that's what people don't understand about that. Commentate, man. Like mentally, you start to go. Like you start to go, but you still got to be sharp. You can't make no mistakes. You can't mess up people's names. You can't, you know, forget stuff. So the mental game for the broadcasting is crazy, bro. But I couldn't tell you was getting tired. Why did they have you at a desk? Why did they make y 'all stand up the whole time?

7:58I'm not sure, but you know what's crazy what I really was thinking about? I'm like, I talk a lot of junk to you about having coffee like two to three times a day. But once my coffee worn off, I felt it. I'm like, man, I'm tired. Yes, sir. For sure. So I kind of understood you in that moment. But yes, I don't know. I got the producers, though. I had a producer like, look, when it when it get time, I'm like, run that run that because it's you know, it's a long night, bro. You know, you got it. You got to be on point. Be sharp, man. Tell me. Tell me about Ryan's performance. I mean, he fought Mario Barrios.

8:36Mario Barrios is a champion. But that wasn't the first time that something like that happened to him. Right. where he didn't really fight back and he just accepted getting hit on like that. But what did you think about Ryan's performance? I thought it was an amazing performance. I've seen I mean, I've been saying Ryan had skills. Like, I've been new. Ryan had skills for years. So, I I mean, he made me look bad during that early fight. That's how I felt. Like, he made me look bad because I kept saying how skillful he was. So, I thought it was a great performance. I thought Ryan did his thing. The only thing with Ryan, you just never know.

9:12after he got caught with cheating, whether it's him performing at a high level or is he confident to do the things that he want to do if he's cheating or not. So I just never know. Yeah, he looked good physically coming into the fight. And I think, you know, that stuff aside, what you just mentioned, like, from what I saw, that's the most complete I've seen him. He seemed sure of himself. He's always been fast, but the punch placement, even that right hand he landed in the first round, that was a good shot, right? He was protected from a counter. He threw the jab out there. And he blinded Barrios and the shot he landed was good.

9:48And he just stayed like that the whole night, man. I thought it was a good fight. And that's one thing I respect about you, too. You don't lie about your opponents, right? A lot of cats lie. And they lie either because they don't want to see that person looking that good because they make them feel better, or they just don't want to give them that credit. But you've always given the opponent or potential opponent the respect they desire and be like, but I still believe I can beat them. Yeah, because you got to go in there ready for what you're getting in the ring with. You know, a lot of fighters kind of dilute their brains into believing, guys, it's not that good.

10:19But I'm not one of them guys I got to see and know. And when I see it, I'm like, okay, he's good. I see it. And it lets me know by the time I get in the ring what I got to do, what I'm going up against. That was the same thing in my last fight. I kept saying how good he was. And I knew what he was, but I know that I'm better. And naturally, he was asked about you. right from Chris Mannix post fight. And he said everything he said. He said he wanted that fight and he has no problem with that fight. Do you believe him? Yeah, I believe him because I don't even think he was asked about me. I think he, uh, you probably right though, but I think he, I thought he was, I was trying to think about it.

10:58I think he been saying, saying my name the whole week. Like he kept like, I want to fight Shakur. I want to fight Shakur. He wasn't saying nobody else's name. Like he was saying my name. So to me, I think he's serious. I think he doing the fight, but, I just think that everything got to work well in the business. Everything got to make sense. Because before the fight, I heard them saying they'll fight me at 144. And then after the fight, I'm here at 147. I'm not going up to 147 no time soon. 147 will, like I just told you, I think that will be my last weight class that I'm in. I don't think that at 28 years old right now, I'm just going up to 147.

11:36What was the conversation in the hallways after the fight? I saw you and Bud and Ryan talking. What was that conversation like? It was cool. I was really playing a little mental games with him. It was a lot being said, but all of it was mental games. You see a future opponent or somebody that you're fighting, and you size them up and see what they're looking like. That's all it really was. It wasn't nothing too major. Ryan a cool dude though Like that's the thing Every time I've kind of been around Ryan He always got like cool energy and cool vibes Well you got a lot of motion right now bro So that's why your name is coming up a lot I mean it was a period in time where You know guys were using A performance or two against you To say I don't want to fight him So I don't want to fight him either I'm not hearing that right now I'm hearing that Shakur Stevenson name come up a lot And it's unprovoked you not saying nothing to these guys.

12:34I'm just hearing your name. You know, I'll give you one example. You know, I did the interview with Bill Haney and Bill trying to convince me that you easy work for Devin. And I think that's a good fight for both of y 'all. You know, I wasn't going for that, but I understand he's supposed to feel that way. Yes, for sure. What did you take from those comments from Bill Haney when he was on the Art of War? The comments that I took, I mean, it sounded good. Like, you know, he's not the one that's in the ring fighting. So he could say everything that he wanted to say on camera and make it look good to the fans.

13:06But at the end of the day, if we're talking about us fighting each other, it would be Devin getting in the ring. So you're going to walk me down. You're going to do all of these things. It sounds good, but once again, we ain't eight-ounce gloves, and anybody can't be hurt. What do you take from the sparring session that Bill kept going back to? I never watched the whole thing. I seen clips. He said that Devin walked you down. I don't even know what year that was. What do you take from that sparring session back then? I know it was a long time ago. Man, it's weird. Because it's like, I don't take nothing from it.

13:42What I take from it is like, we sparred plenty of times. So like, which time are you talking about? It ain't like we didn't sparred so many different times. Did you choose that sparring session specifically that you felt like you did good in? that made you get confidence or something? I just don't understand it. Honestly, from what I took with the sparring and every session that I had with him, I always felt like I was the better fighter. I never felt like he was a better fighter than me or did anything better than me. The only thing that he ever had over me when we sparred was size. But him being the younger fighter, I was always ahead.

14:24I was always the big brother that was ahead of him mentally. What is the fight that you think in your gut, if you had to choose right now, is more realistic of the fight you think may get done? A Ryan Garcia fight or a Devin Haney fight? Both of those fighters are heavier than you, so it's going to have to be some concessions with the weight. Honestly, I don't see neither happening at 147 pounds unless it's under the rehydration rules that I say. So if not, I don't see that happening right now. now. In the future as I grow more and get more settled, maybe so, but as of right now, nah, I don't see it happening at that weight class.

15:02Now, Ryan Garcia, he said 144. If he's willing to do that, I'm willing to make the fight happen, but Ryan sounds more realistic because he's being, he's ready to move around. That's crazy. I didn't realize that was Ryan's first world title. I'm looking at how he's celebrating and I'm thinking like this look like this is first world title now look i was like that is his first world title he's been a professional for i think 10 years yeah for sure that's crazy i think i think he really um i don't know what that is i don't know what that is i can't tell you i know it just didn't work on several occasions so i'm gonna ask the last question on dev and i'm gonna move on you know and i asked a question to to to bill like i know how this game go right like i know even when it's not up if you around my weight class is pretty much up until we retire but it seemed like to me that the dev uh Shakur conversation kind of died down and and y 'all still close in weight but but y 'all are in different weight classes and it looked like y 'all were taking care of your own business individually so I didn't really think that y 'all was actively eyeing each other Bill made it clear that it's up and whatever list he got Bill said you on the list but I'm asking you are you thinking like that I I know you ready, but are you thinking, actively thinking about a Devin Haney or is it like, ah, he ain't even really like top of my list?

16:21Nah, I'm actively thinking about all of these guys. Like if I'm being realistic, I know. Because you know, we could sit here and talk like all of this social media stuff cool. But sometimes like, well, not sometimes. It's going to be a time where my manager going to call me and say, yo, such and such, such or such or such. and who is going to be or what is going to be, that's going to be determined. But Devin Haney could be one of them names. And if he's one of them names and the business makes sense and the fight get done, I'm all ready for it. I can't wait. I love to show people that I'm better than all of these fighters.

17:00So he's one of the top names in the sport. I wish him continued success, but I would love to share the ring with him. And if it makes sense, let's do it. Yeah, so it's up. It's up. But it's up in a good way. You know, like, I like what a young life is, man, right now, where it's like, we don't have to hate each other. But if you want to do some business, we can do some business, you know? And we're going to put on a great fight, and then we're going to go back to taking care of our family. Nah, that's what I'm saying. I'm saying, like, people act like we got to, like, act like clowns and, like, all of that kind of stuff.

17:31Or, like, you got to hate each other or something. And I'm not, like, me, personally, I'm not into that. I just seen that I could put so many fans in the arena without even having to act like a clown or talk clownish or do the clown activity. So if I could do that on my side of town, it's like I understand my value. It ain't just acting like a clown on the Internet. Man, take me real quick to Clarissa's fight this past Sunday, man. She did her thing, man. She put on 17 ,000 plus at the Lil' Caesar Arena. She just keeps getting bigger in terms of her name. and she keeps doing better things. Man, three time undisputed.

18:09She fought Pranchon, Cruz, Duzern again. Tell me about that night, just what you saw from her and how you feeling about where Clarissa is right now. I thought it was amazing. I thought it was an amazing performance. I thought Clarissa went in there and did her thing. I felt like she was at the highest level of boxing. She was letting her hands go. She was defensively sound at times. She had some time relapsed, getting hit, but everybody does at the end of the day. I thought that was an amazing performance. If anything, if I want to nitpick or something, I would say get to the body more when she got a wounded fighter.

18:46But I got to take my own advice too. Clarissa, the truth though, I've been telling people, people don't understand, I think that's the greatest female fighter to ever do it with no question. And she taking care of the business too. Yeah. She getting paid. She not just a good fighter, she getting paid. man and I always love when fighters get paid. A couple more for me man I know you've been in a long camp bro and for people that don't know man like it's rough like like not just the physical but every day how you feel? Yeah. Tired? Yeah. How you feel? You good? Every day it's it's it's you got you thinking about the fight the fighter plus you putting out the physical stuff it drains you right?

19:23You go do your thing fight night and um after the fight though everybody spend their time in between fights different ways. How do you like to spend your time right after a fight when you've been in training camp for so many months? How do I like to spend my time? How do you spend your off time? I like to spend my time with my family. I like to spend my time with my daughter, my future wife, and my mother, my brothers. I enjoy family time. That's what makes me happy the most. But other than that, I'm too competitive, so I got to compete at something. I got to play a game. I got to play pickleball.

20:02I got to play basketball. I got to do something that keeps my competitive drive going. So that's really what I do on a daily basis. But I'm not like all these other fighters. I'm not just trying to go out and party. You may see me at the club every now and then, but you ain't going to see me there every week. You ain't going to see me there. Man, I be so locked in. I be watching tapes all day. I enjoy watching boxing still. Even after the fight, I'm still watching. I went back and watched Ryan Garcia fight yesterday. I went back and watched Gary Russell fight yesterday. That's the type of stuff that I do in my all time.

20:40Your last fight, bro. This is the last one with Tiafema. What is your takeaway on your performance, good, bad, whatever improvements you need to make? What's your takeaway being a month out from that fight? I thought that was a tremendous fight. A lot of people nitpick and say I only used one hand but I really didn't like if you really pay attention to the fight I threw my left hand Tia Fimo just defended my left hand better than he defended my right hand so it's some things that I see that I want to work on that I want to go in the gym and fix but I can't really say on camera because I'll be giving out some of the game but I ain't giving that out no more but I thought it was an amazing night I thought that I established myself in the sport I thought that I established myself at 140 pounds and who knows who knows what I'm going to do next but from 135 to 140 I'm going to be one of the best fighters in the sport regardless of who I'm in front of so you ain't got no problem with anybody at 35 to 40 if the business right it can go yes guaranteed and brother we got to end on this note man you sold out MSG my boy like you ain't just sell out an arena you sold out a historic arena.

21:56Yes. Madison Square Garden. You know what I mean? Greatest and came through that arena, man, and did their thing, bro. Well, you one of them, bro. We appreciate you, man. Sorry we had to get you out of bed, man. We appreciate you, bro. Hey, man, you next in line with this commentating thing, podcasting thing, whatever you want to do, bro. You got a great mind, a great boxing mind, but you tell the truth, but you don't do it in a disrespectful way, bro. And I think people love that, man. So keep getting that ready because when you hang them gloves up, that's going to be the thing that is cool for you to still be around the sport without taking no more punches.

22:27You know what I'm saying? You get to stay close enough where you can feel it, but I'm not in it, you know, when I'm retired longer than I should. So, bro, keep doing your thing. Man's love, baby. I'll talk to you next time. All right, don't worry. I'm going to be asking you questions too. All good. I got you. All right, bro, for sure. I want to jump to the big card on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena, the high stakes boxing card with Ryan Garcia and Mario Barrios headlining. There were some good undercard fights on that card. Gary Antoine Russell against Andy Hiroka was a good fight. Shout out to Russell for just putting on a workmanlike performance.

23:04That's what you're going to get from Gary Antoine Russell, just a grinder. He's going to grind you out. And there's going to be times when he'll show you his skill set and his ability and his IQ. But he's a grinder. You better come in shape. you better be tough because Gary Antoine Russell can take a punch he is tough and he can hit so like they used to say back in the day you better bring your lunch pill because you know when you fight one of the wrestles you're gonna be in for a fight so shout out to those those brothers also want to shout out my brother Shakur Stevenson man he was on the panel as one of the broadcasters for the fight man he did a phenomenal job I've said this on the show before and I'll say it again Shakur Stevenson, Shushu Carrington, those are just two that I can think of right now that are next in line to take over this commentating and broadcasting thing if they want it.

23:55Shakur Stevenson, to me, has one of the smartest, not only fighters, but analysts, right? People say, oh, he hasn't done it very much. But when you speak to him, when you talk to him and you hear how he unpacks a particular fighter or he unpacks a particular fight, and then the honesty like he's always honest but he's not disrespectful he's got a great flow as a commentator and a broadcaster and he's next in line if he wants to be so he did a great job on the card last night so I want to shout that out and I want to get to the main event Mario Barrios is a champion even though he lost his championship on Saturday he's a guy that my trainer had for several years of Virgil Hunter he's been in our gym in Oakland California I like Mario Mario is He's one of the great personalities in the sport.

24:43He's very calm and even keel. He is a guy who won't give you no trouble, and you're probably not going to read about him in the headlines outside of a boxing event or match coming up. But I struggle with Mario because he's a good fighter, and he's a lot better than what he shows. But in big moments sometimes, when he's facing a guy who has a good offense, when he's facing a guy that's really teeing off on him, you don't always see Mario respond. And I think we get it twisted in the sport of boxing. We don't separate toughness from meanness. You can be tough and you can endure a lot of punishment and not quit.

25:20And that's Mario Barrios. He had plenty of opportunities in that fight to whisper to his coach, it's too much tonight. I can't do it. Man, he's too fast. He hits too hard. Man, my shoulder hurts. My back hurts. It's a lot of ways to wave that white flag. And Mario never does it. So I want to shout him out for that and say that I have a lot of respect for him for that. But the frustrating part for Barrios is that he's not mean enough. If somebody is hitting me upside my head with heavy shots, if you knock me down, I'm trying to get that back. Like every chance that I get. And there were moments when Mario Barrios would close the distance on Ryan Garcia.

26:04And Ryan Garcia doesn't always have good positioning. His body's not always in the right position when he's in close. He likes to be outside, maybe mid-range. You'll see Ryan Garcia turn his back a lot or give this side of his back where, you know, if a fighter hits you down there, it can hurt. And I wouldn't see Barrios take advantage of that. I didn't see the meanness come out of Barrios in those moments to say, yeah, I finally slowed you down. I cornered you. I got you where I need to have you. Now I'm going to get some give back. I never saw that from him, and I've seen that in fights. I've seen that in the gym.

26:38I've seen that for years with Mario Barrios. Though he's tough, he's not mean. And you have to be mean in a sport of boxing if you're going to win big fights against talented guys like a Ryan Garcia. And Joe Goosen, the former trainer of Ryan Garcia, was interviewed. He was actually training Mario Barrios for this fight. He was being interviewed in between rounds, and he said, listen, he can't allow Garcia to do what he's doing. He has to push him back. He has to pressure him. That still may not have worked, but at least you put yourself in position to land a big shot, to disrupt Ryan's offense, because if you let Ryan Garcia think, he's got some of the most beautiful combinations.

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27:22He's extremely fast twitchy. He's got a lot of speed. He's got a lot of accuracy. And in fact, that's the best I've ever seen him on Saturday night. and it wasn't just because he did what he did to barrios because we've seen that happen to barrios before but it's the way he did it even the right hand that he landed in the first round he was under his feet he was he his his knees were bent just enough and the way he came behind the jab and just threw that right hand right in position he didn't reach he wasn't open for a counter he just threw it and believed that it was going to land in the right spot and land with power and it did and it put Mario Barrios down and it set the tone for the rest of the fight.

28:01But I didn't see Ryan Garcia get away from that. He seemed very poised. He seemed very in control of his emotions, and that's not always something we see from Ryan Garcia. He looked polished all around the board. That's the best that I've seen him from A to Z. And after the fight, obviously, he took the title from Mario Barrios, and I was watching, and he didn't overly celebrate, But I was looking like, man, it kind of looked like this is the first title that Ryan Garcia has ever won based on, you know, kind of how he's responding. And I realized that that was Ryan Garcia. Even though he's been a pro for 10 years, that was his first world title.

28:42That doesn't make sense to me. Ryan Garcia has been in big fights and has built a name for himself in the sport of boxing and is a big draw in the sport of boxing. But he's never won a world title. That was crazy to me. The other big fight that we had was on Sunday night. You typically don't get a double hitter when you got a big fight on Saturday and a big fight on Sunday. But we were blessed with another big fight on Sunday between Claressa Shield and Franchon Cruz Duzern at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. And you got to know when you go to Detroit, you're going to get a lot of fashion.

29:15You're going to get some swag. You're going to have a different type of energy in the arena. And you will have the neighborhood in the building. Those that are from the neighborhood, they know what I'm talking about. Detroit and Oakland, they cousins. They've always been cousins. So when you come to Oakland, it's a different type of feel. When you come to Detroit, you got to know that you're going into the Lions then. But for Franchon Cruz, Dizern, she's really like that. She's not afraid. She's always been a great sister, man. I got a lot of respect for Franchon, man. She's always been a big supporter of mine, but she's just been solid outside the ring.

29:51Consistent, solid, steady. and she is to be respected. And for Claressa and Franchon, this is the second time that they fought. They actually fought their pro debuts on my undercard, November 16th, 2016 at the Mandalay Bay for Ward Kovalev I. These sisters also got history as amateurs. So they are well acquainted. They know each other. But before the fight on Saturday, we saw the brawl that happened on Sunday. there was a push from claressa i don't know what was said i've heard things come out about what potentially what was about potentially what was said but it caused the melee and it caused a bra to take place where chairs being thrown fists being thrown all these different things and fran shan i believe hurt her ankle and her knee and it was some question throughout saturday night if she was actually going to be able to fight on Sunday.

30:51And in my mind, I'm like, sister, put that tape on that knee like she did. Put that knee brace on. Girl, go get your money. And that's exactly what she did, man. It was a good fight between these two ladies. A lot of bad blood leading into the fight. And it was 17 ,000 plus. 17 ,000 plus. It was the largest boxing crowd in Little Caesars Arena history. for all the people that have not shown love to women's boxing where are you now for all those that said that nobody wants to watch women's boxing where are you now and for those that said that claressa shield will never be she can't she won't where are you now this sister is a business.

31:41I have seen her grow up right before my eyes from a talented fighter and young lady who had more accomplishments at a young age than people have in a whole lifetime, having to deal with media pressure, having to figure out how she's going to carry herself, how she's just going to move throughout the space of being a celebrity. And I've just seen her grow and mature and blossom throughout her career in front of the eyes of the world but she's also she also got that business hat on real tight man she she she is a business and the numbers prove that so these ladies put on a good performance claressa shields was just a step or two ahead of french on all night long though french on did land some big shots claressa said after the fight i had to be careful because french on is a big puncher people don't understand that If I was sitting at home on your couch, it looks easy, right?

32:36Hit her. Why are you? Throw the left hook. Man, she should have landed the uppercut. Really? Well, you don't have no leather coming back at you to make you think twice or three times before you throw that punch that you said she should have threw. So it's probably best for you to trust the fighter who's actually been doing this for most of their life, and they're in there, so they got a good feel on what they should and shouldn't throw. Clarissa fought the right fight, being smart, pressing in certain moments. I thought she was going to get Franchine out of there a couple times, but Franchine Cruz, man, she from Baltimore, man.

33:07She ain't no joke. She's serious, and she's really like that. And if she lands the right shot, she could have hurt Clarissa Shields. Clarissa Shields won the fight going away on all three judges' scorecards, 100 to 90 in front of 17 ,000-plus, like I said. Crazy, crazy energy. You got that Detroit energy. You got that neighborhood type of energy. The mayor was in the building. It was just a great, great night overall, and I want to salute them sisters for getting that bag, putting on a good fight. And Claressa mentioned two options in a post-fight press conference. Shadeza Green at 168. I would love to see that.

33:49Or a catchweight with her Olympic teammate, Michaela Mayer, at somewhere around 162 and 163. And some would say, well, man, she's the heavyweight champ. Why would she go down? because there's not a lot of great matchups in women's boxing. We've heard Layla Ali talk about that. That's part of the reason why she walked away. She's like, man, I couldn't find top-tier matchups, so I was trying to fight who I could fight. The women have to go above and beyond, and they got to make those kind of sacrifices to gain weight or lose weight to make great matchups and to make the money. It just is what it is.

34:16So whether Claressa fights Shadeja at 168 or whether she drops down to fight Mikayla Mayer at 162, 163, I want to see both of those fights, and I hope both of them get made. But the biggest thing for me was not the tickets sold or the punches thrown that night. The biggest thing for me was post-fighting. These ladies had, I don't even know if it's bad blood. It's hard for me to explain how fighters can spar however many rounds, really try to do something to each other, really try to hurt each other, and then hug after. I don't understand that. Like, we're a little off with that because, like, we'll do that three days a week in training camp.

35:03How do you fight another person in front of the whole world? Hurt them. Hit them with body shots. Hit them with head shots. Wobble them. Try to knock them out. And then say, man, I love you, man. Good job, man. I appreciate you. I respect you. I don't know how we do that as fighters. But these ladies, they stood in the center of the ring, and they talked out some of the issues that they had leading up to this fight. there's a lot of things said going into this fight after that brawl took place even before the brawl but it really it really turned up after the brawl and i could see claressa and i wasn't i couldn't hear but i could see claressa trying to make peace man just just just seeing her growth is a blessing and seeing her once that final bell rang the switch flip and that's how we as fighters do we We can compartmentalize the war, the issue, whatever we got going on.

35:50And she sat there with Franchon, and she talked it out. And you could tell Franchon was kind of like, yeah, I'm listening to you, but we need to get some things straight. You could tell she wasn't fully embracing Claressa at that time, but by the end of the conversation, that was my greatest moment from that fight because they talked it out, they figured it out, and they worked it out. And I don't know. I'm not saying everything is great between them right now, but this is what they said after the fight. Claressa Shields said, I feel like I had to take my time. Franchon hits hard, and she's tough, and you got to be very tricky with her, meaning you got to be smart and use your IQ because she can set you up.

36:28Claressa said she was trying to cause the upset today and caught me with some good shots, but Franchon is exactly who she thinks she is, the heavy-hitting diva. That's her nickname, and that's one of the best fights that I've been in at my professional career, especially at 10 rounds. It was fun. I had to work my butt off each and every round. Post-fight, Cruz Dzerne said, she inspires me. She came in at a time where I was dominant and she shook the table up. He said, when I'm seeing her, she's looking at Claressa as Claressa is on the rise and she's saying that that's somebody that's lighting a fire under me.

37:09She said, it's never a jealousy thing. I'm proud of her. They talked it out, y 'all. That's powerful because both of these ladies got influence. Both of these ladies, not just from females and young females, but males. I watched them. There's other males that watched them and take from them. And the way that they closed the door on the issue and the beef and everything that happened leading up to the fight on Saturday night, that's powerful. That's a powerful message. And that's the way to use the platform that they were given in front of them, 17 ,000 plus and however many people are watching on DAZN at home.

37:41Man, shout out to Claressa Shields. Shout out to Franchon Cruz Duzern for being competitors, which we are. Putting the issue aside and working through that thing enough where you can leave the lasting image that fighters and viewers have is these two ladies figuring it out. They weren't cussing outside the ring. They weren't talking crazy outside the ring. I understand how this stuff can go. Your team start going back and forth at the weigh-in. Things get heated. Like, you're trying to take something from me, Franchon. And Claressa, you're trying to take something from her. So when you got a person who's trying to take everything from you and the only way you're just going to get settled is through a fight, man, tensions run high.

38:26But they worked it out. They figured it out. We appreciate y 'all for the example that y 'all have been and the example that you are. I'm glad y 'all made another big bag. Go enjoy your family. Enjoy the fruits of your labor. Rest up. but we could take something from them two ladies. They were competitors. They took care of their business, man. It was a great event. And they lived to fight another day. And for Clarissa Shields, man, the sky's the limit. I don't know how sis don't fit any more belts, any more accomplishments at her house. I just want to tell Clarissa, man, keep being you. Keep doing what you're doing.

39:00And we're looking for bigger and better things from you and from Franchon, man. Go enjoy yourself. Lift the knee. Lift the ankle. Heal up. We appreciate you pushing through whatever happened on Saturday to get through the Sunday, and we appreciate the last message that y 'all sent to the world. Y 'all sat in the center of the ring, and y 'all talked it out like ladies and like business partners, because y 'all was business partners on the night. Y 'all shared a bag. Y 'all got a bag together, and I respect that. I would be remiss if I didn't talk about the announcement from Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr.

39:33Floyd Mayweather announced, not that he's got another exhibition coming up. Well, actually, he did announce that the exhibition with Mike Tyson, but that was a few months ago, that there's a reported exhibition with Mike Tyson somewhere in the spring of 2026, rumored to be in the Congo. That's interesting. I don't really know how I feel about that, but brothers, get your money. I'm never mad at that. But Floyd Mayweather also had another announcement, which was he's returning to professional boxing, not exhibition, but actual sanctioned fights after the exhibition with Mike Tyson. Floyd Mayweather turns 49 years of age today.

40:14My birthday was yesterday. His birthday is February 24th. And I always thought that was interesting that our birthdays were so close together. But that's not what I want to talk about. Floyd Mayweather is not just coming back for an exhibition. We've seen Floyd going on an exhibition tours, which a lot of former all-time great fighters have done. The Ray Robinsons did it the Ali's did it Joe Lewis did it it's not out of the question for a fighter to do that sometimes you don't want to have to prepare for a mega type of fight with a real threat but you're making good money you get to stay close to the game you're in good enough shape and you still get to showcase your skills around the world and that's what Floyd Mayweather has done Floyd Mayweather said I still have what it takes to set more records in the sport of boxing speaking about his upcoming fight with Mike Tyson and he also said no one will generate a bigger gate have a bigger global broadcast audience and generate more money with each event.

41:06Floyd says, I plan on continuing doing these events and I plan to keep doing it with my global media partner CSI Sports Fight Sports. This is Floyd Mayweather making the comment about the Tyson exhibition and then also his desire to continue fighting as a professional fighter, not just a fighter that's fighting exhibitions and then out of nowhere if you're in the know you know that the Floyd Floyd Mayweather Manny Pacquiao rematch has been rumored for the past three four or five months it was rumored to have been on Netflix but it was confirmed yesterday Floyd Mayweather is finally gonna rematch Manny Pacquiao almost 11 years later September 19th in Las Vegas at the Sphere live on Netflix I'm going to just go back to Floyd Mayweather stating that he's going to continue to campaign and come back to the sport as a whole.

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45:16Visit BajaMar.com today and discover a vacation destination where memories are made for a lifetime. Baja Mar, life spectacular. I'm torn on this. Anybody that has followed me, they know that I'm a big Floyd Mayweather fan as a boxer. I've taken a lot from Floyd Mayweather. I've shouted Floyd Mayweather out. I've defended Floyd Mayweather in terms of how commentators and media members have treated him throughout the years. Even though Floyd Mayweather is responsible for giving y 'all a lot of free lunches at these media events to promote fights, the week of the fight, months before the fight, during the promo tour, Floyd Mayweather is responsible for y 'all getting media credential at these big fights and getting these free lunches and being a part of a big event.

46:04But for years, I've heard people only talk about what Floyd Mayweather wasn't to them, what he did not do, how, even though this was a great event and has generated tens of millions, and in many cases, hundreds of millions, he should have stopped them. He was boring. He was this. I've always supported and pushed back on that narrative of Floyd Mayweather. Part of that is because of the way Floyd Mayweather goes about his business. He's been filthy rich. he's made his name his legacy and a lot of his reputation wasn't just the boxing it was the money it's the money man what i have what i'm driving what i'm living in what i'm flying in and a lot of people they don't like that i don't know if floyd mayweather had more supporters for most of his fights or more haters but regardless of of where you fall on that line floyd mayweather made it work for him when many people promoters included networks included early on didn't think that he can do it but that being said i got a lot of love for floyd as a fighter i've taken a lot from floyd mayweather not personally i didn't have a personal relationship with floyd mayweather throughout my career but just watching him listening to him always respected his hard work and dedication mindset floyd mayweather even though you see the flash even though you see the glitz even though you see floyd in the streets ripping and running one thing he never neglected was the gym.

47:28He always stayed true to his roots and he perfected his craft and that's why he became who he became. I personally wish that Floyd Mayweather at 49 years old would be somewhere kicking up his feet, living off his investments, and frankly running a sport of boxing. What do I mean by that? Floyd Mayweather with his popularity, Floyd Mayweather with his knowledge of business, boxing business. He's made the mistakes. He's had to fight for everything that he's gotten. He's built himself into a mega superstar and he knows the ins and outs of the sport. I feel like if Mayweather Promotions was ran the way it was supposed to be run, Floyd Mayweather, in my opinion, should be running the sport of boxing.

48:14He should be the premier promoter in the sport. What promoter can stand up to Floyd Mayweather if his promotional company comes after you? But for whatever reason, Floyd Mayweather Promotions has not dominated the game. They sign a lot of guys, and then for whatever reason, those guys get released, or there's an issue, and they move on. I don't understand that, but my heart for Floyd would be to do just that. Enjoy the fruits of your labor, which we see him doing a lot. Living off your investments, which we hear him talk a lot about. and running the game as the premier promoter in the sport of boxing.

48:52The problem with that is, is when boxing is a lot of our identity as fighters, the investments don't hit the same as you being the center of attention, promoting a big fight that the whole world is going to stop and watch and see. And it's hard to duplicate those kind of checks. I don't care how many great investments that you have. It's hard for you to get that feeling. It's hard for you to reproduce those endorphins. And that's why you see a lot of fighters a lot of times, unfortunately, and even athletes and entertainers, when they're out of the spotlight, you see them start to drift toward alcohol.

49:24They start drifting toward a lifestyle that they weren't living before or now they're living in excess because I'm looking to try to reproduce those endorphins. I'm trying to reproduce that high that I had when I was on the mountaintop. And I don't know Floyd like that. We haven't talked about this, but I've been retired nine, almost 10 years. It's hard. It's not easy. You got to be anchored to something. Money ain't strong enough to be anchored to. Fame isn't strong enough to be anchored to. Private jets is not strong enough to be anchored to. How much money you have is not strong enough to be anchored to to feed your soul.

49:59For Floyd, boxing is a part of who Floyd is, and this is why he's never fully stopped even when he retired. This is why the exhibitions ensued. It wasn't just to make the money. It's because this is part of who I am. I'm known as Floyd Mayweather, the fighter. So here we are again where we have an older fighter, and Manny included, they're still fighting past their prime for whatever slew of reasons. Floyd has had rumors about his finances for years. I'm not going to get involved in it. Manny too. So I think that's some of it, but I also think it's the love of it. I think it's them missing the sport.

50:33I think it's them wanting to be around the sport. So Floyd Mayweather coming back to fight at Manny Pacquiao, I can get on board with that. more of me than not is saying I want to see how this fight plays out. I called the first fight with Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao in 2015 in Las Vegas on the international broadcast.

50:55And the fight had been rumored for many years, many rumors on why the fight didn't happen. And I think the buildup over, I don't know, eight year, 10 year period, whatever it was, was so big. And many believed that Manny was going to do it and finally hand Floyd Mayweather's first loss, and when it didn't happen, people said, oh, it wasn't the fight of the century. Oh, my God, I can't believe they promoted it as such. I personally, I had the best seat in the house with Marl. I liked the fight. It was a high-stakes chest mass that neither fighter could really make any mistakes. Floyd did make a couple mistakes, and he paid for it.

51:28Man, he packed y 'all hurt Floyd Mayweather on two occasions, visibly, and maybe he hurt him other times that we're unaware of. Floyd Mayweather, it was interesting to me because he had to be almost perfect on the night because Manny was quick, explosive, fast twitch muscles, and every punch he landed, even the ones that were blocked, you heard him. Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop. They were hard shots. Floyd couldn't make no mistakes. That fight to me was exciting in that way. Every fight's not exciting the same way, and I think we got to understand that as fight fans and just people that love sports.

51:58You got to let it be what it is and find the good in it. So I enjoyed the first fight, but then Manny Pacquiao came out after and said, man, I hurt my shoulder. He said that he had a shoulder surgery, and that kind of marred the performance of Floyd Mayweather just a little bit. And then it was a back and forth with Manny saying, I want the rematch. Floyd saying it didn't make sense. Well, now we're getting ready to get it. Talked to somebody yesterday. They didn't like the fight. They said, oh, my gosh, two older guys. It's going to be boring. I look at it a little bit different. Two older guys sometimes because they don't have the energy and the legs to be moving as much, and the reflexes aren't as sharp.

52:32They're a little bit dull. these guys are still very very good but when you put them together at their age given their history and given the fact that i don't think floyd's gonna have the energy to move the way that he did before you could get a more entertaining fight you can get more of a back and forth scrap which is what a lot of people wanted and it's not a guarantee that this fight goes a distance given these guys's age and where their punch resistance are you where their current punch resistance is and you don't know. At 40-some years of age, late 40s, you don't know how you're going to take a clean shot with an 8-ounce glove.

53:05You think you know, but you don't fully know. So the Floyd Mayweather return is bittersweet for me. I don't mind Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao. But if Floyd Mayweather starts to campaign, which it sounds like he is, as a professional fighter doing real sanctioned fights, I'm struggling with that. I don't want to see Floyd Mayweather take a loss against a guy that we've never heard of. I don't want to see Floyd Mayweather take a loss against a younger fighter because the younger fighters these days they play for Keats they're not so enamored with Floyd Mayweather where they won't try to beat him up they don't love Floyd Mayweather so much where they don't want that that O on their record and they want to be able to say I did that to Floyd because their name is forever etched in history there's nothing they can do before or after that that's going to be bigger than them giving Floyd Mayweather their first loss I don't know if that's going to happen Floyd Mayweather is just as smart outside the ring as he is inside the ring.

54:00He's very calculated. Mayweather measures twice and cuts once. From a business standpoint, he's going to watch a fighter. He'll say he don't watch him, but he'll watch any potential opponent over and over and over, and he has to process, can he do anything with me? How does my skill set line up with his? Can I beat him? The problem with being 49 years of age is sometimes your brain can see things and tell you things that your body's not in agreement with. That's the problem with age. Your brain is still saying, I'm him. Your brain is still saying, man, I'm Money Mayweather. Man, these youngsters can't deal with me.

54:38But your body is saying, brother, we don't, we can't do it like that anymore. That's the struggle and that's the danger of coming back at this age. So part of me wants to see these guys continue to make money. Part of me wants to see these guys, how do they do it at this age? man, show me something. Show me how your mind can overtake the deficiencies you may have in your body at your age. But the deeper part of me, man, I want to see Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao on a beach somewhere, living off the fruits of their labor, helping the game however they see fit to help the game, and just watching the next generations do what they do.

55:14But hey, we got to fight September 19th at the Sphere in Las Vegas on Netflix. I'm excited to see it, but the other part of me, the part of me that knows how the game goes, the part of me that knows how the punishment in boxing starts to add up. The part of me that has seen how a lot of our champions have gone out, it's a part of me that's struggling with this. I got reservations, and I don't want to see Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao take it too far and end up fighting the wrong guy and end wrong, but I think I'm okay with Manny Pacquiao at his age and Floyd Mayweather at his age fighting each other.

55:48Old grudge match. Manny said, I want to give him his first loss and let him live with that for the rest of his life. I like how you talking, Manny. Mayweather still feels like he's Mayweather. Well, we gonna see. But he's still gotta get through that Mike Tyson thing, and I don't know how that's gonna go. But September 19th at the Spear in Las Vegas, live on Netflix, we getting ready to see Money Mayweather, Floyd Mayweather, step back into the ring for a sanctioned fight against Manny Pacquiao. Who would have thought that we would get this this far up the road? That's another great show from the Hall of Game.

56:21Appreciate y 'all tuning in, man. We gonna see you next time. Hopefully we have Roy Jones Jr. next time we pull up.

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From the publisher

Andre Ward breaks down a massive fight weekend, including the news of Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao 2 at The Sphere on Netflix and what it means when legends return for sanctioned fights. He recaps Ryan Garcia vs. Mario Barrios, why Ryan looked the most complete he’s ever been, and what the win changes moving forward.

Plus, Shakur Stevenson joins the show to react to Ryan’s performance and the weight-class reality, before Andre closes with Claressa Shields vs. Franchon Crews-Dezurn 2 in Detroit and the post-fight moment that mattered most.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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