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Dive into the raw and unfiltered journey of boxing legend Andre Ward as he unpacks his life's struggles and triumphs on "Sway In The Morning." In this gripping tell-all, Ward reveals the truth about growing up bi-racial, his early experiences with violence, and the pivotal moments that shaped him both inside and outside the ring. From the pressures of having a child at 16 to his bold decision to walk away from the sport at the peak of his career, Ward opens up about the challenges that refined his character and cemented his legacy. Don't miss this exclusive insight into the mind of a champion who refused to let the boxing world define him. Subscribe now to Sway's Universe for more powerful conversations and join the community that's at the forefront of culture and entertainment. #AndreWard #BoxingLegend #SwaysUniverse
CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Intro
0:55 - Andre Ward Introduction by Michael Buffer
3:26 - Oakland's Influence on Andre Ward
5:14 - The Temper of Andre Ward's Father
8:06 - Struggles with Andre Ward's Mother's Addiction
9:56 - Becoming a Father at 16
13:16 - Andre Ward & Tiffany's Relationship
19:35 - Exploring Andre Ward's Career
21:00 - The Significance of Andre Ward’s Smile
22:10 - Andre Ward Discusses Trust Issues
24:10 - Special Guest Introduction
26:05 - Insights from Virgil Hill
28:50 - Shakur Stevenson & Terence Crawford Insights
30:11 - The Power of Forgiveness in Boxing
33:50 - Missed Fight Opportunities for Andre Ward
36:05 - Andre Ward on Devin Haney vs Shakur Stevenson
39:04 - Pursuing Greatness vs Financial Gain
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0:00
that voice right there is a voice of
0:02
power and I say that for many reasons
0:04
earlier on the show uh I talked about
0:06
Muhammad Ali he was the first hero in my
0:08
life one of the first books I ever read
0:10
was a book called The Greatest and the
0:13
first book report I ever did as a
0:14
youngster in elementary going to mans
0:16
Elementary in Oakland California it was
0:18
a book about Muhammad Ali and for there
0:20
from there my Affinity for boxing began
0:23
as a young man as I watched fights um in
0:25
the 70s as a kid that my great uncle
0:28
Salis murf used to watch um whether it
0:30
was the Thriller in Manila I didn't know
0:31
what it was whether Alie fighting George
0:33
Foreman or Leon Spinx or watching uh
0:36
sugaray Leonard and Thomas hearn's fight
0:39
or you know I got a chance to see a lot
0:41
of incredible great historical fights
0:44
but the thing I like most about boxers
0:46
is what they have to go through when
0:48
they before they even enter the ring and
0:50
what they have to um endure when they're
0:53
out of the ring when you talk about this
0:55
next guest who's been on our show many a
0:57
times we celebrate him for many reasons
0:59
he's an undefeated fighter give him a
1:01
round of applause for that woo world
1:04
champion in multiple weight classes give
1:07
him a surp Applause for that yes induct
1:10
inducted it to the boxer International
1:12
Boxing Hall of Fame give give him a
1:14
round of applause for that he's an
1:16
Olympic champion give him a round of
1:19
applause for that he's from Oakland
1:22
California and like only a few greats
1:26
decided to walk away from the sport that
1:30
people learned that he was great from to
1:32
do something even greater to pursue a
1:34
even greater cause his his departure
1:38
from the sport had nothing to do with
1:39
the sport as much as it had to do with
1:41
him not allowing the sport to Define who
1:45
he was he wanted to be a father he
1:47
wanted to walk into his faith he wanted
1:49
to be a present husband and those things
1:52
superseded being a champion in the ring
1:55
he became a champion outside the ring I
1:57
want to welcome my brother the one and
1:59
only Andre Ward is here he the be he the
2:02
be you know where he's from he the be
2:04
tell him tell them where you from man
2:06
yeah man Northland man 5050
2:10
Market yes sir Bush Rod but I'm really a
2:13
Bay Area baby yes you are through and
2:15
through talk about that man man I it's
2:19
man I love to Bay man and uh different
2:21
place bluecollar type of place uh you
2:23
know fighting Spirit um don't get the
2:25
credit that we deserve we got some of
2:27
the greatest Talent um ath thetes
2:31
entertainers uh just individuals in
2:33
general you know and we just you know
2:35
they call us a small Market but it's a
2:37
lot of power that comes out of that
2:38
small market and and I'm happy to be
2:40
from there you know it's interesting Dre
2:42
that we were talking Dre Dre was just
2:44
saying off the mic you came in who you
2:46
walk in with that's my brother uh
2:48
Deontay Thompson he directed my uh my
2:51
documentary um and uh we went to school
2:55
together yeah and uh we keep him off the
2:57
mic because he knew young Dre okay and
3:00
he's and he and he's a Storyteller okay
3:02
so he you know he add a little bit
3:03
extras on top so I'm like brother you
3:05
going to St right there right there it's
3:07
it's an inside joke though you know
3:08
that's my brother man I love him he been
3:10
there from the beginning and it's funny
3:11
because we grew up together you know and
3:13
I went my own path went to the Olympics
3:15
and we kind of separated just just life
3:17
and then we came back together families
3:20
is you know is as close as ever we go to
3:22
the same church uh it's just a beautiful
3:24
thing man okay Andre Ward is here one of
3:26
the things you talked about great job on
3:28
the documentary too by the way
3:30
and Rachel newbeck as well she was also
3:31
co co co-director to sh her Rachel peace
3:34
to Rachel um one of the things we talked
3:36
about is you you said sway man you've
3:39
been doing this you've been doing this a
3:41
long time man and and and you've been
3:43
doing it at such a top level I'm
3:45
paraphrasing and you grew up watching me
3:47
do this in high school J Junior High
3:51
School Dre ease up high school high
3:55
school starting to be like your man's
3:57
Dre tell them St we just say High School
3:59
my bad hey what you doing man High
4:00
School my bad you know and and and and I
4:03
told you you know I started telling you
4:05
the story about this Oakland High block
4:07
jacket and that I was a o champion in
4:09
all all three years of high school and
4:11
it surprised you and I said I have that
4:14
competitiveness and that came from
4:16
Oakland what kind of character traits do
4:17
you feel like Oakland gave you to help
4:20
you endure all the adversity we found
4:22
out about in this book and make you a
4:23
champion yeah it's the town it's the Bay
4:26
Area and it's it's my family you know um
4:30
I don't necessarily feel like what's the
4:32
right way to say it I don't know if you
4:35
can somebody can give you something like
4:36
that okay cuz I know C that you know and
4:39
I didn't been in Nationals as a kid and
4:41
kids I grew up here I'm in the projects
4:44
and they feel some heat and they turn
4:46
yeah and I know some kids that from the
4:48
valley and they'll fight you to the
4:49
death you know so I feel like it was
4:51
innate in me and it was just uh
4:54
cultivated where I grew up cultivated
4:56
what was already in me my father's
4:58
teachings and and the way he was like
5:00
when I got knocked down from you know
5:01
kovalev the first time and I got up and
5:03
I smiled that was my daddy that was your
5:05
dad that was duke war MH so it was in me
5:08
it just got cultivated and and and and
5:10
built up even more just based on how I
5:11
was raised where I was raised and who
5:13
raised me Duke was a fighter himself
5:16
though yes sir you know when you read
5:17
this book which is is a your book man I
5:19
didn't know about your story like this
5:21
um your father was the type that didn't
5:23
back down from a fight right not at all
5:25
and and and even in the book you said
5:27
sometimes it'll make you a little
5:28
apprehensive and nervous because you
5:29
knew that at any given moment your
5:31
father could snap what was that
5:33
like it was interesting you know it was
5:36
it was scary as a kid because you know
5:38
it's strange cuz my dad was literally
5:40
the man that would give a a jacket off
5:42
I've seen him do it to a homeless person
5:44
hey man take this we be coming out a
5:45
restaurant he T Dam why you give me a
5:47
jacket cuz I got another one he doesn't
5:49
have one but just don't cross him you
5:52
know just don't cross his babies and he
5:55
would just see a different side and and
5:57
and I'm thank
6:00
that I don't have that in me cuz we may
6:02
be having some different conversations
6:03
on the show y'all would have been
6:04
reading about me on the bottom of the
6:05
Sports Center ticket D war did this war
6:08
did that I'm thankful I can I you know I
6:10
can take that deep breath if I get mad
6:12
or upset and think through my situation
6:14
my dad wasn't there he got better as he
6:16
got older but he had that temper man and
6:18
he could fight he could throw down and
6:19
then as you read in the book it was the
6:22
whole biracial thing too my father was
6:24
white my mother was black so especially
6:28
in the '90s you look and people just
6:29
there yeah and if they made a comment it
6:32
was on and I don't care where we were at
6:34
it was going down so if somebody talked
6:36
up to you said something to your father
6:38
about the kid you being black this
6:40
little black boy yeah what you doing
6:41
with these black boys or you know just
6:42
staring you know he wouldn't just take
6:44
off immediately but he what you looking
6:45
at and if he didn't get if if it was a
6:48
ag equally aggressive response it's
6:50
probably going to go up in the grocery
6:52
store wherever you witnessed this many
6:55
times wow so how he would explain to you
6:58
as a a biracial kid about the world and
7:02
and how to just cope with that what
7:03
would he say to you he would tell me it
7:04
was wrong number one he said man you
7:06
know nobody should be looking at you or
7:08
commenting on nothing we got going on
7:09
this is our family and the color of your
7:11
skin doesn't matter in that respect like
7:14
they you know I'm your father and you
7:16
know you're my son and people need to be
7:18
okay with that and if they not then
7:20
that's on them that's essentially how he
7:22
would put it to me and I you know I
7:23
didn't fully understand it because it's
7:25
times that I mean I'm I'm viewed and
7:28
have always been viewed as a as a young
7:30
African-American man period and it's a
7:33
surprise when people find out my father
7:35
is white but you got to deal with both
7:37
sides sometimes growing up you know not
7:40
in my family but in society just the
7:42
fact that you know the white side don't
7:45
always embrace you because you black and
7:48
the black side got something to say
7:50
because you got white in you it was a
7:52
lot trying to navigate that as a kid and
7:54
you trying to find yourself and like
7:57
again I'm looked at a certain way in
7:58
society but when I go home my father's
8:00
white all my other friends they father
8:02
you know their mom or dad are both are
8:03
black so that was that was a lot to deal
8:05
with growing up on top of that your mom
8:09
um give a round of applause for your
8:11
mother yeah a beautiful black woman uh
8:14
she faced a lot of challenges though
8:16
that you had to endure as a kid she had
8:19
she had uh problems with addiction
8:21
correct at what age did you realize that
8:23
and what was that like man I probably
8:26
started getting wind of it or at least
8:28
understanding it probably you know
8:30
12 13 okay you know you start realizing
8:32
you know your family can only cover
8:34
stuff up for so long you know and my
8:37
mother I would hear about it earlier
8:39
than that but I didn't really get it I
8:41
started getting it around 12 or 13 and I
8:43
just realized that she was absent and I
8:47
realized you know that I had that
8:49
longing you know a lot of you know black
8:52
males they don't have a father my
8:54
situation was reversed I didn't have my
8:56
mother and I would see my friends you
8:58
know have their mother have their mother
9:00
and their father and it wasn't
9:02
resentment but it was just a longing
9:04
like man like man I want to be able to
9:06
you know I love my dad but man I want my
9:07
mom
9:08
too and you know I would I knew that she
9:11
was in San Francisco I'm in the East Bay
9:13
yeah and she was in you know Hunters
9:15
Point Filmore and that's what she that
9:17
those were her stomping grounds I just
9:19
knew she wasn't present bro and then she
9:21
would show up you know for two or three
9:23
days and really she was just sleeping
9:24
the dope off and trying to get herself
9:26
together and then I knew eventually she
9:28
was going to be gone so always had that
9:30
that knot in my stomach that that that
9:31
feeling of when is she leaving when is
9:33
she leaving when is she leaving and I
9:36
knew she was leaving cuz her and my
9:37
father would always get in a fight cuz
9:38
she would eventually ask for money and
9:40
my dad would blow up and get mad and
9:41
they would go at it and that was my
9:43
childhood for for for many many years
9:46
and uh but it's crazy because I talk
9:48
about this early in the book my mother
9:51
and my father you know in the time they
9:53
grew up you
9:55
know bro they crack was crack heroin
9:59
I mean it was an epidemic and they
10:02
didn't know like we know what that stuff
10:04
can do to you now yeah and unfortunately
10:07
people still mess with they didn't know
10:08
this they just trying to get high have a
10:10
good time and escape and they didn't
10:12
realize man these are going to be
10:13
lifelong addictions that you going to
10:15
have to fight for the rest of your life
10:17
so because I understood that I'm able to
10:20
forgive my mother I'm able to release
10:22
her from all of that stuff because she
10:24
did the best she could with what she had
10:27
and man that woman is still standing
10:29
today yeah come on man come on man say
10:32
her name man mine mine Ary my mother
10:35
yeah um we go to the same church okay
10:38
she beat me to the church I get there
10:40
mama what you doing here she working in
10:42
the cafe and you know a lot of times as
10:45
young people we don't reconcile what
10:48
happened in our childhood we just stuff
10:50
it and we don't realize we got
10:52
unforgiveness toward Mom we got un
10:53
forgiveness toward Dad we got un
10:54
forgiveness toward grandma and we just
10:56
leave it and that stuff is really slowly
10:58
poisoning us and it's causing us to not
11:01
have the relationship we should have
11:02
with those individuals while they alive
11:04
and then we have regret when they pass
11:06
by the grace of God man I can't let that
11:08
happen my father died abruptly in 2002
11:11
my mother's still here I'mma honor my
11:14
mother love my mother forgive my mother
11:17
and keep walk doing life with my mother
11:19
for as long as she here Andre Ward here
11:21
man we talking about his new book
11:23
Killing the image of Champions Journey
11:24
of Faith fighting and forgiveness it's
11:27
available everywhere books are so you
11:29
may not realize this about this
11:31
Superstar Champion inside the ring but
11:33
at 16 years of age uh is when you had
11:36
your first child yeah I was 17 you when
11:39
when the child was born but Tiffany was
11:40
she was pregnant at 16 yeah you got in
11:42
early bro all right super early yeah and
11:45
you know I I was older when I had my
11:47
child but I knew when she was on the
11:49
way I didn't know how it was going to
11:52
impact my life right you know I was like
11:54
oh [ __ ] what's going to happen now like
11:56
how does this change what does this do
11:57
for me I can only imag imag in at
12:00
17 um how you must have felt what I
12:03
thought you must have felt in the book
12:05
it seemed like you were looking forward
12:07
to the birth of a child it was a mixed
12:10
bag I was scared of death okay let's get
12:12
that out the way get right now that was
12:14
scared to death yeah cuz all I ever
12:17
heard was um if you have a baby early
12:20
that's it that's it yeah that's what you
12:22
that's what we raised here MH and so
12:24
when I got that call like it was I was
12:27
scared but I also I'm not I'm not I'm
12:30
not a
12:30
runner you know this was New Territory
12:34
obviously but I was like I we GNA figure
12:36
this out I don't know how but we G to
12:37
figure this out so it was like a mixed
12:39
bag you know um but I was scared bro
12:43
yeah I didn't know what I was I was a
12:44
kid having a kid you hear people say
12:46
that but I was a kid having a kid and
12:48
I'm grateful for my dad because I
12:49
thought I thought he was going to kill
12:50
me and he pivoted pretty quickly and
12:54
went from what was you doing I had you
12:56
do this I told you not to do something
12:58
like this to who is she let's talk to
13:01
her we got to figure this out so that
13:05
helped because if he' have just left me
13:07
out there I wouldn't have made it you
13:09
you would would you get some water yeah
13:10
let's get let's get let's get the champ
13:12
some water we don't have water here what
13:13
up yo Kanani get him some water um what
13:16
I thought was interesting is uh Tiffany
13:20
yes right um is who you had your your
13:22
child with she wrote a note in the book
13:26
right and in that note she talked about
13:28
how she too was relieved by your
13:33
response to the uh news that you guys
13:35
were going to have a baby I never saw I
13:38
I thought that was really interesting
13:40
hearing from Tiffany in the book and
13:43
then you saying that you admired her
13:45
because she was so mature yeah when all
13:48
of this was happening right can you
13:50
speak on your relationship I mean I'm
13:52
going just touch on that part like she
13:54
was relieved from my response but I'm
13:55
relieved by her response okay because
13:58
she grew up in a Seattle area and
14:01
um for me people were saying your career
14:05
is over for her they were saying your
14:07
life is over yeah and she was you know
14:10
she was young and rebellious at that
14:12
time but for whatever reason I can see
14:15
something in her and I'm young saying
14:17
this right like I'm the old like I'm a
14:18
old head like I can see something in you
14:20
I can see something in her at a young
14:22
age and I'm like she's different like I
14:24
can't really explain it but she's
14:26
different and I saw people even her own
14:29
family at that time ostracized her she
14:31
was the the kid with the the baby in
14:33
high school M you know the only one the
14:36
kid with the baby in high school that
14:37
was her uhhuh I never saw
14:40
her ashamed of our son Dr Jr I never saw
14:45
her ashamed of me and I just seen her so
14:48
she was feeding me giving me life seeing
14:50
that and that gave me a little bit more
14:52
boldness to be like yeah we we are going
14:54
to figure this out maybe I didn't choose
14:56
the the wrong one and um we just built
14:59
from there bro and here the thing like
15:01
man I'm I'm so grateful that I have my
15:04
wife right now and I'm not searching for
15:06
a wife yeah in this day and age talk
15:09
about it trying to figure it
15:12
out man we came together all I had was a
15:15
dream I'm telling her like I'm telling
15:18
her like yeah you know I box and you
15:20
know I'm you I'm number one in the
15:21
nation you know I'm going to the
15:22
Olympics she like all right that's cool
15:24
yeah I play basketball I'm like nah like
15:27
I like I do this like I'm really good
15:29
she's like that's cool you know yeah
15:30
it's all right and it took time for her
15:32
to realize what I was really working
15:34
with and who I really was but sway we
15:38
built from nothing yeah so at every step
15:43
like I ain't got to look into this she
15:44
she with me for the money no she was
15:46
with me when I had nothing yeah I just
15:48
had a dream so every time I would fight
15:50
yeah the California commission or who
15:53
New York Comm whoever whoever whatever
15:55
state I fought in they come in here and
15:56
give me my
15:57
check giving that to my wife wife you
15:58
handed it to her yeah go don't take that
16:01
even the bigger ones all of them you
16:03
handed every one of your the biggest
16:04
ones she got and that's our money but
16:07
it's a symbol of thank you you've been
16:10
holding us down for eight weeks while
16:11
I've been in training camp you've been
16:13
holding us down for years while I've
16:15
been in and out man it's you it's us but
16:18
it's let me this is you yeah thank you
16:21
and I try to always make sure it's a we
16:23
and the US things why you always say
16:24
that because it is I can't do what I do
16:27
without you
16:29
and sometimes I feel bad because I'm
16:32
like girl like my wife is smart smart
16:36
yeah like innately smart and she could
16:41
have did anything she wanted to do she
16:42
could have went to college she could
16:43
have had multiple degrees I tell her she
16:45
should have been a lawyer we be talking
16:47
and going back up I'm like see that's
16:48
that that's that lawyer in you right
16:50
there you missed your calling uhhuh um
16:53
she should have she could have been
16:55
anything she wanted to and she gave all
16:56
that up for my dream
16:59
so man I'm I'm forever grateful for that
17:01
woman um I think y'all are going to be
17:04
hearing her voice more and more because
17:06
this isn't the only book that we going
17:08
to write okay we got a marriage book
17:10
that we working on that's in the queue
17:12
okay we talking about a marriage podcast
17:15
because and it's not that we got it all
17:17
together it's just that we going to
17:19
share everything the struggles and how
17:21
we overcame how our faith is the
17:24
foundation and people need to see some
17:26
of that they need to hear some of that
17:28
and that woman got a story my wife's
17:30
testimony like her whole testimony is
17:33
colder than mine it's colder than yours
17:35
oh my goodness wow and and and she's
17:37
different than me like I had to overcome
17:38
a lot of Shame and a lot of stuff to be
17:41
able to write this CU you know you
17:42
looking back at your older stelf like
17:43
bro you was tripping yeah you were
17:45
robbing drug dealers yeah I did that
17:47
this dude was robbing drug dealers
17:49
setting them up strong arm how what
17:51
would you say to him how would you like
17:53
can you recall a time you robbed one
17:55
what did you say I would look at what
17:57
they brought what you going to say and
17:59
look I being a op you going to get him
18:01
in trou he pass statue of limitation the
18:04
statue of limitation has it passed yes
18:06
it better I'm I'm 20 years ago 20 years
18:09
ago so n it it
18:11
just stronger it's
18:13
mine I'm I'm taking this oh my gosh and
18:17
what you going to
18:19
do but it was dangerous because they
18:22
didn't do nothing in the moment but like
18:24
I detail in the book here go the rumors
18:26
I'mma kill him I see him I'mma kill him
18:28
don't nobody like their stuff being
18:29
taken so I had to overcome a lot of
18:32
Shame and stuff like that my
18:34
wife she like look I'm not that person
18:38
no more God has done a work in my life I
18:41
ain't got no shame and she just tells it
18:43
like it is and I love that about her she
18:45
got a freedom and a liberty about her
18:46
man that's contagious it's a beautiful
18:48
thing I love it Andre Ward is here man
18:50
he been through a whole career and this
18:52
dude look at his face man this dude
18:54
don't have no blemishes see that's what
18:56
be saying why you retired cuz I'm try
18:57
trying to keep my trying to preserve
18:59
that you ain't got no marks on you and
19:01
your father's white but you CA haired up
19:04
like all of us
19:07
man head up the head up yo yo my mama
19:10
side that's your mama's side yo we got
19:12
you know this is our we big horse I and
19:14
then maybe Heather and horse could be on
19:16
the the marriage podcast cuz they've
19:17
been how many years has been horse 22 22
19:20
years married y just did
19:23
20 but horses are obviously you've been
19:25
on our podcast before Bridge Business
19:28
and uh uh and horse look at this guy man
19:31
hey it's it's it's amazing looking at
19:32
you champ and I mean I'm happy that
19:34
you're here and you know I I wanted to
19:37
know uh was boxing the only sport you
19:39
did like did you play did you play
19:42
football basketball different things
19:43
like that my My First Love was baseball
19:45
oh wow yeah I was a pitcher and a short
19:47
stop and I did that cuz my dad did it
19:48
but he kept the boxing from me he didn't
19:50
tell me about that right away and I was
19:51
good at baseball U probably should have
19:53
stayed playing baseball you were that
19:55
good yeah I think I I think I would have
19:57
been good at anything that I
19:58
did like you know business Sports
20:01
because I just like you said that drive
20:02
that
20:03
competitiveness you just give me give me
20:05
something to do and I'mma have that same
20:06
thing so um and I love baseball but then
20:09
my dad started telling me about the box
20:10
I'm like wait you box and that just that
20:12
was a seed right there boxing was a SE
20:15
so it wasn't no anger issues that really
20:16
G you like you was a bad kid that had
20:18
anger issues and maybe like some kids go
20:20
to karate and get that discipline into
20:22
them and stuff like I wouldn't say I had
20:23
anger issues but I had stuff you know I
20:25
had a mother that was gone you know that
20:27
was a full blunt addict I had a father
20:28
that was a functional addict
20:31
um and you know that stuff sometimes it
20:33
shows it its head early but sometimes it
20:36
take time when I started getting 13 14
20:38
started realizing what was going on like
20:40
oh Mom ain't here because of is oh D oh
20:42
Dad you going up in that room and you
20:44
got a drug issue too that's when the
20:46
anger and the frustration and the
20:47
Rebellion started coming out so I would
20:48
say I didn't get in it because of anger
20:50
issues I got in it because of my dad and
20:52
my love for him and I wanted to just be
20:53
just like him but up the road it
20:56
definitely benefited me and helped me
20:57
with the anger and and frustration and
20:58
stuff like that that's the discipline
21:00
yeah I have a qu oh sorry no please oh
21:04
that was a real marriage thing right
21:05
there
21:06
you you like that and then we got I got
21:09
to tell him to shut up in the middle of
21:11
it do you have Andre again thanks so
21:13
much for coming and thank you for
21:15
sharing your story shout out to your
21:16
wife as well but do you have siblings
21:19
yeah and how did that work then with the
21:21
dynamic of siblings and where do you
21:22
fall in line with the siblings I'm the
21:24
baby I'm the baby I got uh two older
21:27
sisters Jasmine and Tasha so same mother
21:30
different father and then I have our
21:31
older brother Jonathan who was in the
21:33
Seattle area we had the same father
21:35
different mothers but you were the only
21:37
child as a product of your parent
21:39
growing in the house growing up in the
21:40
house with them and seeing that and
21:42
dealing with your mom being going and
21:43
everything no they so is it's weird it
21:47
depending on what season and time in our
21:49
life so it was times when we live
21:50
together but then it was a lot of times
21:52
where you know Jasmine and Tasha would
21:54
be with my grandmother we call her mama
21:55
my mom's mom and I would be with my
21:58
father and my brother and then my
22:00
brother left at a certain point went to
22:01
Seattle and it was just me so it was a
22:04
lot of a lot of movement and um it's a
22:08
lot of instability you know and that
22:11
instability
22:13
um it can breede some trust issues you
22:16
know um as I got older I started
22:19
realizing that man some of the anxiety
22:21
and stuff I would deal with was was that
22:23
you know just not knowing you know just
22:25
always feeling like man somebody getting
22:26
ready to run out feeling like you know
22:29
the instability always kind of got me on
22:31
a like man just chill like I can't and I
22:33
would say stuff like that man cuz it
22:35
ain't no telling what's going to happen
22:36
and it just took time for me and a lot
22:39
of this came when I gave my life to God
22:42
and not even right away but just as I
22:43
got older in my faith start realizing
22:45
like man you do say this a lot man why
22:47
do you feel like this well I'll give you
22:49
a good example me and my wife right the
22:51
most important woman in my life she
22:55
wasn't
22:56
there you don't deal with that wound you
22:58
don't address that you don't counsel
23:00
through that and talk through that you
23:02
just deal you just stuff it now I got
23:04
another woman that's the most important
23:07
woman in my life my wife why am I having
23:09
issues trusting you why do I feel like
23:13
you going to walk out and it took time
23:16
to unpack that s and say man that's a
23:18
old mother wound from back in the day
23:22
and I'm
23:24
3940 and I'm still working through some
23:27
of that stuff but I'm a lot better off
23:29
today than I was before and at least I
23:31
can recognize and say man that's that
23:32
thing again you got you can't say that
23:34
and man my wife has been a blessing
23:36
because she she right there with me
23:37
working it out amen thank you man Andre
23:39
Ward is here man let's let's do this
23:41
let's go to song we got a few callers
23:43
888 742 3345 Andre Ward is here I just
23:46
wanted to give people an inside look of
23:49
of your your childhood you know and this
23:51
book has so many gems in it and in it he
23:54
explains his early retirement and uh he
23:57
breaks sat down Dre wasn't saying
23:59
nothing for a long time man pissed us
24:01
off too man I was losing a lot of money
24:02
when you was out the ring all right but
24:04
we going to open up the phone lines 888
24:06
742 3345 tone you got us man we got
24:09
Andre Ward is in here with us The champ
24:12
is here the new book is killing the
24:13
image a Champions Journey of Faith
24:15
fighting and forgiveness Dre before we
24:17
continue we I wanted to shout out this
24:19
young lady right here um who catered our
24:22
show today Heather and horse had a
24:24
chance to go to her restaurant it's
24:26
called what grits and waffle there you
24:28
go grit and Waffles is here this is
24:30
Andre Ward right here uh Hall of Fame
24:33
boxer yeah yeah I'm good I'm good I'm
24:35
excited I'm I'm ready to feed you so hey
24:37
I'm I'm I'm ready to eat some grits and
24:38
Waffles okay all right so what did you
24:40
bring today so today we got some
24:41
shrimping grits uh it is cheese grits I
24:44
know there's a big thing in the
24:45
neighborhood about sweet versus Savory
24:47
but at grit and Waffles it's equal
24:48
opportunity we don't judge you you can
24:50
have it with butter and sugar or you can
24:51
have with with salt and pepper uh we
24:53
also got some wings and waffles and we
24:55
have collar Green Dip fried cheese grits
24:57
fried sweet grits and fried devil eggs
24:59
okay I love it and then where are you
25:00
located we're located at 12:43 South
25:02
Alvarado Street uh right off pico about
25:05
a mile and a half up the street from the
25:07
crypto.com arena there you go doing what
25:09
you doing black on right your business
25:11
it don't get no blacker than me you I
25:14
ain't mad I'm black black I'm a
25:16
descended the slave black okay all right
25:20
okay my name is Journey rain from Dallas
25:23
Texas but uh I'm a la baby now y'all
25:25
stuck with me okay and what's your
25:26
Instagram your social Med uh everything
25:28
is under grits and Waffles it's g r i t
25:30
z the letter n and waffles with the Z I
25:32
need both Z's that is very intentional
25:34
that's a story for another day okay
25:36
absolutely that's Alexia yes name is
25:39
Alexia okay thank you for the food thank
25:41
you for feeding us all right we
25:42
appreciate you okay and the food is the
25:45
food is incredible horse and I went down
25:47
sat down Incognito had an amazing time
25:50
amazing experience and they half and
25:52
half uptowns that's what we call it back
25:54
e was banging too there it is okay thank
25:56
you we appreciate we come back we'll do
25:58
even bigger okay thank you all right
26:00
cool uh Andre Ward is here horse you
26:03
want to jump back in yeah um your
26:06
journey to the gold medal with Mr Virgil
26:08
Hill how important was Hunter excuse me
26:10
how important was it meeting that man
26:11
right there in your life man he was more
26:13
than a more than a a trainer you know I
26:15
didn't realize it at the time but you
26:17
know he was playing a dual father role
26:19
even while my father was still alive and
26:21
he was the ram in the bush when my dad
26:24
died you know what I mean and um I
26:27
appreciated the way he taught me the
26:29
sport but then the way he also taught me
26:31
life you know he had a way he knew how
26:33
to talk to him he's a probation uh
26:35
officer at juvenile hall uh San Le angro
26:38
for you know 20 years grew up in West
26:39
Oakland so he knew how to get at me and
26:42
I needed that man if I didn't have that
26:43
man in his position when my father died
26:46
I'm not sure I would have came back in
26:48
the book I talk about veering off you
26:50
know and having my season where I'm in
26:52
the streets and being hard-headed I
26:53
wouldn't I don't know if I would have
26:54
came back if I didn't have him keeping
26:57
it 100 with me talking to me calling me
26:59
out the blue hey man look bro I don't
27:01
know what you doing man but I'm telling
27:02
you God got his hand on you it ain't
27:03
going to work out dog and if I didn't
27:06
have that I don't know what I would do
27:07
and then in terms of the boxing piece
27:10
man I am so grateful that that man
27:12
taught me the art of boxing I might not
27:15
be in my right mind talking to y'all
27:16
right now if he was if he was just I
27:18
just get you got to be tough and go in
27:20
there and fight no I know how to fight
27:22
but teach me how to get out the way help
27:24
me to preserve my brain and my body so I
27:26
can do other things
27:28
when my when my career is over and I got
27:31
to give him credit for that because he
27:32
taught me the art of boxing and even
27:34
when you start feeling pressure like
27:36
Floyd felt Roy felt Bernard felt you see
27:39
even Devon Haney dealing with it right
27:41
oh he's boring no what you're saying is
27:43
is the guys that you thought was going
27:45
to be able to beat me they can't beat me
27:47
yeah and we make it look easy so you
27:49
think it's boring man up your game up
27:52
your game and realize that it's
27:54
something real special you looking at
27:56
and it's just different than what you
27:58
used to so I'm grateful for the way he
28:00
taught me Shakur gets that criticis
28:03
Shakur gets it too yeah that he's boring
28:06
yeah and here go the thing about the
28:07
boring thing like for a master boxer
28:10
yeah a off night or a boring night is I
28:13
didn't get touched that much I got my
28:15
check I kissed my family you just didn't
28:17
enjoy the show I could have performed
28:18
better I got to do better next time if
28:20
you a guy that just go in there and
28:22
brawl and just fight and you don't
28:23
really know how to box a off night for
28:25
you is you sit in the emergency room you
28:27
getting stitched up you got a concussion
28:30
and you got to go through concussion
28:31
protocol hey 30 days if you're still
28:33
feeling something call your doctor your
28:35
family's in there praying you okay that
28:37
that's for a a guy who doesn't really
28:38
know how to box but for a master boxer
28:40
like a Shakur and all the other people I
28:42
just named off night for us is man I
28:44
didn't perform up to my standards but I
28:47
ain't got a mark on
28:49
me I see you Shakur Stevenson and
28:53
Terence Crawford hanging out like a
28:54
triumphant I feel like behind CL cloes
28:57
doors y'all swapping Secrets what are
28:59
y'all talking about when y'all behind
29:01
closed doors man it's it's it's high
29:03
level IQ boxxing conversation but even
29:07
more than that it's also life
29:11
yeah it's business you know it's it's
29:15
it's all of that it's how to deal with
29:17
the pressure that you know Shakur is
29:19
dealing with um it's all of that you
29:23
know I think we doing the Young The
29:24
Young Life I call them the Young Life a
29:26
dis service if we just focused on your
29:28
talent your ability and the thing that
29:30
get you in the room man we got to talk
29:32
more about character we got to talk more
29:33
about you know your faith and where you
29:35
what you standing on cuz life is going
29:37
to happen what are you reverting back to
29:39
is it drugs is it alcohol is it women or
29:41
is it your faith in God is it something
29:43
solid so we talk about all that stuff
29:45
with him and Bud has his angle you know
29:48
and I have mine with Shakur um and I and
29:51
I'm and I and I've seen Shakur grow a
29:53
lot throughout the years man I'm
29:54
grateful for his growth it's not easy
29:56
our backgrounds and stuff like that or
29:58
not you know he came up hard man in
30:00
Newark and it wasn't a perfect situation
30:03
but to see him keep battling through all
30:04
of that to be a man a father one day
30:07
going to be married man it's a beautiful
30:09
process to to
30:10
behold love it Tracy G you want to ask a
30:12
question absolutely um Dre I'm loving
30:15
this gift of transparency that you're
30:17
bringing to us I appreciate you um I too
30:21
agree with you when it comes to hoarding
30:23
a lot of pain you know that you've
30:25
experienced in your life and how that
30:27
can lead to resentment or if you're
30:29
feeling abandoned and we hear the
30:32
prescription of forgiveness of others
30:34
and for S but I think a lot of people do
30:37
not know what a process of that looks
30:40
like we understand the words and the
30:42
meaning could you give some examples of
30:45
how to actually get to
30:48
forgiveness I I think couple things I'll
30:51
just take you through my process
30:54
so the Greek word for offense is
30:58
scandalon Right a scandalon was like
31:01
imagine this being like a a a tombstone
31:03
like brick looking thing yeah with a
31:05
with a with a stick right here right and
31:07
it kind of lay right here and the trap
31:08
is the the bait is underneath that yeah
31:11
in the in the old days the animal would
31:13
come and try to get what was in there
31:15
and then the
31:17
Boom the the stone will fall on it
31:20
that's the word for offence so when we
31:22
get we get hit with a fence Mama wasn't
31:24
there daddy wasn't there you said this
31:25
about me we're in that track
31:28
now you're trying to love out of that
31:29
place you're trying to do relationship
31:32
out of that place and so I think the
31:33
first thing is just recognizing that man
31:35
you know what I do have an offense
31:36
toward this person I didn't think I did
31:38
but I do and for me I know that I need
31:43
forgiveness past stuff present stuff and
31:46
there's going to be stuff in the future
31:47
I need my loved ones my family members
31:49
God I need I need to be forgiveness
31:50
times I'm G miss the mark how can I ask
31:53
for it if I'm unwilling to give it right
31:56
that helps encourage me to say man I
31:59
can't just freely receive forgiveness I
32:01
got to freely give it now I don't do
32:03
this in My Own Strength cuz Andre by
32:05
himself apart from God is not pretty
32:07
yeah God gives me the grace and the
32:09
power to say man I forgave you for your
32:12
worst and I continue to you can't
32:15
forgive them that helps me to say man
32:17
Lord you're right and I think the
32:18
Forgiveness thing is simply just
32:21
releasing that person because when you
32:23
holding uh
32:25
unforgiveness and offense you're in the
32:27
Trap but you're it's you holding it to
32:29
you yeah forgiveness means that you're
32:31
sending it away You're releasing it mhm
32:33
and it may not be a one time process I
32:35
may have to forgive you 20 times until I
32:37
feel like you know what I think I'm good
32:40
yeah I don't react when you come in the
32:41
room like I used to or when I see your
32:43
number come up on my phone I don't feel
32:45
that way anymore so I give myself the
32:48
grace to know that hey it's a process
32:51
I'm going to release you hey God I
32:52
forgive this person I don't hold what
32:54
they did against him I name what they
32:56
did man they say said this about me man
32:57
they Mis they misrepresented me right
33:00
here man they they lied on me man I
33:01
forgive them God I forget I released
33:03
them and I pray that you forgive them
33:05
too then Lord help me not to hold
33:07
nothing in my heart toward that person
33:09
and my pastor gave me a lot of game too
33:11
CU I said man I'll do that sometimes but
33:13
I still feel he said don't worry about
33:14
the
33:15
feelings he said just go through the
33:17
process of forgiveness the feelings will
33:19
come later just because you still are
33:21
wrestling with feelings toward that
33:22
person doesn't mean you haven't forgiven
33:24
go through the process and the feelings
33:26
will come later
33:27
it seems tedious it seems like a lot but
33:30
man this is what a lot of us are missing
33:32
yes yeah a lot of the depression
33:35
bitterness anger rage a lot of it maybe
33:38
not all of it is unforgiveness trapped
33:41
in our hearts towards so many people and
33:44
we're either unwilling or don't know
33:45
that we need to forgive forgiveness is
33:47
the antidote for a lot of our problems
33:48
amen Andre Ward is here man um horse we
33:51
got CH on the line from Louisiana up
33:54
what up we do Ambassador true go for it
33:58
man what up brother what up family what
34:01
up family what up champ so what's up my
34:03
brother all right so I got a quick I got
34:06
a quick story and then I got a question
34:08
the story is uh my my favorite fights
34:11
that you were in uh of course was
34:13
against kovalev I had a a friend of the
34:15
feris skin who uh also thought that
34:19
Russian um nightmare was going to knock
34:22
you down and and all that so we're
34:25
watching the fight together he knocks
34:26
you down
34:27
you get up you smile and he's he's
34:30
talking all kind of crap when I saw that
34:32
smile I knew I said my money's still
34:35
good I said my money's still good and
34:38
then the second fight he he thought the
34:40
same thing and then you finished him off
34:41
the question is who did you not get to
34:46
fight that you would have liked to have
34:48
fight the most I thought it was Triple G
34:50
but is there somebody else you would
34:51
have wanted to fight that you didn't get
34:53
a chance to I think that fight with
34:55
golfin
34:57
you know that would have been a big
34:58
fight and
35:00
um they just didn't want it you know
35:03
Triple G I know they didn't want it yeah
35:05
I don't call him Triple G okay good okay
35:08
now he l g gever since he duck he l g
35:11
I'm just what it is l g l g g that's
35:14
just me don't don't you know that's that
35:15
competitive and that's just me Triple G
35:17
is little G okay yeah but I I just feel
35:20
like that was the one the fans missed
35:22
that was one of the ones the fans missed
35:23
because you know come on man like you
35:27
160 lbs I'm 168 lbs and I'm not a guy
35:30
that goes and picks on smaller guys but
35:32
when I start hearing you talk about I
35:33
will fight anybody we'll fight anybody
35:36
at 168 oh that's my weight class or 175
35:39
oh that's a weight class above me okay
35:41
now you g to get my attention and they
35:44
used every excuse in the book they
35:45
making excuses to this day so I think
35:47
that's one of them that that probably
35:49
got away all right true uh good question
35:52
true we love you apprciate brother he's
35:53
one he comes to all the fights with us
35:55
so you know we got yeah he know he know
35:57
his stuff hey to I appreciate you man
35:59
you're a super citizen brother I'm Sway
36:01
in the Morning sure appreciate it
36:03
brother all right let me take one more
36:04
we got l r from um no vultur podcast out
36:07
of Oakland
36:09
California and we got a shout out ha
36:11
Universe my cousin big CLE as well C
36:14
come
36:15
on good morning everybody hey Dre I got
36:18
a quick question if if when you is it B
36:22
I know it's business sometimes with you
36:23
and Shakur and you mentoring him but
36:25
seeing Devin and Bill and knowing where
36:27
we come from in Oakland because I know
36:29
you so toown business do you ever feel
36:32
torn if you have if they have to fight
36:34
would you feel torn if you in Shakur's
36:37
corner and Devon is over there knowing
36:39
his background and where they come from
36:40
and being where we from not many people
36:42
make it to that level yeah no I respect
36:45
what what Devin and bill has done and
36:47
what they doing right now and uh excuse
36:49
me you know it's their time right now um
36:53
you know I could walk and CH gum at the
36:55
same time you know what I mean and U I
36:59
feel like I put enough time in in the
37:00
game where I stay out the politics mhm
37:04
mhm I know how to how to be a brother to
37:06
one and be a brother to the other and
37:09
you know it's like I'm I'm cool with bud
37:11
and I'm cool with Errol and I talked to
37:14
both of them before they fight
37:15
individually Bud came out to the Bay
37:17
Area before his fight with Errol to get
37:19
some work in was it work to try to beat
37:21
Erol no I don't I don't play those kind
37:23
of games but my brother want to come out
37:26
and spend time we going to spend some
37:27
time like I'm I'm I'm an OG in the game
37:29
and I feel like I didn't earn that right
37:31
and you know nobody can tell me who I
37:33
can stand next to and who I can't stand
37:35
next to now if that make a person feel a
37:37
type of way that's on them but you know
37:40
I stay out the politics I can love on
37:42
dev and Shout Dev out and have always
37:44
done that when I'm when I'm behind the
37:46
mic uh personally you know if de ever
37:50
asked for advice see a lot of that a lot
37:52
of stuff going on off camera that people
37:55
don't talk about and I don't talk about
37:56
but just know that just because you
37:58
ain't seeing it don't mean it ain't
38:00
happening and if they ever fought I know
38:02
how to play my position and and you know
38:06
play my role but the other thing too is
38:07
like we got to look at it for what it is
38:09
like we got Oakland Roots but I don't
38:12
have a personal relationship with Dev
38:14
like that it's love it's respect I can
38:17
shout you out I can it's a beautiful
38:19
thing with you doing man and I've
38:20
shouted the fatherson thing out often
38:23
because you know you can't argue what
38:25
bill is doing so far he ain't made no
38:26
mistakes in terms of how he's moved his
38:28
son in his career but I don't have a
38:30
personal relationship with them it's not
38:31
an open dialogue me and de will text
38:33
every now and again um but me and Shakur
38:36
Shakur came up under me yeah Shakur
38:38
reached out to me as a youngster and
38:40
said man can I learn from you man you
38:42
you you my favorite fighter we got a
38:44
different type of relationship and I
38:46
have to acknowledge that and be honest
38:48
about that so where we from and all of
38:50
that that that's that's cool but I'm
38:52
going to be real about where the
38:53
relationship is and and how deep our our
38:56
relation ship go Lord rap thank you for
38:58
the question man I'll be out there next
38:59
week all right all right see you then
39:02
okay peace no vs so I got a question
39:05
with this
39:06
um when I seen you coming up in boxing
39:09
and stuff like that it seemed like you
39:10
was going for greatness instead of being
39:13
the richest fighter it seemed like you
39:14
was going to be like the greatest
39:15
fighter of that of the of the era that
39:17
we was that was that the goal because
39:19
this Fighters today I feel like that
39:21
prize fighter [ __ ] go for the money
39:22
they're looking at the greatness but I I
39:24
think that you was built on something a
39:25
little bit more different than just
39:26
chasing that I think that you was built
39:28
on greatness and like you said guys like
39:30
jako saying you're his favorite fighter
39:32
yeah and um you're being a gold medalist
39:34
I think that was one of the key things
39:36
in um boxing at that time you being a
39:38
gold medalist and I never seen you duck
39:41
none of your mandatories and none of
39:42
your fights so is there any Fighters out
39:44
there that you feel right now that you
39:45
can see like you can see like you could
39:47
use Andre Ward's help right now far as
39:49
uh training guiding you know mentorships
39:53
and stuff I'm going back it up just a
39:55
little bit and just say uh uh I was
39:57
trying to get that Legacy and that money
39:59
okay okay I was trying to get both walk
40:01
at youum at the same time we got to we
40:02
got to we got it's prize fighting okay
40:06
yeah yeah I need that prize I'm trying
40:09
to get the biggest prize I can get okay
40:12
cuz what y'all didn't see was that first
40:13
fight Boom the photo fight oh the
40:16
negotiation the negoti nice were you
40:19
were what Rock Nation at that time or
40:22
yeah we I got reck Nation after the
40:23
after the lawsuit period but I'm saying
40:24
just my whole career yeah like like I'm
40:27
involved in negotiations all right like
40:30
I know my worth I'm trying to get the
40:32
biggest bag but after we get that
40:35
together then it's about
40:37
Legacy so money came first I'm not going
40:40
to say it's first but I mean we got to
40:41
get that out the way we got to get this
40:43
it's a part of the combo we got to get
40:46
look as much as you love this yeah right
40:49
yeah we got to talk about the business
40:51
I'm not doing it for free Dre come on
40:53
I'm not here for free you up here early
40:55
in the morning
40:56
for free man so I think you can I think
40:58
you can do both I don't think it's you
41:00
know I think you can you can do both but
41:01
I know what you're saying in in the
41:03
terms of some guys seem like they don't
41:05
care about Legacy and it's just about
41:08
the money absolutely it's a lot of that
41:10
going on and
41:12
um some of that has to do with Floyd and
41:15
it's not Floyd's fault per se but you
41:18
know Floyd had two errors pretty boy
41:20
Mayweather yeah and Money
41:22
Mayweather and the youngsters man they
41:24
want to bypass the pretty boy weather
41:26
phase and they want to go straight to
41:28
the money made phase and they just want
41:29
to make it rain they want to make it
41:30
rain right and they want they want the
41:32
big house of big cars and I can't knock
41:34
somebody for wanting those types of
41:35
things but they are
41:37
avoiding fights if they can if they see
41:40
that they can get the money without
41:41
fighting top guys they're not interested
41:43
in fighting top guys no time soon they
41:44
just want to get the money and that's
41:46
cool if that's the route you want to go
41:47
only problem I have is you can't start
41:49
calling yourself the best yes that's
41:52
where we got to have a conversation that
41:53
I ain't on the pound-for-pound list well
41:55
you not going to be on the pound for
41:55
pound is because when we look at your
41:57
resume you got B minus C+ guys so get
42:01
your money do what you got to do but you
42:03
can't say that you're the best if you're
42:05
not fighting the best and you shouldn't
42:07
fight the best every fight out that's
42:08
too much that's too taxing you should
42:10
have what we call tuneup fights okay a
42:12
lower level guy but then every now and
42:13
again you got to round that out and say
42:15
okay now I'm going after him now in
42:17
terms of who can help like I'm not
42:19
really like looking to you know partner
42:21
with a lot of Fighters I let that stuff
42:24
come naturally man because sometimes
42:25
people put on you for the wrong reasons
42:27
okay and I got to be sensitive like I
42:29
feel like what I have is valuable the
42:31
time and you know the the the the
42:33
expertise and what I have is not for
42:36
everybody yeah so I just try to make it
42:38
make try to make sure I'm being
42:39
sensitive that when somebody's pulling
42:40
on me it's the right thing to do is the
42:42
right relationship I need to engage in
42:45
for the right money would you come out
42:48
of
42:49
retirement at this point I I probably
42:51
wouldn't come out of re retirement and
42:53
fight like a real fight you know I may
42:54
do a exhibition or something like
42:56
you know and it probably took me I said
42:58
this in the documentary it took me about
42:59
five years to get to that point where I
43:01
could say that to you yeah cuz for the
43:04
first five
43:05
years maybe I don't know I think right
43:09
now I'm content with leaving it alone
43:12
okay I think I'm content with leaving it
43:14
alone okay but for the bigger a big bag
43:17
what what what number bag would like you
43:20
know contest your
43:22
contention 40 million a big bag at I'm a
43:25
pray about
43:27
it hold on Lord what you think I should
43:29
do should I do this you okay I'mma call
43:32
my pastor what you think but where I
43:35
always where where the where the money
43:36
conversation always trips me up is that
43:41
I said I wouldn't just do this for money
43:44
like when I called my
43:46
lawyer the night I decided to retire not
43:49
the night I announced it but the night I
43:50
decided to retire I hit him I said man I
43:53
just talked to my wife man I think this
43:54
may be it and then in mid conversation
43:58
I'm thinking about the numbers I'm like
43:59
but hold on I got to make sure I got
44:02
enough to live on man we could do a
44:03
couple he said but he checked me with my
44:05
own words he said but wait a second you
44:07
said you would never just be boxing just
44:09
for money I was like I did say that and
44:13
it it really just humbled me and made me
44:15
think swe I can't just do it for the
44:17
money bro yeah as appetizing as that is
44:21
as much as I miss them boxing checks I
44:23
got to stand on what I said because if
44:25
the money moves me I'mma get off at some
44:27
point in time it's got to be God leading
44:30
me it's got to be now this is something
44:32
I should do not something I can do I can
44:34
pick up the phone right now and call
44:35
James Prince my manager Jay I'm we we F
44:38
to do it we coming back tens of millions
44:41
of dollars it sound crazy to people but
44:43
it can't just be about the money with me
44:44
because at some point that's going to
44:46
skew my mind and my and my vision and my
44:49
feelings and it's going to get me off
44:50
track and I can't start doing that at
44:52
this stage in the
44:53
game so you step away from the game when
44:55
you retired right when you decided to
44:57
retire was it because of the business it
44:59
wasn't because of the competition was it
45:00
the business of boxing that you was
45:02
discusted with and wanted you to step
45:03
away from it I was it was a mixed bag
45:04
sway said it in the beginning man it was
45:06
you know my boys are still in high
45:07
school uh sophomores and juniors I
45:10
wanted to finish their High School uh
45:13
careers out with me being there more and
45:15
I was I'm a present father when I'm not
45:16
training but you know truth be told you
45:19
going half the year in training camp so
45:21
that was a factor my body you know the
45:24
injuries start piling up and just that
45:27
the the love was still there but the
45:29
love to leave my family and and grind
45:31
the way that I was I started feeling
45:33
that two three years out I I started
45:36
using the r word man I'm retirement I'm
45:38
like dang you talking about retirement
45:40
you ain't supposed to be talking like
45:41
that it was just time y'all it's like
45:44
it's a it's a uh Deacon at my church
45:46
Robert Jenkins man he played many years
45:47
in the NFL and we used to talk
45:50
about
45:51
retirement I like Deacon man how How You
45:55
Gonna Know when it's time to retire he
45:56
said Dre you just going to know he said
45:58
you going to wake up one day and you and
45:59
you're not going to want to do it no
46:00
more I studied my pastor Napoleon
46:02
Kaufman who went to udub allamerican
46:05
played six years in the nfield and
46:06
retired abruptly and went to Ministry
46:08
and never looked back I studied him
46:10
Pastor what he said Dre I just felt like
46:13
that's something God wanted me to do I
46:14
studied Jim
46:15
Brown he was on a set of dirty dozens
46:19
sitting in his Army fatigues in a
46:22
director's chair negotiating with the
46:24
Cleveland Browns about coming back and
46:26
year and they didn't give him what he
46:27
felt he deserved and he walked away and
46:30
never looked back played in a bunch of
46:32
movies you know did a lot for the
46:34
community I studied this stuff along the
46:36
way I knew that day was coming I knew
46:38
that that's how I was going to walk away
46:40
it was a timing thing and
46:42
when the timing felt right like man I'm
46:45
getting confirmation from my wife from
46:47
my pastor I'm feeling it deep inside I
46:50
got to go man I'm not I can't be moved
46:52
off of what could be what should be yeah
46:55
it was a lot of reasons but the main
46:57
reason is I feel like this is what God
46:59
is telling me to do and I got to stand
47:00
on that Andre Ward is here man I wish we
47:03
could talk forever but we could also do
47:06
a part two yes sir you know and one day
47:08
he you know he had to ask himself what
47:10
if I die what if I die you were doing a
47:14
lot of things in your life that could
47:16
have easily led to death and and you had
47:20
to ask yourself what if I die and that
47:22
seemed like that was a pivotal point a
47:24
crossroad in your life that that put you
47:26
on the right path and this book you know
47:29
we didn't ask you a whole lot about
47:31
boxing per se today because we wanted to
47:33
ask you a whole lot about you uh but
47:35
this book right here is a great guide
47:37
for not just boxers and other athletes
47:40
but just anybody in general like uh you
47:43
just looking for a story you can relate
47:45
to uh you looking for you know somebody
47:47
who's being honest as Tracy said very
47:49
transparent in this literature uh get
47:52
this book Killing the image a Champions
47:54
Journey of Faith fighting and
47:55
forgiveness this is a great book to give
47:58
during the holidays depending on what
48:00
you celebrate Hanukkah K Quanza
48:02
Christmas whatever it is you celebrate
48:05
hand somebody this book come on Dre
48:08
before you leave you said you're friends
48:10
with tbug I never bet against Crawford I
48:13
used to come horse and I went to his
48:14
fights before he became who he is a lot
48:17
of boxers with like Shakur he's been on
48:20
our show before folks knew
48:23
um Errol Spence J deserves another shot
48:27
right because of what he's done but as a
48:29
boxing fan do you see a different
48:34
outcome it's hard to see a different
48:36
outcome given the way that first fight
48:39
went yeah does he deserve it yeah
48:41
contractually he deserves it career-wise
48:43
he deserves it that's his right to take
48:45
it or not take it
48:48
um being a fighter former fighter one
48:51
that's taken the punches and now I'm six
48:53
years into
48:54
retirement
48:56
the competitor in me
48:58
says Erol you gotta go try to get that
49:00
back
49:01
bro but my better
49:03
mind says no
49:07
because it's a lot of punishment he took
49:09
in that fight for whatever reason
49:10
everybody got reasons why oh this
49:12
happened that happened the bottom line
49:13
is it happened and he also had two car
49:17
accidents before that that's taking a
49:20
toll on his brain and his body a lot of
49:23
tough fights a lot of tough spawn listen
49:24
bro EJ didn't made the
49:27
money and I feel like
49:31
personally it's time to enjoy the fruits
49:33
of your labor and enjoy your family
49:35
because right now getting some get back
49:38
seems like everything but 10 10 15 years
49:41
from now I might not be so important and
49:43
as a brother to both of them Bud was the
49:47
better
49:49
man my message to EJ is man really think
49:52
long and hard about this man and and try
49:54
to put your competitiveness which is
49:56
hard I bro I would need counseling yeah
50:00
for me not to get back in there a second
50:01
time and try to get some get back I
50:03
would really need some people to talk to
50:04
me and say bro it's not a good idea try
50:06
to put the pride to the side man and try
50:07
to look up and look at your family your
50:09
kids and look at what you built thus far
50:12
and think about your lifelong term
50:14
because the YouTubers the writers they
50:16
going to gas you up yeah they not
50:18
getting in there they not with you at
50:19
home they're not in them emergency room
50:21
visits they're not going to help you if
50:22
you not if you're not walking right and
50:23
talking right when your career is over
50:25
you got to make this decision for you
50:26
and your family I personally would like
50:28
to see him sit this one I think that
50:31
would be a big move for him to say bro
50:34
you got that and and ride off in the
50:36
sunset but I can also understand him
50:39
saying n bro regardless of what happened
50:42
I'm coming to get this back okay um I
50:46
recently uh saw javante Davis and Devin
50:50
Haney going back and forth on Twitter
50:53
saying what's up it's time to do this
50:54
and javant they saying man I'mma beat
50:56
you so bad your daddy going to cry you
50:58
might as well you might as well enjoy
50:59
this now say that um if you was a
51:01
betting man is it too soon for
51:05
hany or is it too soon for javante no I
51:08
don't think it's too soon I think they
51:09
can get it on you know this upcoming
51:11
year for sure um I think it's a good
51:14
time for them to get it on you know you
51:16
got a mega fight like you know uh Dev
51:19
stars is rising uh javante star you know
51:23
is rising and he been selling out arenas
51:26
for for a while now javante and uh they
51:30
going to have some stuff to work out the
51:31
weight class and different things like
51:32
that but every big Mega fight you gonna
51:34
have you know things that it's going to
51:36
be some sticking points some stuff
51:38
that's going to be hard to get through
51:39
but I think it's a beautiful thing they
51:41
both young they both in their Prime and
51:44
and I would love to see the match up I'm
51:45
not going to give a prediction on it no
51:47
I know I know I was going to try to I
51:48
was going to try to walk you into one
51:50
but I can tell you yeah I'm still I'm
51:52
still you know yeah I'm I'm I'm I'm
51:54
still alert man and seeing them punches
51:57
coming but I I I would love to see it
52:00
you know I would love to see it it's
52:01
it's going to be a beautiful match up
52:03
and I think Dev looked very very strong
52:04
and sturdy he did at 140 um people that
52:08
know behind the scenes man the kid was
52:09
killing himself to make to make 35 and
52:14
uh I also agree with Deb that it
52:16
shouldn't be no weight no weight
52:18
rehydration Clause now we going to fight
52:20
M we going to fight at whatever weight
52:22
class we going to fight at and that's
52:23
going to be it and may the best man win
52:25
so I can't wait to see it and then I'll
52:27
ask you this in finality of this U
52:30
beautiful conversation uh Terence
52:32
Crawford express interest in uh Canelo
52:36
Alvarez very different weight class um
52:39
skill set you know they're both Elite
52:41
boxers um if you were his manager would
52:46
would that be something you would push
52:47
I'm not shining away from that at
52:49
all not shying away from that at all
52:51
okay so take that fight yeah absolutely
52:53
you know where where bud is right right
52:55
now in his career number one you know
52:57
he's
52:58
he's it's the right fighter we done yeah
53:00
that's where bud is at right now uh
53:03
Terence Crawford can do everything in
53:05
the ring and he's a lot stronger than
53:07
his weight class like he's stronger than
53:09
the average 147 pound I didn't wrestle
53:11
with him i' been 200 200 wrestle you
53:14
don't wrestle with him cuz he's a
53:16
wrestler wrestler listen me and this
53:19
dude compete at
53:20
everything soon as we come in the ring a
53:23
br you you ain't going to we arguing
53:24
about basketball game we played two
53:26
three years ago he want to show me he's
53:29
stronger than me I'm like dude I know
53:30
you wrestle bro I ain't giving you that
53:31
you ain't picking me up off the ground
53:33
we go back and forth but I say that to
53:35
say man the dude is very he's physically
53:36
strong I'm not worried about canelo's TR
53:38
is it a is it a a dangerous fight for uh
53:41
Terren going up in weight yeah but is it
53:44
a dangerous fight for Canelo fighting
53:46
Terren absolutely so don't let the
53:49
weight classes for you some people
53:51
supersede a weight class he can fight he
53:54
throw back mentality wise physically
53:58
skillfully question is does does Canelo
54:00
want to fight Terence
54:02
Crawford just Canelo wonder what do you
54:05
think I'm I'mma give him the benefit of
54:08
Doubt and say we gonna see because I'm
54:09
hearing that he's looking at benitz or
54:12
looking at Terren or looking at at one
54:13
of the Charlo Brothers we'll see but man
54:16
I'm not I'm I'm not betting against
54:18
Terrence against nobody right now I love
54:20
it man hey Andre Ward man thank you for
54:23
coming by give this guy a round of
54:25
enjoyed yourself here brother sir every
54:28
man come on man appreciate you let's
54:29
keep doing it man I got to come by to
54:31
church yeah come through all right okay
54:34
um The Well Christian Community in
54:35
Livermore absolutely I'm very familiar
54:38
Andre Ward shout out to Nick Charles to
54:40
the uh great job Nick shout out to Nick
54:42
did a tremendous job and uh he you know
54:45
he dealt with me for two years and you
54:47
know I'm I'm I'm I like this him a
54:49
recovering perfectionist yes so I'm
54:51
working on it there you go but I ain't
54:52
there yet so he he dealt with me and I
54:54
appreciate him man he did great job all
54:55
right the book is killing the image of
54:57
Champions Journey of Faith fighting and
54:59
forgiveness say of peace and love to
55:01
your family brother thank you for
55:03
sharing with us we got to do a part two
55:05
sir definitely man thank you for your
55:06
truth thank you all right cool
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