Ring Champs takes over Las Vegas for Garcia–Benn fight week, and two welterweight legends stop by the MGM Grand. Terence Crawford pulls up first, happily retired and still watching everything, to explain the Boots Ennis post everyone misread, why “belt hunting” doesn’t add up when Canelo’s on the table, the holes he sees, the PBC wall that kept him from Spence for years, and the Eminem walkout that felt like a movie.Brooklyn’s own Zab Judah, the newest member of the All The Smoke family, settles the Floyd-vs-Crawford-at-38 debate his way, talks Shakur vs. Pacquiao, and finally tells the whole Floyd Mayweather story: the knockdown that wasn’t, the $350,000 fine and one-year suspension, years of not speaking, the bottles he sent back with “send me a contract,” and the Pro Bowl meeting that ended it.Then Richardson Hitchins is fresh off the plane with news: the Keyshawn Davis fight is close, and he explains the money that finally made sense, why he’s “definitely bigger than him,” what Shakur has to do when it’s signed, and why he believes this fight belongs on American soil. 0:00 - Terence Crawford Intro & reacting to Ryan Garcia’s “Avengers” jab2:07 - Explaining the “check the temperature” retirement tease3:20 - Boots Ennis6:34 - Never ducking a fight: the PBC vs. Top Rank history10:09 - Passing the undisputed torch & best Vegas fight nights13:06 - Retirement, the Eminem walkout, and the Ukraine trip16:25 - AD BREAK17:00 - Zab Judah & the state of the welterweight division18:53 - Shakur Stevenson’s next move & rumored Pacquiao fight20:55 - Mayweather’s “phantom knockdown” vs. Judah & his defense23:52 - Mayweather vs. Crawford: comparing résumés and biggest wins29:03 - The Mayweather-Judah brawl and their years-long feud37:39 - Judah brothers’ gym wars, Teofimo Lopez, and AJ-Fury talk42:47 - First big payday, jewelry, and money regrets46:11 - AD BREAK47:33 - Richardson Hitchins joins the show & Keyshawn Davis talks51:39 - Why AJ-Fury might land in Cardiff instead of the U.S.53:31 - Zab breaks down the Hitchins-Davis styles matchup55:19 - Hitchins on staying disciplined and avoiding vices58:05 - Shakur-Devin Haney fight falling apart, and Devin’s size1:00:32 - Fighting your boxing “brothers” for the big money1:03:15 - Fight timeline and location debateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the most influential promoters in combat sports history sits down with Ak and Barak. Scott Coker built Strikeforce from scratch, developed Ronda Rousey, Daniel Cormier, Fedor and a heavyweight division he says was better than the UFC’s — and then sold it in a deal he calls one of the worst days of his life. He opens up about the pressure campaign that came before the sale (“they couldn’t destroy us, so they had to negotiate”), the seven-year non-compete the lawyers demanded, and why his fighters never wanted to leave.Then it turns to the money: the $500 million in purses he’s paid, the 58% of revenue Strikeforce shared with fighters, and the question about pay he says belongs to Dana White. Plus Cyborg calling out Claressa Shields and why he’d pay to see it, the truth about Conor McGregor’s injury and why he believes Conor can’t go out like that, the Crawford–McGregor $200M two-fight idea, remembering Kimbo Slice, and what’s next: $60 million raised for a new MMA venture that includes a one-year invite-only tournament at 126 pounds launching in 2027, built on the Super Six blueprint that made Andre Ward a star. 00:00 Intro: Welcoming Scott Coker00:28 The Bellator–Showtime Years & COVID Fallout02:12 Selling Strikeforce to the UFC09:38 Building Bellator From the Ground Up14:16 What Makes a Fighter a Star?18:36 MMA Money vs. Boxing Money22:06 Fighter Pay & the Strikeforce Model33:05 Launching a New Tournament Promotion34:01 Inspired by Pride & K1's Tournament Format38:19 The $60M Funding Round40:54 Weight Class Strategy & Q1 2027 Launch58:49 Naming the New CompanySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

RING CHAMPS hits the road. Ak and Barak are live from the Stadium Club at Caribe Royale Orlando for the launch of the Project Series — Matchroom and Boxlab Promotions’ new proving ground on DAZN, where undefeated fighters actually fight each other. They break down what Teofimo Lopez just did to Rolly Romero in Vegas and why the casuals scoring it close need a lesson in how rounds actually work, then get into Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn and the keys for both men on September 12.Then it gets loud: AJ vs. Fury is signed for Netflix, but the venue war is real — Wembley or Madison Square Garden? Ak makes his call on both the venue and the fight, and the argument that follows gets personal. Plus the prospect graveyard (the Felix Verdejo story Top Rank saw coming), the debut of a new segment, Who the Heck Is That?, and a sit-down with undefeated Christian “El Capitán” Barreto before he faces Corey Marksman in Friday’s main event of the inaugural Project Series broadcast.Don’t miss Project Series, live from the Caribe Royale Orlando, Friday August 28th and streaming on DAZN. 00:00:00 – Cold Open: On the Road at the Stadium Club00:02:38 – Teofimo Handles Rolly: The Recap00:04:18 – Scoring 101: Body Shots Count & the 10-8 Debate00:07:19 – What’s Next for Teofimo & Rolly00:09:37 – What the Project Series Is: Projects vs. Prospects00:14:23 – The Prospect Graveyard: Brandon Lee, Joey Spencer & Felix Verdejo00:19:30 – The Ones They Got Right: Shakur at 1700:22:59 – Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn: The Breakdown00:27:02 – Ryan’s Jab, Conor’s Pressure & the Dogfight Question00:32:24 – AJ vs. Fury: The Netflix Venue War00:36:18 – The 4 A.M. Problem & the Falling-Asleep Argument00:42:14 – Ak’s Call: “AJ Knocks Fury Out”00:46:21 – New Segment Debut: Who the Heck Is That?00:52:02 – Christian Barreto Joins the Show00:56:22 – Cotto, Money & the Question He Wouldn’t Answer01:03:19 – See You Friday/WrapSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ak and Barak break down Rolly Romero vs. Teofimo Lopez before Saturday’s title fight in Vegas: the smarter Rolly that showed up against Ryan Garcia, why Teofimo comes back different after a loss, and the style question that decides it. Then they get into Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn on September 12, why Conor has the most to gain, and the business story behind it all — the DAZN and PBC deal they never thought they’d see, and what it felt like betting their careers on “the app” back in 2018 when everyone called it suicide.Plus: the report that AJ vs. Fury is headed to Madison Square Garden on Netflix — and why Barak thought it was fake news before making the case that New York wins. Canelo’s dangerous fight with Christian Mbilli that casuals are sleeping on. A heated argument about Micky Ward, belts, and what actually makes a legacy. And finally a farewell to Errol Spence: the career, the what-ifs, and the Hall of Fame verdict. 0:00 – Intro0:43 – DAZN’s rise and the PBC/DAZN partnership3:59 – Can boxing’s rival networks coexist?5:09 – Promoters, networks & fighter loyalty debate7:17 – Rolly Romero vs. Teofimo Lopez preview10:39 – Styles breakdown: Romero vs. Lopez14:18 – Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn intro15:17 – DAZN vs. Zuffa: the promotional landscape16:51 – Garcia’s recent form & Benn’s résumé18:20 – Conor Benn interview callback & legacy debate22:11 – Garcia vs. Benn matchup & odds24:32 – Who benefits more from a win?27:24 – AD BREAK30:12 – Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury reportedly heading to MSG36:10 – Canelo’s next fight and the danger of overlooking Mbili38:33 – Errol Spence Jr.’s career tribute & Hall of Fame caseSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Edgar Berlanga sits down with Ak & Barak to finally clear the air — addressing the on-camera tension with Ak head-on before diving into everything else. From there, “The Chosen One” opens up about the toughest stretch of his career, the massive payday from signing with Zuffa Boxing, and why he says it’s already outpacing what he made fighting Canelo.The conversation covers his fallout with Top Rank and Bob Arum vs. Todd DuBoef, the real story behind his beef with Oscar De La Hoya and Eddie Hearn (including getting shut out of ringside tickets), the rise of his viral song “Baby Mama” and plans for a full EP, and a no-holds-barred Untold Stories segment. He closes it out naming his next three dream opponents — and the one rematch he’d want above all else. 0:00 Intro0:46 Addressing the tension with Ak6:23 The Sheeraz loss, the dark place11:55 - AD BREAK14:29 Fat Joe loyalty — origin story20:37 MSG pressure, the knockdown & comeback KO28:20 The Angulo fight — dirty tactics29:28 Leaving Top Rank31:19 The Canelo fight, mindset, biggest purse43:43 Signing with Zuffa Boxing46:30 “Baby Mama” origin story53:19 Oscar De La Hoya & Eddie Hearn tension1:05:31 Untold Stories1:09:19 Is the persona a show?1:11:11 Haney/Keyshawn Davis, Hitchins talk1:20:45 Next 3 opponents, Canelo rematch dreamSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The first football guest in RING CHAMPS history is a Hall of Famer who’s been ringside for boxing’s biggest nights. Michael Irvin sits down with Ak and Barak and starts at the beginning: the 15th of 17 kids, bused 25 miles out of the ghetto at five years old & feeling inferior in an all-white school post-integration, until a tutor threw him a football and said the words that changed his life. He opens up about the father who never saw him play, driving him to cancer treatments at 15, the promise he made the night before he died, and why he wore 88 for his dad’s favorite Cowboy.Then the boxing stories come out. Dinner with Mike Tyson fresh out of prison (and the moment with the waiter Irvin will never forget), why the Buster Douglas loss hurt him like nothing else in sports, the Chávez–Taylor war that made him ask for the only autograph of his life, his breakdown of how Ali vs. Tyson actually goes, his love for Terence Crawford, and his shock at what Floyd Mayweather is going through.Plus the truth about Deion Sanders, the physics of why cornerbacks couldn’t press him, and the prison-mentality workouts that built a Hall of Fame career. 00:00 – Intro & Welcoming Michael Irvin00:52 – Growing Up in Segregation-Era Florida02:06 – Feeling Inferior & Discovering He Could Be Special04:37 – St. Thomas Aquinas, Miss Jones & Fighting to Play07:50 – Moving from Defense to Wide Receiver10:05 – Freshman Year at Miami Under Jimmy Johnson12:21 – His Father: The Pastor Who Never Saw Him Play15:16 – Losing His Father & the Promise He Made18:02 – Giving Back to St. Thomas Aquinas20:35 – Ad Break21:45 – Realizing He Was a Special Wide Receiver22:59 – Miami Hurricanes Legends & Cowboys Brotherhood25:13 – Buying Family Homes & Helping Without Hurting27:21 – Chasing Jerry Rice & Darrell Green28:23 – Fear, Courage & the Mental Game of Football31:26 – The Legendary Super Bowl Catch32:22 – Becoming a Mike Tyson Superfan35:51 – Deion Sanders & Paying It Forward39:46 – Boxing’s Meaning & Today’s Top Fighters44:34 – Greatest Fights, Dream Matchups & the Tyson Dinner StorySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stephen Espinoza returns for a wide-ranging conversation covering some of boxing’s biggest storylines, and has some updates. He addresses Floyd Mayweather’s $340M lawsuit against him and Showtime personally — where pay-per-view money actually goes, and why he insists not a penny went missing — plus whether he’d still help Floyd, what their conversations have been like since, and the six-month window on a possible Mayweather-Pacquiao rematch.The conversation turns to a dream matchup: Mayweather vs. Terence Crawford. Espinoza, who has priced fights like this his entire career, gives his verdict and sparks a debate about what it would take to make it real.Finally, Espinoza responds to Dana White’s claim that Zuffa Boxing will eventually sign every fighter, breaking down what that would actually require — undoing 100 years of boxing’s structure — and pointing to a business model that keeps contradicting itself, down to Devin Haney’s rumored $60M deal. 0:00 – Intro0:44 – Floyd’s lawsuit: does Espinoza/Showtime owe him money?2:20 – His reaction to the suit, and where things stand with Al Haymon4:32 – How PPV money actually flows9:00 – Streaming vs. old-school PPV payouts10:16 – The leaked Al Haymon audio and the AI theory14:19 – Al Haymon taking PBC stars to Fox — and why exclusive network deals hurt boxing20:49 – Signing Boots Ennis and Anthony Joshua outside of PBC25:30 – Creating boxing’s first real annual fight schedule30:38 – Espinoza’s green-light power at Showtime, and why it ended36:07 – Why Tank vs. Shakur died, and the real story on Crawford vs. Ennis40:23 – Mayweather vs. Crawford — what it’d take, and would fans buy it?44:04 – Boxing’s shrinking media landscape, Saudi money, and PIF50:32 – Could Zuffa really sign every fighter? Devin Haney’s rumored $60M deal54:23 – Al Haymon’s future, Turki’s “boxing summit,” and fighters pricing themselves out1:02:20 – Would Espinoza still help Floyd? His finances since the lawsuit1:05:32 – Addressing Part 1 comments1:09:36 – Joshua vs. Fury, Wilder’s legacy, and Tank Davis’ future1:15:49 – OutroSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Terence Crawford is back on RING CHAMPS for his first sit-down since walking away from boxing, and this time Ak and Barak came with a retirement gift: an original portrait from Tony Nasa. Bud opens up about the decision nobody leaked: he knew before the Canelo fight that it was his last, Bomac couldn't wait for him to be done, and the tears after Spence were him realizing he'd already proved everything. He shuts down the Turki rumors (nobody has offered him a fight since Canelo), explains why "who am I gonna fight?" ends every comeback conversation, and teases the injuries from his worst camp that he's saving for the documentary. Then he answers what everyone's been waiting on: Spence's camp excuses, and explains why he can't grasp taking the biggest fight of your life unprepared. Crawford reveals there was no rematch clause with Canelo but he'd have honored one anyway, plus the truth about the $200M McGregor offer and what he'd have done in the cage, his take on Shakur signing with Zuffa and the UFC camera "mixup," and advice for Boots Ennis and why Vergil Ortiz is the harder fight over Fundora.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Richardson Hitchins is back on RING CHAMPS for the first time since the fight that never happened, and he takes us inside every hour of that week: his body shutting down in the cold of Vegas, being held up by his team in the MGM lobby so nobody could see him on his knees, 6 AM ice baths, throwing up on fight night, and the moment he told his manager he couldn’t walk to the ring. Then the part that still eats at him every day — the biggest check of his career, over $1 million, gone with the pullout.He also gets into everything that came after: vacating the IBF belt, the Zuffa deal and why the money stayed the same without the strap, Eddie Hearn going missing, and sitting down with Dana White and Nick Khan.Plus Tank Davis texting him from fake numbers, his real issue with Keyshawn Davis and the missed-weight double standard, why he’s picking Teofimo over Rolly, breaking down Boots Ennis vs. Xander Zayas, whether Boots beats Bud, and the fight he wants most: Devin Haney. 00:00 – Intro & Welcome Back Richardson Hitchins00:47 – What Really Happened During Oscar Duarte Fight Week07:12 – Is Hitchins Done at 140?08:50 – Making Weight, Nutrition & Growing Out of the Division10:59 – Ad Break12:10 – Zuffa’s Plans for Him at 14714:04 – How the Zuffa Boxing Deal Came Together16:25 – Why the Eddie Hearn Deal Fell Apart21:02 – Breaking Down Teofimo Lopez vs. Rolly Romero25:53 – Beef with Devin Haney & Tank Davis30:55 – Should Shakur Stevenson Move Up to 147?33:53 – Sparring Stories with Shakur Stevenson35:05 – Keyshawn Davis’ Win Over Jamaine Ortiz38:34 – Shakur Stevenson Beats Raymond Ford42:17 – Boots Ennis vs. Xander Zayas47:35 – Fundora & Vergil in the 154 Division49:35 – Fantasy Fight: Boots Ennis vs. Bud Crawford53:45 – Fallout, Critics & the Real Reason He Pulled Out1:03:34 – Meeting Dana White & Nick Khan1:06:11 – Talking His Next Opponent1:11:25 – WrapSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emiliano Vargas pulls up on RING CHAMPS just days after his statement win at a sold-out Barclays Center, and the fastest-rising name in the Vargas dynasty holds nothing back. The undefeated 22-year-old gets real about answering Ryan Garcia’s verbal jab, why he believes Vargas vs. Garcia sells out a stadium. Plus, sparring Shakur Stevenson as a 17-year-old, and the only fighter who ever hurt him in the ring.He also takes us inside the most surreal stretch of his young career: the locker room during Xander Zayas’ loss to Boots Ennis, the phone call telling him Bad Bunny personally picked him for the Super Bowl halftime show, and the casino run that cost him $16,000 in an hour. Plus his brothers’ bare-knuckle debut in London, the lessons pulled from his father, Fernando’s, career, and the untold story of the pro fight he took with no team and his barber working the mitts. 0:00 Intro0:47 Vargas Brothers in boxing & family competition3:18 Staying focused despite money & fame7:22 Learning from his brothers’ mistakes11:08 AD BREAK13:28 Falling in love with boxing as a kid15:13 Amateur career & traveling the world17:52 Sparring wars with his brothers growing up21:33 Ryan Garcia23:24 His father’s legacy: Tito Trinidad and beyond27:28 Breaking down the Xander Zayas vs. Boots Ennis fight32:58 Super Bowl halftime show & meeting Bad Bunny36:41 Sparring Shakur Stevenson & Jorge Linares43:17 Dream fight: Ryan Garcia & next opponents47:42 Untold Stories58:19 Rapid-fire Qs, dad’s best advice & money storiesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.