Andre Ward welcomes welterweight contenders Arnold Barboza and Kenneth Sims, Jr. to the Hall of Game ahead of their March 14th main event at the Honda Center in Anaheim. Both fighters are coming off losses and looking to make a major statement in what’s shaping up to be a true crossroads fight at 147 pounds.
Kenneth Sims, Jr. opens up about his razor-thin loss to Oscar Duarte, reveals the DM exchange where he told Barboza “You’re NOT a big name, bro,” and breaks down his game plan to take the fight to the trenches. He also shares the moment Tim Bradley told him he didn’t think he could beat Elvis Rodriguez, a slight that still fuels him today. Arnold Barboza gets real about being mentally and physically broken after fighting Teofimo Lopez following three back-to-back camps over nine months in Big Bear, and explains why he finally said yes to the Sims fight after years of passing.
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00:00:00 – Intro
00:00:26 – Kenny Sims on the March 14th Main Event at Honda Center
00:01:55 – The Reality of Weight Cutting: 140 vs 147
00:02:29 – Sims Reflects on the Oscar Duarte Loss
00:05:19 – How Crowd Pressure Changed Sims’ Game Plan vs Duarte
00:06:56 – How Kenny Sims Bounces Back from a Loss
00:08:04 – Tim Bradley Doubted Sims Before the Elvis Rodriguez Fight
00:08:55 – How the Barboza Fight Finally Got Made & The DM Exchange
00:10:46 – Sims’ Game Plan: Closing Distance & Taking Barboza to the Trenches
00:13:03 – Crossroads: Making a Statement March 14th
00:14:42 – “You’re NOT a Big Name, Bro” – The Trash Talk
00:17:15 – AD BREAK
00:18:36 – Arnold Barboza on Training Camp in Big Bear
00:22:46 – Barboza on the Teofimo Loss & Being Mentally Broken
00:27:00 – Moving to 147 Permanently
00:28:00 – Barboza’s Assessment of Kenny Sims
00:30:00 – Chess Match Prediction & Closing
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