In the Wayne Clark Melissa Montenegro interview, Clark said he nearly retired after a difficult chessboxing performance, then won two boxing bouts in 2026. He told Montenegro why he skipped the Golden Gloves Masters tournament to recover from overtraining and how a trip to Belize helped him reset before turning his attention back to Team USA chessboxing.

Why did Wayne Clark move from the Harlem Globetrotters to chessboxing?

Wayne Clark moved from professional basketball and the Harlem Globetrotters into boxing and chessboxing after finding that combat sports helped him deal with hardships in his life. Boxing also connected him to an uncle who had competed in Golden Gloves. Clark now represents Team USA in chessboxing, a sport that asks him to fight and play chess in the same match.

From basketball to the boxing ring

Clark said he was known as Wayne Above and Beyond Clark during his basketball and dunking career and as Wayne Rare Air Clark with the Harlem Globetrotters. After basketball, he entered USA Masters boxing and world chessboxing. His uncle’s Golden Gloves background had made boxing familiar to him while he was growing up; taking up the sport felt, to Clark, like carrying on something his uncle had started.

Chessboxing rules and Team USA

In the match format Clark described, opponents begin with three minutes of blitz chess, have a minute to put on their boxing equipment, then fight for three minutes. They alternate between the board and the ring until someone wins by checkmate or knockout. Clark said chessboxing began with a comic book created in the Netherlands and named the World Chess Boxing Organisation, the ISC in France and the LBC in London when discussing the sport.

Clark credited Matt Thomas with organizing Team USA chessboxing in Atlanta, Georgia, and working to raise its profile in the United States. Representing the country matters to Clark because he sees the sport as still emerging and wants to be part of its growth.

How does Wayne Clark train for chessboxing?

Wayne Clark trains for chessboxing by practicing the shift from intense physical effort back to calculation at the board. He identified memory, heart-rate control and recovery between rounds as demands that distinguish it from preparing for a boxing match. He adjusts his work as he learns more about an opponent, rather than treating chess and boxing as separate contests.

Clark said a strong chess player may do well at the board, but the boxing round can disrupt the next chess round. After taking punches and raising their heart rate, a competitor must remember the position and the plan they had before leaving the table. The approach depends, he said, on whether a fighter’s greater strength is chess, boxing or managing both.

His training includes work on his own in a basement gym and sessions with a trainer. Clark also described training in the rain and increasing the intensity of his preparation week by week. He did not disclose every method, saying opponents could be listening.

Why did Wayne Clark almost retire from boxing?

Wayne Clark said he came close to retiring after personal and professional problems left him drained for a chessboxing appearance in which he won silver. He traveled to Belize to reset, won his first USA Masters boxing bout of 2026 in Annapolis, and later won another bout in Ohio. Between those wins, he chose recovery over entering a tournament while overtrained.

The reset in Belize and the Masters Open in Annapolis

Clark said problems outside the ring affected his focus before his silver-medal performance. He recalled handling matters back in the United States by phone from his hotel shortly before competing. Afterward, he went to Belize and changed how he approached his mental and spiritual well-being, diet and nutrition.

His first USA Masters boxing fight of 2026 came on April 18 at the Masters Open in Annapolis. Clark said he won the championship with a first-round stoppage in under 45 seconds. The result mattered because he was uncertain whether to continue. He described that point plainly:

I was really close to hanging it up.

Skipping Chicago and fighting in Ohio

Next, Clark prepared for the Golden Gloves Masters tournament in Chicago, but said he had overtrained and was burned out. Sparring partners and people close to him urged him to rest, and he decided to let the tournament go rather than take another fight immediately.

He later accepted a bout against Phil in Ohio at South Side Boxing SummerSlam. Clark said he won a belt and gained a friend through the fight. With two boxing wins in 2026, he said his focus had shifted back to competing for Team USA in chessboxing.

What did Wayne Clark say about basketball and reconnecting with his father?

Wayne Clark said his achievements as a dunker and Harlem Globetrotter taught him to stay humble and remember the work behind them. He also described a recent four-hour call with his father after years without speaking. Clark sees that reconnection, and the faith his father passed on to him, as important parts of his return to chessboxing.

The City Slam dunk

Clark appeared on ESPN’s City Slam and said he holds three dunking world records, one of them official. He described jumping 70 inches backward over a vertical bar during the competition. The footage followed him during his Harlem Globetrotters years, when, he said, it was often shown on television. He called it his claim to fame, while emphasizing that he had once been working and hoping to reach that level.

A four-hour conversation with his father

Clark said he and his father recently spoke for the first time in years and spent four hours catching up. Both realized, he said, that they needed each other. He connected his faith and the name GODKing to scripture and what his father taught him, while saying the renewed relationship has changed how he feels heading back into chessboxing.

What did Wayne Clark say about 60 Minutes, his book and young athletes?

Wayne Clark said appearing on 60 Minutes carried personal weight because his grandparents watched the program when he was a child. He also wants to write a book about hardships he has endured. For the young athletes who follow him, he hopes his response to setbacks matters as much as his achievements in competition.

Clark recalled the sound of the program starting while his grandparents watched on Sundays. Sitting down with Bill Whitaker gave him a chance to tell part of his story, though he said there was more he wanted to share, including what affected his focus during the previous year’s chessboxing appearance.

He said he plans to write a book about his experiences but did not give a publication date. Clark has worked as a director of athletics and with private schools, and said young people he has trained have seen both his successes and his difficult periods. He wants them to see that a setback does not have to end an athletic career.

Which boxing gloves does Wayne Clark use, and what is next for him?

Wayne Clark has his own Wayne Clark Fitness glove brand, but said USA Masters bouts require athletes to use the gloves provided under the event’s rules. He often wears Title equipment for those bouts and would welcome a collaboration with the company. For now, he said, his competitive focus is Team USA chessboxing.

Clark said he has shown his fitness gloves on 60 Minutes. In USA Masters competition, however, he said organizers distribute 16-ounce gloves, usually sponsored by Title, rather than letting him use his own. He also uses customized equipment where the rules allow it.

Asked about potential partnerships, Clark named Title as a brand he would like to work with and said he was open to a suitable offer that could bring attention to chessboxing. He made no announcement of an agreement. He closed with encouragement for athletes who think they are past their prime, saying that his work as a boxer and chessboxer continues to push him in new ways.

Who is Wayne Clark?

Wayne Clark is a world chessboxing athlete representing Team USA, a USA Masters heavyweight boxer, a celebrity boxer, a former professional basketball player and a former Harlem Globetrotter. He is also a world-record slam dunk champion from ESPN’s City Slam.

Melissa Montenegro

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