Mystic Zach Hirsch: The Rising Star Breaking Boundaries in Sports Media
Rapid fire questions with Zach Hirsch, the new sports media guru.
Question: What did you see that everyone else missed that led you to pick Ryan Garcia over Devin Haney?
Zach: My pick was based on a combination of two factors, Ryan had a couple of very important physical advantages going into the fight. Ryan has faster hands than Devin and significantly more power. Knowing that they split their amateur fights and the pro game rewards the puncher much more. My analysis was that Ryan was a slight favorite to win the fight. When you factor in the 6-1 odds, it was a no brainer. The pick of the year.
Question: Did Ryan’s antics on social media and the fact every other respected boxing expert picked Haney make you second guess your pick at all?
Zach: No, I don’t pay attention to the noise when it comes to my predictions. I rely on my own analysis, and so far that’s worked out for me.
Question: You picked the Super Bowl and College Football National Championship Game’s correctly for the fifth year in a row. Does that ten game streak of picking the biggest games in Football right surprise even you?
Zach: When I had the audacity to make my Instagram handle @ipickwins, I think picking the big games right is expected. I lock in on the big games even more, knowing how close those games can be and so far I pick wins.
Question: You actually made a few different predictions for this year’s Super Bowl, can you explain them?
Zach: I made six picks and some were very close but they all hit. I picked the Chiefs who were +2 and picked them to win outright on the moneyline, I picked the score to be under 47.5 points and picked the game to break 110 million views, Travis Kelce to have over 6.5 catches and Nick Bolton to be the leading tackler.
Question: I’m a big UFC fan and did see you guarantee Dustin Poirier win over BSD when he was a 2-1 underdog. What made you so sure of that and any other big MMA picks lately?
Zach: I know Dustin and his striking coach, Dyah Davis personally and think they’ve both been underestimated. He’s beat McGregor twice, Holloway twice, and is a future UFC Hall of Famer. I also called Alex Pereira over Jamahal Hill by First Round KO. I didn’t see anyone else call that either.
Q6) How did you transition from a handicapper to a Podcaster.
Zach) I’ve always seen myself as a sports analyst and commentator who has the ability to pick wins, so taking my analysis and commentary to the podcasting world was a natural transition. Literally I’d been talking picks and games with Jadakiss for a while in 2021 and he said “we should do a podcast.” Worldstar liked the idea and Kiss and The Myst was my first podcast. Kiss was coming off the Verzuz and the show was a hit and I knew I’d found my lane.
Question: You are currently co-hosting three podcasts. Is working with each co-host different or is it all pretty much the same?
Zach: No, each relationship on and off camera is very different. I do The Fight Guys with Suga Rashad Evans. We laugh most of the time we are on set and he was my favorite UFC Fighter as a kid. We text between shows but Rashad is a family man who has transitioned from warrior mode to a path of spiritual enlightenment. So we don’t really meet up off set unless it’s at a fight. I do Running It Back with Pac and Zach with my partner Pacman Jones and we’re like brothers. We talk everyday. We meet up in Florida, where I live or in Cincinnati at Pac’s place or Vegas or Atlanta. The chemistry you see on the show is real! My newest show is Keeping Up With Sports with Caitlyn Jenner and Lamar Odom. We have great chemistry on set. We all bring very different experiences and points of view but share a love for sports and a love people and their stories. Lamar and I go to dinner sometimes at Caitlyn’s. Lamar and I will hang out when we are both in LA and grab lunch or whatever. We have some common friends and his story is inspirational.
Question: Of all the athletes you’ve interviewed who are your top five interviews.
Zach: Tyson Fury no doubt gets the top spot. His personality is as big as he is. Floyd Mayweather really takes his time and answers everything seriously and doesn’t hold back on his opinions. Jake Paul is great. He’s a master of media, so smart but also hilarious. I always enjoy interviewing Jake. Tyreek Hill was great. He really opened up and got deep about what his success has meant to him and his family. Ryan Garcia, I interviewed him three years ago before all of the recent hype. He was a sincere guy, who just wanted to be the best. He was there to support his friend and stablemate at the time Canelo Alvarez and had a positive attitude and good energy. He also beat me in ping pong that day.
Question: What do you do when you’re not filming your three shows?
Zach: I’m finishing up my senior year in college. I’m a sports management major at Lynn University and also finishing editing a documentary film I wrote and produced on influencer boxing. I travel back and forth between LA and Miami and that keeps me pretty busy.
Question: What’s next for Zach Hirsch?
Zach: I’m going to continue with my podcasting career, I’m a co-founder of a company that has some great streaming audio and motion technology and we’ll keep growing Mozverse. I’m going to work on an MBA and continue to pick wins.
