Floyd Mayweather, Jr., Retires

[H2O Man]

By Floyd Mayweather Jr:

It is with a heavy heart that I write you this message today. I have decided to permanently retire from boxing. This decision was not an easy one for me to make as boxing is all I have done since I was a child. However, these past few years have been extremely difficult for me to find the desire and joy to continue in the sport.


I have said numerous times and after several of my fights over the past two years that I might not fight again. At the same time, I loved competing and winning and also wanted to continue my career for the fans, knowing they were there for me and enjoyed watching me fight. However, after many sleepless nights and intense soul-searching I realized I could no longer base my decision on anything but my own personal happiness, which I no longer could find. So I have finally made up my mind, spoken to my family, particularly my mother, and made my decision.

I am sorry I have to leave the sport at this time, knowing I still have my God-given abilities to succeed and future multi-million dollar paydays ahead, including the one right around the corner. But there comes a time when money doesn’t matter. I just can’t do it anymore. I have found a peace with my decision that I have not felt in a long time.

Finally, I want to personally thank all of my fans for their loyalty and dedication as my career comes to a close. I always believed that their enthusiasm and support helped carry me to victory with every fight I ever had.

It was a great joy to have fought for all of you. Now I hope you understand my decision and wish me well with the rest of my life.

Floyd Mayweather Jr is a six time world champion in five weight classes and has a professional record of 39 wins, 0 losses and 25 wins by knockout.

(Note: I have heard two possibilities -- first, that he may be looking for a larger cut against Oscar de la Hoya in September; and two, that he is really retiring, due to the wear & tear that comes with such a long career. Remember, he has been boxing since he was a little kid.

Boxing people have expressed almost no interest in a return match with Oscar. The outcome is too obvious. The boxing fans much prefer that Floyd fight the winner of this summer's most explosive match, Cotto vs Margarito.

While Cotto would be the largest money-maker, Floyd would outbox him easily. Margarito, however, could provide Mayweather with far more serious problems.

If Floyd does retire, I suspect he will return in 18 to 24 months. Every fighter, from the club fighters, journeymen, contenders and champions, tends to suffer from what I call "old fighters' disease." You quit fighting, then after 1 year, when you watch fights on tv, or worse, from ringside, you think, "I could beat him." And you think about when you were best, not what you are today. I've seen it hundreds of times, including in the mirror years ago.)

[trumad]

1. There's got to be a saying about boxers retiring....

I say he's back in a year.

[H2O Man]

2. Very few are

able to stay retired. Gene Tunney, Rocky Marciano, and Michael Spinks are among the exceptions. Even Marvin Haglar, though he did not announce it, had been unofficially retired after his defense against John "the Beast" Mugabi, but the offer to fight Ray Leonard brought him back.

Last year, when he watched my son train, my cousin (a multi-amateur champion) said, "I'll spar him." I reminded him that my son was 19, and he was 43. The last time he fought, he was about my son's age. It looks way different from outside the ring. Enough people who my cousin respects cracked up laughing at the very idea, that he reconsidered his offer.

There's another old saying that applies to old fighters: "You can see the opening, but can't get the punches off, and you can see the punch coming, but can't get out of the way."

I wish that Floyd would stick with retirement. Going out on the top of your game is definitely the way to go. He has nothing left to prove, and he has made his millions.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

3. I know you previously thought he might retire after the Hatton fight

I remember one of your posts just before the Hatton fight in which you thought he might retire after it and you were right.

Since his reason for retiring seems to be purely an emotional one (or a lack of feeling for the sport at this point in his life) I suspect that, if true, he will probably change his mind and return to the ring. I agree with your assessment that he will change his mind and try to return. I think that will likely occur when he sees someone like Cotto enjoying the limelight as the new champion. If Cotto develops into the widely revered superstar that PBF has become (and Cotto is on his way towards that), building an enormous potential gate and excitement, then I think Mayweather will probably return to the ring.

If however PBF's reason for retiring involves something else that he isn't talking about, this could be a permanent retirement. PBF is said to have developed very brittle hands and he hasn't revealed the full extent of this problem. Maybe he wants a year or two to see if those hands get better (if they are are bad as some have suspected). If those hands are bad and if they don't improve with a long rest, he may not return to the ring. I think Mayweather is the type of fighter who might not age that well into his mid thirties, as he depends so much on those fast, fast hands, his legs, and his lightning reflexes. His window of opportunity to return to the ring may not be that extensive. Power punchers might age better than highly skilled technicians of the sweet science like Floyd who depend on their natural athleticism, although the opposite argument could be made (that power punchers often take a lot of punishment and slow down earlier, while guys like Floyd who seldom get hit might age better).

[H2O Man]

4. In the HBO series "24/7."

the Mayweather team revealed some of the extent of his physical problems. Before the Hatton fight, they showed him going to a physical therapist. He has been boxing for about 25 years now, all told, and the human body is not intended for that type of abuse.

One thing that I think is a shame is how some boxing writers and announcers pretend that the Hatton fight was totally one-sided, and almost "easy" for Floyd. Nothing could be further from the truth. The fight was competitive; it took enough out of Ricky that he will be reduced for as long as he fights (though he may have some great fights ahead, they, too will reduce him around age 40, in other ways); and Floyd took more punches than in any other single fight in his career.

He is an intelligent man. He can look at his father, and his two uncles who boxed, and see the deal. Dad and Roger are not who they used to be. Uncle Jeff has all the grey matter intact.

Then he looks at his wife and kids. He wants to enjoy the present and future with them.

[TroubleMan]

5. I don't think he has anything else to prove.

IMHO it's a good call to retire for good, if he actually does. He still has his health, he's established himself as the best pound for pound, and there are few fights now or in the future that could add to his legacy. He also is very rich, so unless he Evander-Holyfields his money away he'll never have to worry about money. In fact, he can make a ton of money promoting.