Undefeated light heavyweight champion Andre Ward retires from boxing saying the desire is no longer there
Thee 33-year-old retires with an unblemished record after two career-defining wins over Sergey Kovalev
Andre Ward decided to end his career on top.
Ward announced on Thursday that he was retiring from boxing because he no longer has the desire to fight, leaving the sport at age 33 with an undefeated record and the light heavyweight championship.
Ward released a statement on his website on Thursday titled “Mission Accomplished,” thanking those who helped him throughout his career and explaining his reasons for leaving the sport while still at the top.
“From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who has played a part in my journey. You know who you are. I could not have done this without you,” he wrote. “I want to be clear – I am leaving because my body can no longer put up with the rigours of the sport and therefore my desire to fight is no longer there. If I cannot give my family, my team, and the fans everything that I have, then I should no longer be fighting.”
Ward is currently rated the best “pound for pound” boxer by Ring Magazine. But in an interview with ESPN’s First Take, he said he no longer wants to do the work to prepare for his bouts.
“People see what I do fight night, they see under the lights, but they don’t see the toil, they don’t see the grind, they don’t see just the pain, the physical pain that you go through, not just in the fights, but to prepare and to get ready for those battles,” he told ESPN.