Floyd Mayweather Jr. Insists Andre Berto Bout Will Be Final Fight
If you're making it a foregone conclusion that Floyd Mayweather Jr. will return to the ring for a 50th and final fight, think again.
During the undefeated champion's media conference call Wednesday, Mayweather insisted that his September 12 bout against Andre Berto will be his 49th and last fight.
In fact, when BET.com asked Mayweather whether he'd consider Manny Pacquiao or the winner of the November 21 clash between Miguel Cotto and Canelo Alvarez as his 50th opponent, Mayweather shot down either possibility.
"You should know that I'm done with Canelo, Pacquiao and Cotto," Mayweather said. "So if I'm through with 49, why would I fight one of them for my 50th fight?"
Upon hearing that, ESPN boxing reporter Dan Rafael repeated Mayweather's words of "fight one of them for my 50th fight" and said that suggested that there will indeed be a 50th bout. Mayweather proceeded to let Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions, reiterate for him.
"This will be his last fight," Ellerbee said. "Why can't a man go out with his illustrious career, accomplish everything he needed to accomplish, and be done and he's done it his way?"
Mayweather added: "There's really nothing else to accomplish."
If next Saturday is indeed Mayweather's last fight and he wins convincingly, he'll walk away from the sport without having taken much punishment if any at all — something that most of his boxing peers before him can't say. That factored into his decision as well.
"No one is in my shoes. I think my health is more important," Mayweather said. "If you stay in anything too long, anything can happen. I'm not really worried about losing, but I definitely want to have a sharp mind. You could make a lot of money, but you want to be able to talk, walk and have a sharp mind."
So, what would Mayweather do as a retired 38-year-old? Possibly jump into Hollywood and the movies, taking on acting roles.
Ellerbee said that over the last week alone, he has received "three major movie offers" for Mayweather and they fully expect the boxer to be heavily involved in the entertainment business.
BET Sports News — Get the latest news and information about African-Americans in sports, including weekly recaps, celebrity news and photos of your favorite Black athletes.
(Photo: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
