Topping the bill at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas last night was Floyd Mayweather Junior.
Mayweather was defending his WBC and WBA welterweight titles against Andre Berto and ahead of the fight had indicated that if his unbeaten record survived he?s retire with a career record that read 49-0, equalling the record set by the great Rocky Marciano.
In a fight that was typical of Mayweather?s recent fights whereby he uses his lightning speed to score points before making his opponent miss, Mayweather took the verdict by a wide points margin with the scores being as thus:-
? 120-108
? 118-112
? 117-111
Mayweather was never in any danger throughout the fight and in a lengthy after-fight interview, confirmed that was indeed his last fight, commenting,
‘My career is over, that’s official.
‘You’ve got to know when to hang them up. I’m close to 40 now. There’s nothing left to prove in the sport of boxing. Now I just want to spend time with my family.
‘I am leaving the sport with all my faculties; I’m still sharp and smart. I’ve accomplished everything in this sport, there’s nothing else to accomplish.
‘I had a game plan from the very beginning. I always knew what I wanted to do – be outspoken, be one of a kind. To be in the sport for 19 years and to be world champion for 18 years, I’ve had a remarkable career.
‘It’s all about that IQ. I’m 10 steps ahead of any fighter, I take whatever is your best attribute and take that away from you, make you do what you don’t want to do.
‘Every champion – Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Larry Holmes, the list goes on and on – they opened up the doors and paved the way for where I am today and I’m appreciative.
‘But now the young fighters say, ‘We want to be like Mayweather’. It’s not cool to take punishment in the ring. I’m not perfect but I strived to be a perfectionist.’
Have we really seen the last of the flamboyant Floyd Mayweather Junior or will a comeback, somewhere down the line, be on the cards?
Mayweather Triumphs to make it 49-0
