At the age of 32, Andre Ward decides to retire from boxing. He is the current WBO, WBA, and IBF light heavyweight champion. He has an undefeated record of 32-0 with 16 knockouts. Andre Ward is Widely considered the best pound for pound fighter in the world right now.
“To the sport of boxing—I love you. You’ve been by my side since I was 10-years-old. You’ve taught me so much. You’ve humbled me. You’ve promoted me. I’ve sacrificed a lot for you, but you’ve given me more than I ever thought possible. You gave me a platform, made me a champion and helped me provide for my family. I am forever grateful to you. You and I will always be synonymous, connected at the hip. Thank you for all the wonderful people I’ve come in contact with because of you. I’ve made friends for life. As I walk away from the sport of boxing today, I leave at the top of your glorious mountain, which was always my vision and my dream. I did it. We did it.
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. I want to be clear—I am leaving because my body can no longer put up with the rigors 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. Above all, I give God the Glory, for allowing me to do what I’ve done, for as long as I have.” – Andre Ward
Selfishly I am saddened by this news of Ward retiring. I wanted another fight between Ward and Kovalev. I also wanted Ward to fight the ultimate winner of Triple G and Canelo down the road. A part of me feels this retirement will be temporary and Ward will get the itch to get back in the ring. At least I hope for this outcome as a boxing fan.
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