Boxing: Is this the end of the Mayweather era?

Undefeated American looking to call it quits after bout with Andre Berto.

LAS VEGAS: Five-division world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr says he will call it quits after Saturday’s welterweight world title defense against massive underdog Andre Berto in which victory would give him a perfect 49-0 record.

But boxing — perhaps more than any other sport — is littered with men who proclaimed they were hanging up their gloves, only to find the lure of just one more shot at the big time or one last payday too much to resist.

The unbeaten Mayweather, 38, the self-proclaimed “TBE” (The Best Ever), insists he will not be joining them.



But then this is not the first time that he has said he is retiring — in 2008 he also said he was done.

This time is different, he says, because he wants to get out of boxing with his health intact and he has enough money — Forbes says he is the world’s highest-paid athlete — to avoid having to work another second for the rest of his life.

“If you stick around anything too long, anything can happen. I’m not really worried about losing, but I want to have a sharp mind. You can make a lot of money, but you still want to be able to talk, walk, and have a sharp mind,” said the American. “Of course, it’s always about self-preservation. I’m going to be TBE until the day I die.”

However, despite the assurances, many are deeply skeptical of Mayweather’s plans.

“There are certain people in life who what they say really doesn’t reflect all that much on what they’re going to do or what they think — and he’s one of those people,” said Ivan Goldman, a novelist and writer for the boxinginsider.com website. “I’m guessing he’ll go for the magic number of 50-0. Equalling a record doesn’t sound like him.” 

Published in The Express Tribune, September 10^th,  2015.

Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.