Mayweather Jr. sticks by decision to leave ring for good

Floyd Mayweather Jr. doesn't mind if he’s referred to in the past tense.

After all, it was his decision to retire as an active boxer.

The former world welterweight champion who produced a 49-0 record with 26 knockouts over his 19-year professional career assured everyone following his beatdown of Andre Berto on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden that he’ll be fine.

"Boxing is blood, sweat and tears," Mayweather said at a packed postfight news conference that included his family, his team and many of his fighters that work under his Mayweather Promotions banner sharing the podium with him. "It’s wear and tear on the body.

"Different days I feel different ways. I’m A-OK today."

Mayweather said he’ll have plenty to do in the weeks and months ahead, that he will not be tempted to change his mind even though many in boxing believe he will do just that and try to surpass the historic 49-0 mark he shares with heavyweight legend Rocky Marciano.

"Numbers have been made at me to stay in the sport," he said. "But I have money. I have fame. I have everything I wanted to accomplish in boxing. It’s time for me to spend time with my children. I want to work with the young fighters and find the next Floyd Mayweather.

"When I got into boxing, my ultimate goal was to become a pay-per-view fighter. They brought me out to Vegas when I was 17, flew me first class, we stayed in the suites. I saw Mike Tyson fight and I was impressed.

"Then I saw a Bentley. I said, ‘I got to have that.’ They came out with a diamond Rolex and I said, ‘I got to have that.’ I was able to have all those things because I worked hard every day. But you get to a certain level where you can’t buy everything anymore."

For Mayweather, leaving the sport with his faculties intact was paramount. That and leaving boxing on his terms — going undefeated and putting forth a convincing performance in getting win No. 49 with his 12-round unanimous decision victory over Berto leaving no doubt in his mind and the minds of those closest to him that he’s doing the right thing.

Even Berto agreed with Mayweather’s decision.

"He’s broken all the records," Berto said. "He’s made a (expletive) load of money. He put in a lot of work. If he wants to retire, he should. But if he wants to come back, that’s on him."

Welterweight star Keith Thurman, who is the World Boxing Association’s "regular" champion and will look to dominate the division now that Mayweather is departing the scene, said he respects the former champ’s decision.

"Not many can do what he’s doing, leave while he’s still on top," Thurman said. "You can’t deny him what he’s accomplished. He’s an all-time great. And if he wants to spend time with his family and tend to his business, we should support that."

Mayweather spoke for nearly 35 minutes at his final news conference, addressing his legacy and his place in boxing history.

"I had a remarkable career," he said. "But I didn’t do it alone. I had an incredible team. Every day I wake up and I’m appreciative of my situation."

Mayweather said he knows that those who came before him helped lay the groundwork for him to have the career he had and be the highest paid competitor in the history of the sport.

"Muhammad Ali. Sugar Ray Robinson. Sugar Ray Leonard. Larry Holmes. The list goes on and on," he said. "They paved the way for me and I’m appreciative of that.

"Now we have the young guys coming up saying, ‘I want to be Mayweather.’ I hope some day someone breaks my records. But it won’t be easy."

Mayweather said each of his 49 wins is special to him and he paid homage to three of his deceased foes — Genaro Hernandez, Diego Corrales and Arturo Gatti — who gave him a go but were unable to defeat him.

"They all played a key role in my career," Mayweather said.

As for his toughest fights, Mayweather pointed to Manny Pacquiao, Canelo Alvarez and Miguel Cotto as three he put at the top of his list. But he was quick to add that he prevailed each time.

"No fight was hard," he said. "Any fight that was hard, I made hard on myself."

When he debuted as a pro on Oct. 11, 1996 at Texas Station and knocked out Roberto Apodaca in the second round, Mayweather’s purse was $25,000. Saturday, he made $32 million against Berto and his total earnings from boxing alone were over $800 million. That’s what being a PPV star enabled him to do and he was grateful to Showtime, which in February 2013 signed him to a six-fight deal, a deal which both sides ultimately benefited from.

"I gave Showtime a number and they met it," he said.

As he leaves the stage, Mayweather appears comfortable with his decision. He said he will focus on his many business ventures working with adviser Al Haymon and Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe.

"I’m going to be fine," Mayweather said. "I’ll be staying busy. I just won’t be fighting anymore."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.

HEIR-APPARENT TO MAYWEATHER?

The king has abdicated his throne. So who will replace Floyd Mayweather Jr. as boxing’s pound-for-pound king?

There is no shortage of candidates and it will undoubtedly make for some heated arguments among fight fans. But at some point, someone will be anointed king. Here’s a look at five possible heirs to the throne:

1. Gennady Golovkin: The undefeated WBA middleweight champ from Kazahkstan is 33-0 and gaining in popularity among American fans. He has 20 straight knockouts on his impressive resume and his pay-per-view fight versus David Lemieux next month at Madison Square Garden will give him the opportunity to prove he can do big numbers.

2. Canelo Alvarez: He’s only 25 but he has been at the top of the junior middleweight division and is becoming a crossover star in the U.S. after winning the hearts and souls of the fans in his native Mexico. He lost to Mayweather in 2013, his lone blemish on a 45-1-1 record. He takes on Miguel Cotto on Nov. 21 at Mandalay Bay. If he beats Cotto, he can boost his claim to the pound-for-pound title.

3. Roman Gonzalez: You know him as "Chocolatito" and he is absolutely devastating when he gets in the ring as evidenced by his 43-0 record with 37 KOs. Gonzalez, a 28-year-old from Nicaragua, is a rising star in the U.S. But the fact he’s a flyweight may work against him when it comes to claiming the pound-for-pound crown. But there’s no denying his talent and he is one of the most exciting fighters in the sport.

4. Andre Ward: The super middleweight star and WBA champ might have already been the chosen one had he not been out of the ring for 17 months while in a contract dispute with his former promoter, the late Dan Goossen. Ward, who is 28-0 with 15 KOs, is now with Roc Nation Sports and is back in action. A big win or two in the upcoming months and perhaps he leapfrogs everyone to the top spot.

5. Terence Crawford: The reigning WBO junior welterweight champ is a two-division title-holder, having held the WBO lightweight belt. He’s 26-0, only 27 years old and getting better with each outing. The Omaha, Neb., native fights Oct. 24 against Dierry Jean and, if he keeps moving forward, he will be in the conversation.