Mayweather Cites Health As Reason For Retiring After Berto Fight

Superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr is adamant that his fight with Andre Berto this weekend will be his last.

The pound-for-pound king is set to hang up the gloves after his 49th fight, live and exclusive on BoxNation, admitting that he wants to get out of the sport while he has all his faculties intact.

“Number 49 is my last fight,” said Mayweather. “No one is in my shoes. My health is more important. 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.”

Some have doubted 38-year-old Mayweather’s claim that he will call it a day following his matchup with the spirited Berto, especially given the fact that, if he wins, the unbeaten ace would be just one fight short of beating heavyweight legend Rocky Marciano’s 49-0 record.

But the Grand Rapids born fighter believes he sealed his legacy long ago, with his record-breaking victory over Filipino hotshot Manny Pacquiao crowning him ‘The Best Ever’.

“I’m not Nostradamus, but if you go look at an old interview, I talked about Pacquiao, what they were going to say, what they were going to do and how that fight was going to go,” said Mayweather.

“Everybody that said throughout the years that I was a coward, I was scared, he couldn’t beat Pacquiao. They gave him this. They gave him so many accolades and he’s an all-time great. But all these people had to eat their words. So if he’s an all-time great, then what does that make me? If they’re saying he’s the fighter of the century, what does that make me?

“So when they do rate me and when my fight is over, the only thing I can do is believe in myself and believe in my skills. I’m going to be ‘The Best Ever’ till the day I die,” he said.

Two-time world champion Berto goes into the fight as an underdog but, despite that, Mayweather is well aware that he cannot underestimate the Haitian hard-hitter.

“He feels like he has nothing to lose, and I think that when you’ve got a guy that’s put in that situation, it makes him work that much harder because he’s got a chance to be one of the top guys in the sport when I’m through,” Mayweather said.

“It’s like they say in football, any given Sunday. I say any given Saturday, anything can happen. So I’m prepared. I’m prepared mentally and physically. I’m in top shape. I’m ready. I’m pretty sure he’s in top shape and he’s ready. But I’m not going to overlook him.

“I want to win just like he wants to win. I’m working out – I’m pushing myself every day. As I get older I’m working harder. Actually, I think this camp I sparred a lot more, I pushed myself a lot more. I think I worked harder this fight than I did for the Pacquiao fight,” he said.

Britain’s George Groves is also in action on the night when he challenges WBC champion Badou Jack for the Super-Middleweight world title.

Mayweather v Berto / Groves v Jack is live on BoxNation (Sky 437/490HD, Virgin 525 and TalkTalk 415) this Saturday night at 1am.