Floyd Mayweather has declared he won’t return to professional fighting in a bid to protect his health.
The 42-year-old American last fought in 2017 when he stopped MMA star Conor MgGregor in 10 rounds.
Mayweather cited recent deaths in the ring as one of the reasons he wouldn’t return to the sport that made him hundreds of millions of dollars.
His decision will come as a blow to many fight fans who had been hoping to see Mayweather return to boxing to face arch-nemesis Manny Pacquiao or Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in what would be financially lucrative rematches.
“I’ve got calls to get back into the ring, but my health is my wealth,” Mayweather 50-0 (27) said according to Sky Sports.
“Boxing is a very, very brutal sport. In the last few years a lot of fighters have died inside that squared circle.
“You have got to know when to hang it up. I had a great career.”
Mayweather has hung up his gloves twice in the past – first in 2007 and again in 2015 – but returned to the ring after both sabbaticals.
However, Mayweather revealed he is still open to boxing exhibition bouts like the one in Japan on New Years Eve that saw him destroy kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in under three minutes.
“I’ll still travel and do exhibitions,” said Mayweather. “I make great money doing exhibitions – between $10 and $30million.
“I think I make more doing that than most fighters make fighting.”
Mayweather said he will focus his energies on other projects, including his chain of boxing gyms and his boxing promotions company.
