Ross Kelly, CBS Local Sports
Whether you love Floyd Mayweather Jr. or hate him, you have to admit that the man is consistent. Of course inside the ring, his consistency to maintain perfection is nearly unparalleled to the tune of 48-0. But outside of the ring, Mayweather has been consistent in his year-long claim that his next fight will be his last fight.
Speaking to MLive.com, of his hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Mayweather re-iterated that the Andre Berto fight on September 12 will be his final bout. Mayweather cited two main reasons: his health and the fact that after it (and arguably even before it) he would have done everything in the sport that there is to do:
“There’s really nothing else to accomplish…No one is in my shoes. My health is more important. 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.”
Ever the promoter and businessman, Mayweather puffed up Berto, who most see as not much of a challenge in the Pacquiao was or GGG would be:
“(Berto’s) got nothing to lose, and when you’ve got a guy that’s put in a situation with nothing to lose, it makes him work that much harder. He’s got a chance to be one of the top guys in the sport when I’m through. So does he want to dethrone Floyd Mayweather? Absolutely…Like they say in football, ‘Any given Sunday,’ I say any given Saturday, anything can happen. So I’m prepared, mentally and physically. I’m in top shape. I’m pretty sure he’s in top shape. But I’m not going to overlook this guy.”
Floyd’s doing everything he can to sell this fight and to sell people on the belief that he will walk away after it. While a victory over Berto is expected, if Floyd truly does retire (and stay retired) afterwards; then that would certainly be a surprise.
Ross Kelly is an Associated Producer for CBS Local Sports. He is from Louisiana and is a fan of all sports, but not of any teams (except LSU). He can be reached at ross.kelly@cbs.com.
