Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather has so many victories and so much money that he’s really not in a position to desire more of either. But that hasn’t prevented speculation of him returning to the ring for a chance to end his career with an unblemished 50-0 record.
Fuel was added to that fire when Mayweather was spotted ringside during Manny Pacquiao’s recent bout with Jessie Vargas, a fight Pacquiao won convincingly. But Mayweather diffused those rumors Wednesday in Brooklyn by saying he, unlike some boxers, has no reason to come out of retirement.
“A lot of fighters in the sport of boxing may want to retire, but they have to fight because they have to,” Mayweather said to USA TODAY’s Mike Coppinger. “I don’t have to fight.”
Mayweather cited his 2015 victory over Pacquiao for funding a lifestyle he has no intention of interrupting.
“I just made $300 million for fighting Pacquiao. I’m OK. Like I said before, I’m happy with my position,” Mayweather said. “Once again, the money don’t make me; I make money. I’m well off. I make smart moves, and like I said before, I’m happy with where my career has went.”
Interest in a Mayweather-Pacquiao rematch remains high, though, at least on Pacquiao’s side. And although Mayweather recently has stated he’d be open to a rematch, he downplayed that notion Wednesday by balancing humility and bravado as only he could.
“When someone puts up something I said in the past like, ‘Oh you said this, this day, well you said this, that day,’ I can contradict myself. I’m only human,” Mayweather said. “I’m not perfect. God only made one thing perfect: my boxing record.”
Thumbnail photo via Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports Images