Unified light-heavyweight world champion Andre Ward has shocked fans by announcing his retirement from boxing.
The two-weight world champion hangs up his gloves with an unblemished record – winning all 32 of his professional fights – 16 by way of KO. Ward, 33, held titles at super-middleweight but moved up a weight division and unified the WBA, IBF and WBO light-heavyweight belts in 2016.
Earlier in the week Ward posted an image to social media showcasing titles he had earned during his career. In a heartfelt statement on his website, he said: “To the sport of boxing – I love you. You’ve been by my side since I was 10-years-old. You’ve taught me so much.
“You’ve humbled me. You’ve promoted me. I’ve sacrificed a lot for you, but you’ve given me more than I ever thought possible. You gave me a platform, made me a champion and helped me provide for my family. I am forever grateful to you. You and I will always be synonymous, connected at the hip. Thank you for all the wonderful people I’ve come in contact with because of you. I’ve made friends for life. As I walk away from the sport of boxing today, I leave at the top of your glorious mountain, which was always my vision and my dream. I did it. We did it. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who has played a part in my journey. You know who you are. I could not have done this without you. I want to be clear – I am leaving because my body can no longer put up with the rigors of the sport and therefore my desire to fight is no longer there”.
He last fought in June when he stopped Sergey Kovalev in a Las Vegas rematch to defend the titles he had won in a unification bout with the Russian seven months earlier.
Photo Credit: Getty
