Mayweather retires

LAS VEGAS – Floyd Mayweather Jr. said he was retiring from boxing after beating Oscar De La Hoya on a split decision on Saturday.

“I still plan on retiring,” he told reporters after winning the World Boxing Council super welterweight title. “I have nothing left to prove.I want to spend more time with my children.”As of right now, Floyd Mayweather Jr.is officially retired from the sport of boxing.”After a slow start, Mayweather (38-0, 24 KOs) appeared to pull away during the middle portion of the fight at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, catching De La Hoya with overhand right hands and parrying De La Hoya’s flurries with his shoulders and arms.”I was having fun in there,” said Mayweather.”It was a hell of a fight.It was easy work for me.I could see his shots coming.I stayed on the outside and made him miss.”Mayweather claimed a world title belt in his fifth weight division.He began his professional career at super featherweight, winning the WBC crown in 1998.”I came in on top, and I’m going out on top,” Mayweather told a news conference.”He’s a hell of a champion, I’m a hell of a champion, and we gave you guys a great fight tonight.”Even if Mayweather does retire, it may not last.Boxing history is full of examples of fighters who have retired only to return to the ring shortly afterwards.Longtime middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins announced his retirement after winning the light heavyweight title from Antonio Tarver last June.At a press conference on Saturday morning, he announced he would be fighting long-time junior middleweight champion Winky Wright in Las Vegas on July 21.* Meanwhile, Oscar De La Hoya said he “didn’t feel like a loser” after the defeat.De La Hoya lost his World Boxing Council super welterweight title to Mayweather in front of 16,200 fans at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino.”I felt I stuck to my game plan.I didn’t feel like I lost,” De La Hoya told a news conference.De La Hoya (38-5, 30 KOs) had earlier questioned the verdict of the three judges, two of whom scored the fight for Mayweather.”I felt I won,” he said.”I landed the harder and crisper punches.I was pressing the fight.I’m the champion, and you have to do more than that to beat the champion.”Richard Schaeffer, the Chief Operating Officer of De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, initially cast doubt on the validity of the scoring, saying there were anomalies in the scorecards, before later backing down from that assertion.Nampa-Reuters and AFP”I have nothing left to prove.I want to spend more time with my children.”As of right now, Floyd Mayweather Jr.is officially retired from the sport of boxing.”After a slow start, Mayweather (38-0, 24 KOs) appeared to pull away during the middle portion of the fight at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, catching De La Hoya with overhand right hands and parrying De La Hoya’s flurries with his shoulders and arms.”I was having fun in there,” said Mayweather.”It was a hell of a fight.It was easy work for me.I could see his shots coming.I stayed on the outside and made him miss.”Mayweather claimed a world title belt in his fifth weight division.He began his professional career at super featherweight, winning the WBC crown in 1998.”I came in on top, and I’m going out on top,” Mayweather told a news conference.”He’s a hell of a champion, I’m a hell of a champion, and we gave you guys a great fight tonight.”Even if Mayweather does retire, it may not last.Boxing history is full of examples of fighters who have retired only to return to the ring shortly afterwards.Longtime middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins announced his retirement after winning the light heavyweight title from Antonio Tarver last June.At a press conference on Saturday morning, he announced he would be fighting long-time junior middleweight champion Winky Wright in Las Vegas on July 21.* Meanwhile, Oscar De La Hoya said he “didn’t feel like a loser” after the defeat.De La Hoya lost his World Boxing Council super welterweight title to Mayweather in front of 16,200 fans at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino.”I felt I stuck to my game plan.I didn’t feel like I lost,” De La Hoya told a news conference.De La Hoya (38-5, 30 KOs) had earlier questioned the verdict of the three judges, two of whom scored the fight for Mayweather.”I felt I won,” he said.”I landed the harder and crisper punches.I was pressing the fight.I’m the champion, and you have to do more than that to beat the champion.”Richard Schaeffer, the Chief Operating Officer of De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, initially cast doubt on the validity of the scoring, saying there were anomalies in the scorecards, before later backing down from that assertion.Nampa-Reuters and AFP