Unified light heavyweight champion Andre Ward announced on his website that he is "leaving" boxing.
"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," the 33-year-old Ward wrote in a statement. "If I cannot give my family, my team, and the fans everything that I have, then I should no longer be fighting."
Ward, who owns a 32-0 mark with 16 knockouts, has been with HBO since he knocked out Chad Dawson in 2012. The native of Oakland, Calif., however, has endured two long layoffs since because of promotional issues.
Six of Ward's past seven fights have been for HBO, including both of his pay-per-view fights with Sergey Kovalev. He claimed a controversial unanimous decision in November to take Kovalev's three 175-pound world title belts, followed by an eighth-round knockout victory in the rematch on June 17.
"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," the 33-year-old Ward wrote in a statement. "If I cannot give my family, my team, and the fans everything that I have, then I should no longer be fighting."
Ward, who owns a 32-0 mark with 16 knockouts, has been with HBO since he knocked out Chad Dawson in 2012. The native of Oakland, Calif., however, has endured two long layoffs since because of promotional issues.
Six of Ward's past seven fights have been for HBO, including both of his pay-per-view fights with Sergey Kovalev. He claimed a controversial unanimous decision in November to take Kovalev's three 175-pound world title belts, followed by an eighth-round knockout victory in the rematch on June 17.
