Who will Floyd Mayweather fight next after defeating Conor McGregor, or will he retire from boxing instead?
Before his fight with McGregor, Mayweather had vowed to both his family and his fans that he would retire from boxing for good after his 50th professional contest
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Your support makes all the difference.Before his fight with Conor McGregor, Floyd Mayweather vowed that this would be the last time he would ever step foot in the boxing ring.
He’s promised that before, of course, first retiring after he outpointed Andre Berto in 2015. But now that he has beaten McGregor to move to 50-0, there is precious little incentive for him to fight again.
“I gave my word already,” Mayweather admitted in the week ahead of his fight with McGregor.
“Once I gave my word to my children, it’s the end. It came to an end.
“This is a great event. What better way to go out than with a bang?”
He repeated that sentiment after his win against McGregor. "This was my last fight tonight. For sure. Tonight was my last fight. Tonight I chose the right dance partner to dance with. Conor you are a hell of a champion," he said.
McGregor could agitate for a rematch — but that’s unlikely. The Irishman is a mixed martial artist, not a boxer, and will likely return to fighting in the UFC. If he is to box again, it would more likely be against Paulie Malignaggi.
As for what the future holds for Mayweather? The 40-year-old says that he is unsure.
“That’s a great question. Because I’m not sure he even knows,” one of his closest advisers, who declined to be identified because of the subject matter, said in the build-up to this fight.
But Mayweather has many different business interests and also fronts up Mayweather Promotions, his exciting stable of fighters which also includes Gervonta Davis and Badou Jack, who both fought on Saturday night’s undercard.
So — although only Mayweather knows his own future — it looks most likely that the boxer will retire for good this time around. He has nothing left to prove.
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