Oakland’s Andre Ward, the light heavyweight champion and one of the world’s top boxers in the last decade, surprisingly announced his retirement on Thursday.
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED ✌🏽https://t.co/FTBBwubLsd pic.twitter.com/dtQppu8pAZ
— Andre S.O.G. Ward (@andreward) September 21, 2017
The 33-year-old Ward ends his career having never lost a fight, with his June championship bout win over Sergey Kovalev leaving him with a perfect 32-0 record.
Ward signaled the end of his career with a Twitter post titled “Mission Accomplished,” thanking those who helped him on his boxing journey from a hopeful 10-year-old to 2004 Olympic champion and finally, to world champion.
“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,” wrote Ward, whose last loss came as a 12-year-old.
Ward, who has battled nagging injuries on his ascent to boxing greatness, simply said the toll has finally become too much.
“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,” Ward wrote. “If I cannot give my family, my team, and the fans everything that I have, then I should no longer be fighting.”