"The rematch with Kovalev is definitely something I'm interested in, it's definitely something we're entertaining, but I'm the champion now...if it's not right and it doesn't make sense, you know, absolutely, that may be a sign that it's time to leave the sport and walk away and do some other things in my life...I have to be fair to myself. I've put in a lot of hours, a lot of time, not just in these fights, but in this gym, my whole life, so it would be unfair to me to get into a ring at any point in time in my career moving forward if I'm not happy with the terms," stated undefeated unified light heavyweight champion Andre Ward, who opened up about the possibility of retirement if a rematch with former champion Sergey Kovalev does not make sense. Check it out!
BT: Dre, I know in the past you've said you didn't see yourself fighting for too many more years, but did I just hear you right? Are you seriously thinking about retiring?
AW: Yeah! I love the sport of boxing, I do, but I don't love it enough to go longer than I should go. One of my main goals and biggest dreams has always been to walk away from the sport of boxing secure, with my legacy intact, my finances intact, my name intact, and my integrity, which I've been fortunate to build throughout the course of my career. The rematch with Kovalev is definitely something I'm interested in, it's definitely something we're entertaining, but I'm the champion now and the business aspect of it has to make sense from top to bottom. If things aren't right, then obviously we're going to try to get them right, but if it's not right and it doesn't make sense, you know, absolutely, that may be a sign that it's time to leave the sport and walk away and do some other things in my life.
BT: How much of that decision is based on feeling like you've accomplished everything that you wanted to accomplish in the sport versus just being tired of dealing with the politics in the sport?
AW: No, I would never let the politics of boxing run me out of the sport or cause me to be flustered to the point where I just wanted to leave the sport. I just couldn't let that happen. Any type of politics, or whatever somebody may call the things that we deal with in boxing, those things have been here before I turned pro and they obviously have continued while I've been a professional and they're going to be here long after I leave, so that's not a factor even at all to be honest with you. It's nothing like that. If I walked away right now today, I would walk away with a smile on my face. There's nothing that I have to complain about, man, at all. I've been blessed, obviously in my life, but in my career; I'm a 12-year veteran in this sport and have done some amazing things that I dreamed about, and for these things to come to fruition, I can only give God the glory and be thankful and appreciative.
BT: When you start thinking about retirement, that's definitely a difficult decision to make. This is a hard sport to walk away from though. A lot of guys compare it to a drug addiction. Are you confident that you can definitely say you've had enough and never step into the ring again, especially when you're still on top, or do you think maybe you just need a break?
AW: Well, I'm going to have my opportunity to show at some point in time, whenever that time comes, if I can walk away or not. I've heard so many fighters say just what I'm saying, and then the opportunity comes and they come back. Sometimes it makes sense to come back. You get a rest, a great opportunity comes, it's right, you know you still got a lot left, then it's an opportunity you should take. And then some guys come back and they shouldn't come back, and then we know how that ends up. Listen, I know that walking away from something that I've pretty much done for 22 years straight, it's hard. Trust me, it's not going to be an easy thing to do. I don't want to come off as if this is some haphazard decision. This is something that takes a lot of prayer, a lot of counsel from the people that I have in my life, and just a lot of time to think about and make sure that it's the right decision. At the same time, I have to be fair to myself. I've put in a lot of hours, a lot of time, not just in these fights, but in this gym - my whole life - so it would be unfair to me to get into a ring at any point in time in my career moving forward if I'm not happy with the terms and if they don't make sense, especially after what we just did as a team.
There's a business aspect of it, there's a personal aspect of it, but you gotta be able to make these tough decisions because I never wanted the sport of boxing to retire me. I've always wanted to be a guy that can walk away from this sport and retire from the sport. I've seen too many guys that I love, guys that I respect and that I've grown up watching, get retired from this sport and it doesn't always end well. It's almost like retirement is a bad word in the sport of boxing. People look at you funny when you start talking about retirement. It's interesting. It's almost as if the sport wants to take everything out of you before it will let you go. I'm an advocate for fighters and athletes retiring when they still have something left in the tank. We've seen so many athletes retire after they are broken and can't compete anymore. By the grace of God, that's not going to be my testimony.
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