Floyd Mayweather says he will fight once more before retiring

After defeating Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather said he will fight one last time in September and then retire.

SI Wire | May 3, 2015

Floyd Mayweather says he will fight once more before retiring /

After defeating Manny Pacquiao by unanimous decision in what was billed the "Fight of the Century," Floyd Mayweather said he will fight one last time in September and then retire.

Mayweather, 38, has never lost a fight in 48 tries as a professional. His professional debut came in 1996 when he knocked out Roberto Apodaca in Las Vegas. You can look back on his career history here.

"My last fight is in September, then it's time for me to hang it up," he said on the broadcast after the fight. "You know, I'm almost 40 years old now, I've been in the sport 19 years, I've been world champion for 18 years, and I'm truly, truly thankful and I'm blessed."

• WATCH: Highlights from Mayweather's win over Pacquiao

Mayweather said in January 2014 that he would fight for the final time in September 2015. An opponent has not been announced.

After the fight was over, Mayweather also said Pacquiao is a "hell of a fighter."

"I tip my hat off to Manny Pacquiao, now I see why he's one of the guys that's at the pinnacle in the sport of boxing."

GALLERY: MAYWEATHER DEFEATS PACQUIAO

Mayweather vs Pacquiao: SI's Best Photos

Floyd Mayweather won a unanimous decision over Manny Pacquiao to run his record to 48-0 on May 2. Here are SI's best pictures from the bout.

Two of the judges scored the fight 116-112 for Mayweather, while the other judge scored it 118-110.

Mayweather was successful in throwing his his jab to keep Pacquiao at bay.

Pacquiao threw far fewer punches than he normally does in a fight, with Mayweather actually throwing more. (Text credit: AP)

Pacquiao chased Mayweather around the ring most of the night, but was never able to land a sustained volume of punches. (AP)

After the fight, it was disclosed that Pacquiao injured his right shoulder in training and that Nevada boxing commissioners denied his request to take an anti-inflammatory shot in his dressing room before the fight. (AP)

By winning the welterweight bout, Mayweather cemented his legacy as the best of his generation. (AP)

Pacquiao thought he had won the bout, largely on the basis of a few left hands that seemed to shake Mayweather. (AP)

There were no knockdowns, and neither fighter seemed terribly hurt at any time. (AP)

Mayweather fought confidently in the late rounds, winning the last two rounds on all three scorecards. (AP)

The crowd of 16,507 cheered nearly every time Pacquiao threw a punch. (AP)

Ringside punch stats showed Mayweather landing 148 punches of 435, while Pacquiao landed 81 of 429. (AP)

In the corner, Mayweather's father kept yelling at his son to do more. But Mayweather was content to stick with what was working and not take a risk that could cost him the fight. (AP)

Pacquiao landed probably the biggest punch in the fight in the fourth round — a left hand that sent Mayweather into the ropes — but he wasn't able to consistently land against the elusive champion. (AP)

"He's a very awkward fighter, so I had to take my time and watch him close," Mayweather said. (AP)

Pacquiao had vowed to take the fight to Mayweather and force him into a war. His camp thought Mayweather's 38-year-old legs weren't what they once were. (AP)

"You're tough," Mayweather said to Pacquiao after the bout, hugging him in the ring. (AP)

The fight unfolded before a glittering crowd of celebrities, high rollers and people who had enough money to pay for ringside seats going for $40,000 and up. (AP)

In the final seconds of the fight Mayweather raised his right hand in victory and after the bell rang stood on the ropes, pounding his heart with his gloves. (AP)

"I thought we pulled it out," Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach said. "I asked my man to throw more combinations between rounds. I thought he fought flat-footed too many times." (AP)

Mayweather says he'll fight one more time before calling it a career.

Pacquiao was escorted into the ring by Jimmy Kimmel.

- Molly Geary

Published May 3, 2015

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