Mayweather Jr. Quits Before Big Match

39-0 boxer forgoes $20 million payoff
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 7, 2008 1:37 PM CDT
Mayweather Jr. Quits Before Big Match
Oscar De La Hoya, left, and Floyd Mayweather Jr., laugh during a news conference after Mayweather beat Ricky Hatton in a WBC welterweight boxing title fight Dec. 8, 2007.    (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. is hanging up his gloves, nixing a high-profile rematch against Oscar De La Hoya, ESPN.com reports. “This decision was not an easy one for me to make,” the welterweight champ said. “However, these past few years have been extremely difficult for me to find the desire and joy to continue.”

Mayweather, 39-0 with 25 KOs, first announced he was retiring in 2006 but returned for several more fights, including one with De La Hoya. The rematch would have seen Mayweather’s estranged father coaching his opponent, and it would have meant another $20 million for Mayweather. But “after many sleepless nights, I realized I could no longer base my decision on anything but my own personal happiness,” he said. (More Floyd Mayweather Jr. stories.)

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