Olympic boxing champion André Ward retired

CAIRO –22 September 2017- Lightweight boxing world champion and former Olympic champion André Ward announced his retirement on Thursday.

The 33-year-old attributed his decision to the physical burden of the sport. “I'm leaving boxing because my body can no longer meet the physical burden of this sport, and my desire to continue fighting is no longer the same,” Ward said in a statement on his personal website.

He added, “If I could not give my family, my assistant team and my fans all that I have, retirement is the right decision.”

Ward, who won the gold medal at the 2004 Olympics, made a remarkable 32 victories without a defeat, including 16 knockout victories.

His last match was in June when he defeated Sergei Kovalev to keep the three world lightweight titles.