Floyd Mayweather hangs it up

Floyd Mayweather Jr., center, stands with referee Kenny Bayless, right, after defeating Andre Berto during their welterweight title boxing bout Saturday, September 12, 2015, in Las Vegas.

The 38-year-old Mayweather retired for the second time last Sunday after he easily dispatched Andre Berto for his 49th win, tying him with Rocky Marciano’s undefeated 49-0 record.

Mayweather sealed his night’s work by turning showman in the 11th, ducking brilliantly to avoid several Berto haymakers and then looking behind himself as if to say mockingly to his opponent: where am I?

The issue Mayweather was dealing with came in a text from one of his daughters. “I was a lot younger before [when Mayweather stopped fighting from 2007 to 2009], and it was just a vacation”.

From the opening bell, it was very clear that Berto, though a talented fighter, was in way over his head against the crafty Mayweather.

The fight was streamed online – a first for a major boxing match – by CBS and Showtime.

By the late rounds, Mayweather was both talking to Berto (30-4) and taunting him, secure in the knowledge he was winning big against the 18-1 underdog. “I’m not going to be doing this when I’m 40 years old. No, I don’t”, he said.

“I was in shape but he was hard to hold on to, he’s really, really slippery”, said Berto, a 32-year-old twice former welterweight world champion who overcame a career-threatening shoulder injury in 2013 to knock out Josesito Lopez in March. Most fans are also criticizing Mayweather for dodging the best possible opponent. “I’m still sharp and smart”. “TBE!” as Mayweather earned a unanimous decision over the limited Berto.

Mayweather says at this stage he has reached the peak of this sport and asks for nothing more.

Some boxing fans believe Mayweather might try not actually retire for several reasons.

“I’m sure glad I decided for Disney movies with my kids tonight”, he tweeted. I knew he would be a tough competitor.

Recently, a report came out that Mayweather was allegedly given an intravenous injection of a banned substance before his major fight with Manny Pacquiao. I’m 10 steps ahead of any fighter, I take whatever is your best attribute and take that away from you, make you do what you don’t want to do.

It’s for those reason’s – all of them or simply just one – that I truly believe we’ll be seeing Floyd back in the boxing ring sometime in 2016 or 2017.