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The 33-year-old American, who is regarded by
many as the best pound-for-pound boxer today, attributed both
the physical demands of the sport and a waning desire to fight
for his decision.
"I want to be clear - I am leaving because my body can no longer
put up with the rigors of the sport and therefore my desire to
fight is no longer there," Ward said in a statement on his
website.
"If I cannot give my family, my team, and the fans everything
that I have, then I should no longer be fighting."
Ward, who won the gold medal at the 2004 Olympics, earned a
career professional record of 32-0, including 16 wins by
knockout.
His most recent fight was in June when he earned an eighth-round
stoppage over Sergey Kovalev to retain the three light
heavyweight world title belts he won from the Russian in a
contentious points decision seven months earlier.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Toby Davis)
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