'Sugar' Shane Mosley Announces Retirement from Boxing at Age 42

Eighteen months after announcing his first retirement from the sport of boxing, "Sugar" Shane Mosley is walking away from the sport for good.

The 42-year-old American announced his decision on Saturday at a press conference prior to the Paulie Malignaggi-Zab Judah fight at the Barclays Center, per Tim Smith of Ring TV.

“It’s a young man’s game. It’s time to step aside and let some of these young guys do their thing,” Mosley said. 

Mosley's retirement comes just over a week after suffering a sixth-round technical knockout loss to Australian Anthony Mundine. The 38-year-old Mundine was leading on all three cards when Mosley decided to stop the fight before the seventh round, citing back issues. After the bout, Mosely hinted that his trip to Sydney may have been his last time in the ring.

"What's done is done," Mosley said, per the Associated Press (via ESPN).

This is the second time Mosley has retired in the past two years. Mosley's first retirement came in June of 2012, about a month after his unanimous-decision loss to Saul "Canelo" Alvarez.

However, that reprieve from the ring was short-lived, as he announced his return to the ring in January. Initially expected to face welterweight champion Malignaggi, Mosley instead wound up fighting Pablo Cesar Cano after the title was vacated and won in a unanimous decision.

While that success gave Mosley some hope that he could have the same late-career success of 48-year-old light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins, last Wednesday's loss to Mundine proved that wasn't the case.

Mosley, once a dominant force in the lightweight and welterweight divisions, has won only one fight since 2009. In that time, his status within the sport has dropped from fighting the likes of Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, to whom Mosley lost, to scuffling to find funding for his bouts. Mundine and his camp had to cover $1 million worth of fees to get Mosley into the ring.

Overall, though, Mosley will be remembered far more for his peak than the disappointing end. His career ends with a 47-9-1 record and 39 knockouts. He defeated Oscar De La Hoya twice, Antonio Margarito once and held belts inside of three weight classes.

Mosley indicated he will stay around boxing by increasing his workload as a trainer, per ESPN's Dan Rafael:

His son, Shane Mosley Jr., is expected to be chief among his post-boxing projects.

“I’m going to stay around the sport and work as a trainer,” Mosley said. “I’m training my son (Shane, Jr.) and a couple of other young fighters.”

All boxing retirements understandably come with their share of skepticism. Just a year ago, it seemed like Mosley was done for good, only for him to step back in the ring. But after such a thorough loss to a second-tier fighter like Mundine, it seems Mosley is picking the right time to walk away.

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