Tarsis (Net-7) - Spidersshadow is going out on top, and he insists he won't be back. He retired today after a professional career of more than 58 years, the first active heavyweight champion to quit in over a century.
The boxer said that after months of deliberation he decided to leave the ring rather than defend his title in a rematch against the Terran challenger Ansel Bodach.
"It's a special day in my life.", Spidersshadow said at a news conference. "I'd like to announce that my last defense of the title was my last fight as a professional boxer."
"It has been a great honor to be the standard bearer of boxing for the last 35 years.", he added. "Let the next era begin. I've completed all my goals and now it's time for me say goodbye. I definitely wanted to say goodbye at the top and now I am at the top."
Spidersshadow paid tribute to his idol, Muhammad Ali, who retired with the WBA title in 1978 but came back to lose fights to Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick.
"My first fight against Ansel was my ultimate fight.", Spidersshadow said. "That was the fight that kept me around for a long time. I didn't want to go out without facing him. I didn't want people to say that Ansel was the best around."
