By Jake Donovan

Floyd Mayweather continues to insist that his September 12 showdown with Andre Berto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas will be the final fight of his incredible career.

Fans and media alike continue to take a ‘wait-and-see’ attitude over the thought of embracing such a claim.

In fairness, it’s not unlike a fighter to renege on a previous promise to walk away from the sport for good, only to eventually come back. Mayweather himself did as much, announcing his retirement in 2008—coming six months after his Dec. ’07 knockout win over Ricky Hatton—and leaving a lucrative rematch with Oscar de la Hoya on the table, only to return to the ring in Sept. ’09.

However, it’s worth noting his list of accomplishments over the past six years—particularly from a financial perspective—are more than enough to where he can literally afford to go out on top.

“49 is my last fight,” Mayweather (48-0, 26KOs) repeated throughout a recent media conference call to promote his bout with Berto, which headlines a Showtime Pay-Per-View telecast.

The event comes four months after Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao finally collided in a superfight more than five years in the making. Their May 2 encounter destroyed every imaginable industry box office record, with Mayweather claiming a landslide unanimous decision and clearing well north of $220 million for the event.

Despite the one-sided nature of the fight, speculation continues to run rampant that a sequel is in fact in store somewhere down the line. The still wildly popular Filipino’s name came up during the call, as did two more top fighters who fell well short versus Mayweather—Miguel Cotto and Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.

Cotto and Alvarez are preparing for their own epic showdown, which comes November 21 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. At stake is Cotto’s World middleweight championship, a weight class Mayweather has yet to conquer as he’s collected titles from super featherweight all the way to and through super welterweight.

Still, it’s not enough to pique his interest in the way of extending his career beyond September 12, nor he is particularly interested in revisiting past business.

“Are you just getting into the Floyd Mayweather business,” Mayweather asked one reporter when posed with the question of whether he has any interest in fighting the winner. “You should know that I beat Canelo, Pacquiao and Cotto. Ain't none of them my 49th fight, and not interested in them or a 50th fight.”

As the media continued to press the topic—rather than ask about the fight itself—Mayweather and his team decided it was time to put the matter to rest.

“This will be his last fight,” Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe emphasized. “Why can't a man go out in his illustrious career accomplishing everything he has and going out on top?”

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com.

Twitter: @JakeNDaBox

Facebook Page: JakeBScene