By Keith Idec

NEW YORK – Andre Ward was serious about retirement.

The light heavyweight champion dismissed conjecture that he threatened to retire merely to gain leverage before signing a contract for his rematch with Sergey Kovalev. The 33-year-old Ward has boxed for 23 years and contemplated walking away from the sport in part because the unbeaten two-division champion feels he doesn’t have anything left to prove.

Speculation regarding Ward’s retirement spread after he told TMZ.com in mid-December that he was considering skipping an immediate rematch against Kovalev if he wasn’t going to be paid what he thinks he’s worth. Ward joked Monday that he blames his friend, former welterweight champion Andre Berto, for calling a TMZ cameraman to interview them as they left a restaurant in Los Angeles, but reiterated retirement was something he seriously considered.

“The retirement talk was real,” Ward said before a press conference Monday in Manhattan. “I’ll just keep it there. But once I make up my mind to go forward, then that’s off the table.”

Ultimately, Ward honored his contractual commitment to an immediate rematch. Most of the details in the contracts for their rematch were solidified before their first fight, which Ward narrowly won by unanimous decision November 19 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The second 12-round bout between Ward (31-0, 15 KOs), of Hayward, California, and Russia’s Kovalev (30-1-1, 26 KOs) is scheduled for June 17 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas (HBO Pay-Per-View).

“We had a conversation about [retirement] and it was for several reasons,” Ward said. “I know it’s being painted as just wanting more money. But that wasn’t it. We talked and I said, ‘Man, what do you guys think? I’ve done what I wanted to do. I’m not concerned with trying to prove anything, because you’re never gonna win that battle.’ And again, talking to [James] Prince, talking to [Josh] Dubin, and collectively talking to Roc Nation and putting our heads together, we said, ‘Let’s do it again.’ ”

During those talks, Ward realized he still has the desire required to train and fight at the elite level.

“I try to be a person that listens to what my teams says,” Ward said. “They’re on my team for a reason. And I try to digest everything. Then I go home to my wife and say, ‘What do you think?’ We pray about it. I talk to my other advisers, like my pastor and different people like that I have in my life. And then, ultimately, the buck stops with me. I’ve gotta make the decision. So [I’ve] still got the fire, still got the desire.

“And yeah, you know, him talking a little bit had something to do with it, but not everything. Because I’ve dealt with that my whole career. I’ve dealt with it my whole career. I’ve fought a million Kovalevs – from the amateurs, all the way up. And I’ve yet to find one that gave us our credit or our just due. You can go all the way down to Kessler, Froch, you name it.”

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.