Former unified bantamweight champion Ryan Burnett has announced his retirement.
Burnett cited injuries he has suffered in the ring and in training as the main reason for his retirement at 27 years old. Although his career ended relatively early, Burnett said in a statement that he will retire satisfied with what he had accomplished in his six-year pro career.
“Although my retirement is forced through injuries, I carry a heart full of satisfaction and gratitude,” Burnett said. “I have achieved my childhood dream and secured my future health, which is something no amount of money or titles can provide. I would like to thank everyone at MTK, Top Rank, Sky Sports and Matchroom for providing me the opportunity to fulfill my potential as a fighter.”
Perhaps the most significant injury that Burnett suffered recently was in the middle of a fight against Nonito Donaire late last year during the World Boxing Super Series. In the middle of the fight, Burnett suffered torn muscle fibers in his right internal oblique muscle and was unable to continue fighting. Donaire was ruled the winner by TKO and won the WBA "Super" bantamweight championship.
Burnett was briefly the unified WBA and IBF bantamweight champion after beating Zhanat Zhakiyanov back in 2017. Burnett ended up vacating the IBF title and defended the WBA title once before his fight against Donaire. Burnett last fought in May when he defeated Jeibert Gomera by sixth-round TKO after signing a multi-fight promotional deal with Top Rank, retiring with a 20-1 record.
