Anselmo Moreno officially retires at age 31

Following his third-round stoppage loss to Julio Ceja, bantamweight great Anselmo Moreno has announced his retirement from boxing. “Chemito” ends his fifteen-year career with a record of 36-6-1, 12 KO.

Moreno earned his WBA world title in 2008 with a win over Volodymyr Sydorenko and held it until 2014, defending it twelve times and losing only to Abner Mares at super bantamweight during the streak. Even during his “downswing,” he gave Shinsuke Yamanaka everything he could handle in their two fights.

Against Ceja, however, his heart clearly wasn’t in it anymore. A sharp uppercut dropped him in the third round, but despite being visibly lucid, Moreno elected to wait out the count and made no effort to rise.

The Panamanian technician was one of the modern greats in the lower weight classes. As always, props to him for recognizing that he was done and not sticking around for more beatings. Best of luck, Chemito.