Floyd Mayweather Jr. often claimed he was the TBE (The Best Ever) when he fought. This week he invoked “The Greatest,” AKA Muhammad Ali when he discussed why he doesn’t anticipate ever returning to the ring.

Ali dealt with Parkinson’s disease over the final three decades of his life until he died on June 3, a product, most suspect, of the grueling battles he was in over his legendary career. Mayweather has often cited his own long-term wellbeing as a main reason why he retired after his easy win against Andre Berto last September and why he repeatedly says he will never fight again.

“At the end of his career he could barely talk,” Mayweather told a group of reporters on Wednesday following a press conference in Brooklyn for James DeGale vs. Badou Jack on Jan. 14. “He could barely walk. And that’s not cool. My faculties — me being sharp and me being smart is more important than anything. I’m happy I was a defensive fighter. I’m happy I didn’t take a lot of wear and tear on my body. So the best thing about my career is this — I was able to leave the sport of boxing with no punishment, still sharp, and made smart investments. That’s the best thing about my career.”