Light heavyweight champ Andre Ward, regarded by many as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the sport, announced Thursday he is retiring at the age of 33.

While Ward (32-0, 16 KOs) is forgoing millions of dollars of future earnings, he’s retiring at the top of his game and on his terms.

“To the sport of boxing — I love you. You’ve been by my side since I was 10 years old. You’ve taught me so much,” Ward wrote in a letter, titled “Mission Accomplished.”

Ward’s letter continued, “As I walk away from the sport of boxing today, I leave at the top of your glorious mountain, which was always my vision and my dream.”

On the phone with ESPN’s "First Take" on Thursday, Ward said the physical toll the sport has taken on him was the primary reason he’s stepping away.

“Just the accumulative effect of all the training and all the fights, it starts to wear on you and … starts to take your desire,” Ward said. “And when you don’t have the desire and you don’t have the ability physically to go out there and prepare the way you need to, you shouldn’t be in a boxing ring. My goal has always been to walk away from this sport and retire from this sport and not have the sport retire me, and I have that opportunity today.”

"First Take" host and boxing aficionado Max Kellerman put Ward, an Olympic gold medalist in 2004, in a rare category of fighters who decided to go out on top, a group that includes Rocky Marciano, Floyd Mayweather, Lennox Lewis and Gene Tunney.

“People see what I do fight night, they see under the lights, but they don’t see the toil, they don’t see the grind, they don’t see the physical pain that you go through, again, not just in the fights, but to prepare and get ready for those battles,” Ward said.

“I know it’s time. I’ve studied retirement, those same guys you just mentioned,” Ward said in response to Kellerman. “I’ve studied those guys and how they walked away and who came back. I’ve talked to a lot of guys and they’ve told me nobody will know but you … and I feel like (my) time is now.”

While ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith suggested Gennady Golovkin is reluctant to move up in weight to make a super-fight with Ward, boxing writer Chris Mannix reported on Twitter there was plenty of money on the table for Ward.

As for what’s next, Ward mentioned spending time with his family, broadcasting and a commitment to his community.

“Continue to be involved in my community and making a difference,” he said. “Just because I’m walking away from boxing doesn’t mean I don’t have a platform anymore. In some cases, my platform will enlarge, and I’ll have more time to give back to the people.”

While boxing fans may lament not being able to see Ward in the ring again, he’s exhibiting a remarkable amount of class in his decision to retire.