So why do some fighters have more longevity than others?

There was an article that took college freshman football (American) players, and measured brain function through scans to see the damage they were taking.

Within the first year were signs of brain damage.

Just sayin'.
 
I'm not surprised a guy like Vitaly is up there still and whitout problems. Probably takes really good care of himself.

But even his brain got to be affected by now so I'm a little surprised why he doesn't just retire, because he's not gonna sit idle for the rest of his life but be a politician or businessman or something. Seems like a good reason to preserve some braincells. But the reason is of course his competitivness, he still has to prove himself at 40, and thats the reason he's still around.
 
Well, training techniques should be mentioned too.

Staying in immaculate condition sure helps. Modern nutritional science helps too. It's no surprise that the age range that fighters still seem prime has pushed out.

I'd estimate the prior generations of boxing, you started getting "old" and past prime around 30. Winning world titles at non-heavy weight classes became very hard post 34. Now it seems it's more common for a fighter to still be dominant or upper echelon p4p fighters at that age.

Not that I have any data to back these claims.
 
ZroC said:
I know we've been here before but the threads on the front page are giving me a headache at this stage.

Manny who started at a young age is said to be slowing down at 34. Though personally I don't see this.

We have Cotto who seems to be fading at 35.

Mayweather is 36 ... doesn't really seem to be slowing

Vitali is lasting into his 40s

Muhammad Ali came back multiple times to take the title and fight for the title

Wlad has actually gotten better in his 30s

Martinez started boxing at 23 and he's still going strong at 37

James Braddock, a washed up boxer, came back in his later years and beat Max Baer

Hopkins started at 23 but is still lively approaching his 50s

Marcianno started at 24-25, retired at 31

Roy Jones started to suck moving into his late thirties

Same for Evander

Tyson's prime apparently lasted a few strange months nobody can pin point exactly

Archie Moore became the oldest to win the LHW title

Jersey Joe Wallcott became the oldest man in his day to win the HW title at 37

George Foreman started boxing at age 18 - became oldest HW champ ever

Guillermo Rigondeaux, the most successful amateur of all time, didn't turn pro till 32 yet people seem to have high hopes for him at pro, even though he's close to the usual point boxers slow down.

Same for GGG in a way
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Cotto is only 32
 
His brother will be about 35, that count?
 
I'd say Techniques, and age factor too.
One of the most revered example of longevity have to be Willie Pep with over 200 professional bouts, not even counting his amateur career. He is as elusive as fuck, which really enable to fight such a long time since he take care of his body so well in the ring by using techniques to fight. And then we have RJJ who relied on his atheleticism and when his body began to falter, so is his career.

I noticed that several notable fighters like Martinez or Hopkins who started late but still fighting. Now i think they are more exception than the norm but with guys like them never have to put through the grind of the amatuer career that some have (Martinez only have a "measly" 30 amateur fights or so, while Hopkins have none iirc), and thus their health and physicality are not as worn down as some other fighters who trained from 13 and fought 80+ amateur fights or so. Shit, Martinez still use his blazing style of boxing very effectively now and he's 37, while RJJ slowed down considerably in his late thirties.
 
A combination of fighting style, amount of punches taken, lifestyle choices, ring IQ and discipline.
 
And getting back to the competition factor, Ali aged about the same as other great heavyweights who were more boxer than puncher, Larry Holmes, Ali made it to about mid 30's before they were barely hanging on, the aggressive guys like frazier, dempsey tyson have always burned out faster. That is all to preface saying that Ali rarely took punishment in the 60's, he was such a good fighter that he escaped the job risks other fighters endured regularly so in his case, he really did not take much punishment from 18-29 or so. I, however, do not believe he was as unhittable as his later rep made him seem but it was rare for a fighter to land sustained punishment on him. Yet and still, when he did start taking physical punishment, beginning with the Bonavena fight then the Frazier fight he began to get easier to hit, he lost a little edge after Frazier and steadily went downhill from there. By the time he was fighting spinks the second time he was a ghost of his old self and he was only 36, so that was really the Foremans, the Nortons, the Fraziers, the Shavers and all the sparring with top, mean heavyweights who envied the shit out of him, it took him apart in the span of 6 or 7 years and left him a damaged idol. Point is, the comp means a lot.
 
Someone88 said:
TS you could include Marquez as well, there are different factors as to why some fighters have more longevity than others. I agree that Wladimir has gotten better.
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I think Marquez has aged so well because he generally didn't fight too many really good guys as often as he probably should have. No, I am not calling him a can crusher so you guys who are ready to get in an argument over that statement can just stop right there.
 
zuffa zack said:
I think Marquez has aged so well because he generally didn't fight too many really good guys as often as he probably should have. No, I am not calling him a can crusher so you guys who are ready to get in an argument over that statement can just stop right there.
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i dont think thats it, he's been in plenty of wars, doesnt matter how good his comp is, a punch to the head is a punch to the head no matter who throws it
i think its about his healthy lifestyle, and the number of fights
barrera started declining at around 60 fights just like him, but barrera was more younger when he got to 60 fights
 
Better defense (not getting hit)

Healthy lifestyle (no drinking, smoking, etc...)

Less weight cutting (I wonder if that is why heavyweights seem to age slower)

Less letting yourself go in between fights then having to over train to get back into fighting shape.
 
Fluffernutter said:
Better defense (not getting hit)

Healthy lifestyle (no drinking, smoking, etc...)

Less weight cutting (I wonder if that is why heavyweights seem to age slower)

Less letting yourself go in between fights then having to over train to get back into fighting shape.
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Weight cutting is bad for you, very bad, one reason heavyweights have a leg up, I have also always believed that they punch less, maybe harder, but less too. Maybe half of what a featherweight would throw per round.
 
One reason I thought of for why boxers are fighting longer today, which is actually blatantly obvious, is that life expectancy is longer these days. The average life expectancy in 1930 was around 58 for men. Today it's 80.
 
mozfonky said:
Was a time when having the pfp'rs we have today at the age they are at would have been unbelievable to boxing people. Main reason in my mind is punishment, fighters take less punishment than they used to, I have to say, and I know no one wants to hear it and won't believe it, the fighters just aren't as competitive. Then we have lifestyle, drugs, alcohol, overeating, women, all known to take away from fighters. still, it was startling when th 00's started to see fighters in their mid thirties for once able to dominate younger fighters. Much was made of this new era, Jesse James Leija was thought to be finished until he beat a young Hector Camacho Jr. who basically quit, then we had the 37 year old Hopkins beat the younger trinidad, then, it just became normal for the champions to be 35-40 years old. An age where even the greatest of past champions could no longer compete. The older fighters certainly don't look any hungrier, in fact a Hopkins never really showed real fire to me, just a solid pro who took advantage of guys without a full game.
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Foreman won the title during agreat era in the 90's.Hopkins is one of the most hungry fighters I have ever seen. PEDs and modern science obviously play a part as well.
 
molest said:
i dont think thats it, he's been in plenty of wars, doesnt matter how good his comp is, a punch to the head is a punch to the head no matter who throws it
i think its about his healthy lifestyle, and the number of fights
barrera started declining at around 60 fights just like him, but barrera was more younger when he got to 60 fights
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I think he's really healthy clean living guy who has revitalized his career via possible ped use (just have that thought because angel heredia is convicted of dealing peds to athletes and is banned from working with athletes in many other sports)
 
ZroC said:
One reason I thought of for why boxers are fighting longer today, which is actually blatantly obvious, is that life expectancy is longer these days. The average life expectancy in 1930 was around 58 for men. Today it's 80.
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how would that explain the normal athletic decline of all the greats though? Up until the last ten years the age where fighters began to lose a step remained relatively the same. One thing I know though, knowledge has helped some, I remember seeing a boxing manual from like 1900 and in it they advised drinking beer as part of the regimen, just ignorance because no one knew any better. Fighters also used to eat a steak right before the fight, now they don't do that anymore.
 
Genetics, amount of damage incurred due to fights and weight cuts, lifestyle choices are three factors that spring to mind.
 
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