Why do smaller fighters "age" faster?

[USBAdguy88]

I've always heard the old adage that once you hit 35 you are ancient for the smaller weight classes...while at the heavier weights you can tool around until you are damn near 50 and stay reasonable competitive...

I always have accepted it at face value...but why is it that if you naturally weight in as a featherweight at 36 and not just when you were 19 and skinny that you would be less effective than a 36 year old career heavyweight pugilist?

People tell me speed and reflexes drive out an older fighter...

Shouldn't speed be relative to the weight class? If a 20 year old bantamweight is faster than a 34 year old...why wouldn't a 20 year old cruiserweight be faster than a 34 yo cruiser?

 

[Corleone187]

Generally speaking it's not that smaller fighters age faster, it's the fact that everyone gets fat.

So if you're a smaller guy like say the Galaxy Warrior you're gonna have a problem with your weight and fighting healthy at the weight you want to.

The difference is that a cruiser weight, HW, or a tall guy like Tommy Hearns can "naturally" get older, gain weight, and not really lose "competitive size".

Whereas you can't really be 5'5" or whatever and weigh like 200lbs cause you're gonna lose for sure being small and fat in addition to being slower than you were before, there is a point where you have to stop getting fat or cut weight beyond your means. Either way you will pay.

 

[mozfonky]

lotta reasons, the game between heavyweights and bantamweights is different and relies on different strengths. Heavyweights rely more on strength and power (generally) than little men, little men rely on speed, agility and skill more. Little men fight at an accelerated pace, not uncommon to see the punchstats easily double heavyweight punchstats per round. They take more punishment as a result, also making weight is a huge strain on the body. If you think of how the body has to repair all that damage, all the organs have to regenerate and repair themselves and the rest of the body, every fighter has a limit to how much they can last. Duran was incredible for his ability to stay competive overweight and old. Brawlers age faster than boxers generally and it only takes one bad beating to destroy a fighter lots of factors, lifestyle, attitude. As a rule though, these are the main reasons little men age faster.

 

[jigoku05]

^I disagree with the above.

Bigger fighters can absorb more damage throughout their career than smaller fighters.

 

[mozfonky]

^I disagree with the above.

Bigger fighters can absorb more damage throughout their career than smaller fighters.

i respect your opinion but I'm not talking about power, i'm talking about wear and tear, little fighters fight at a faster clip and absorb more punishment. Heavier fighters take heavier shots but less of them, it's one of the reasons that heavyweights rarely have the serious deaths that the other weights have.

 

[mozfonky]

and also, these days, the talent around lets old men hang on way too long. I don't care how disciplined and technically sound hopkins is, he's an old man and in another era would be forced out of the sport long long time ago.

 

[dg43088]

Height and reach are also factors as to how far up in weight a fighter can go during his career and not be physically mismatched. Speed is usually one of the first attributes to go and I think most people understand that but as another poster mentioned above me, it's very difficult to be competitive at 175 pounds when you're 5'5'' and your best days physically are behind you

 

[M.V.P.]

lotta reasons, the game between heavyweights and bantamweights is different and relies on different strengths. Heavyweights rely more on strength and power (generally) than little men, little men rely on speed, agility and skill more. Little men fight at an accelerated pace, not uncommon to see the punchstats easily double heavyweight punchstats per round.

This is the reason. As you age the first things you lose are speed, agility and reflexes these are the main attributes for smaller fighters. Bigger fighters don't rely on these attributes as heavily meaning a decrease in speed and reflexes don't play as much of a role in the decline of bigger fighters. Meaning they can carry on fighting at a high level for longer.

 

[kingobould***]

This is the reason. As you age the first things you lose are speed, agility and reflexes these are the main attributes for smaller fighters. Bigger fighters don't rely on these attributes as heavily meaning a decrease in speed and reflexes don't play as much of a role in the decline of bigger fighters. Meaning they can carry on fighting at a high level for longer.

This is true. I would like to point out though that while smaller fighters take more shots the age and speed affect heavier fighters just as much. Punches get slower, head movement slows, everything slows. Look at football players you rarely ever see a player over 35 playing. Football takes to much speed. There is an exception to everything but i think ts gets the point.

 

[shotokanMMA]

Heavyweight fights are nowhere close to the intensity from lower weight classes. Most fighters of lower weight classes have to cut a lot of weight and that over time along with the faster and intense fights slow their production down to road to younger and fresher fighters. Heavyweights don't really have to cut weight to be honest with you. They still work under the fundamentals of the cardiovascular requirement to be in the ring for a few rounds.

 

[Terrible]

also theres just plain more fighters in the lower weight classes. so this mean you have to compete in a larger talent pool in the lower weight classes. so the numbers are stacked against you. its harder to be successful for very long if theres constantly fresh talent coming out.

 

[asdffdsa]

My guess would be that it's harder to keep up with the pace in the lighter divisions.

Speed, endurance, reactions...all that stuff.