Thread: Elite athletes who lost their footwork as they got up there

I've been watching old Hopkins and he still has really good speed in his footwork, and I was impressed by the fact he was able to stay away from Wright, fat or not, Wright still being a naturally fast 154 pounder was still unaturally quick for your average 170 pounder, yet Hopkins was able to keep the distance, as he has against every he has faced.

Yet I look at Roy who is like 3 or 4 years younger and whether its coming back down or no pop on his punches or he doens't work hard enough for whatever reason he can't keep the distance between him and his opponents or else he would be beating people almost as badly as he used to. He is starting to look like a rope-a-dope Ali type fighter more and more, and that worries me.

Muhammad Ali as he got older he maintained pretty good reflexes and blazing handspeed, but he started getting backed up onto the ropes where he perfected the rope-a-dope.

Now, most surprisingly to me because of his work ethic, I've seen Mayweather on the ropes against the lethargic and blundering Baldomir, He was against ropes against Dela Hoya a lot even though Oscar wasn't putting a whole lot of pressure on him, and he was against the ropes a lot against Hatton. Mayweather is so fast I don't understand it, it seems when he really wants space he can get it, but if he wants to fight toe to toe I have no idea why he would want to against the ropes, or why he has stopped using lateral movement.

Its just funny to me that Hopkins who started off a great inside, tough fighter became more mobile then some guys who I think had among the best footwork ever in the sport in terms of mobility, changing angles and getting leverage off the ground for punches in a counter-puncher type of way.

Oscar comes to mind for me. He ued to have very good footwork but now he doesnt use the ring as well. Most past prime fighters can move like they used too but only do it in flashes cause there legs arent what they used to be. They want to move but there body cant do what the brain tells it to do. Jones, Ali of course, and true Mayweather doesnt move like he used too but mostly cause he fights a bit lazier than he used too because he can get away with it with his skill, reflexes, and timing.