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What are the signs and symptoms of fighters who are getting old and a bit long in the tooth. As you know it is not always down to age, young fighters can become old quickly like Tyson, whereas others like Froch are getting better with age. So what are the signs that certain fighters are no longer able to preform to the peak of their abilities.
Shane Mosley inability to pull the trigger and his slurred speech in and after the Mayweather fight is clearly the signs of an old fighter
exhibit A
Biological Age > Calendar Age
Fernando Vargas, Ricky Hatton, Erik Morales = Getting FAT in between fights makes then very very OLD.
Bernard Hopkins is 46
Manny Pacquiao is 32
Floyd is 34
All of them keep their weight in check therefore has been aging slowly.
- If a fighter cant execute an arsenal he usually relies on like if :
Pac cannot thrown enough punches per round
Floyd Cannot shoulder roll straight right hands anymore.
then they're getting old
whenever Pacquiao or Mayweather show interest in fighting an opponent, well there's a big sign of it ;)
missing punches constantly by 1 millimeter, whereas they used to land those same shots.
maybe it was a result of the weight but you could see hattons punch resistance going in fights following the tzu fight
it seemed to slowly dwindle
Yeah punch resistance can just vanish... Not sure if that is something that goes with age but it goes all the same.
I think one of the first things that gives it away is when you see a guy in an unnaturally wide stance, and he's throwing mostly arm punches, with no snap, like he's tired at the beginning of the fight. Legs are the first thing to go.
Donald Curry started taking punches he would normally avoid and therefore got beat by McCallum, Norris and Nunn.
Also Ali started to use the ropes more.
The great Willie Pep put it best -
First your legs go, then your punch goes, then your chin goes, then your wife goes LOL ;D
They start to struggle getting an erection. ;D
Hopkins out put is a lot these days fortunately he is experienced enough to get the opponents to fight at his pace.
If you're a pressure fighter nearing age 28-30 you're pretty much done unless you're a freak of nature.
Holyfield has lost his work rate and what little power he used to keep fighters honest with.
James Toney just doesn't have enough energy to throw punches anymore.
The ability to avoid being hit. Jones jr was a master defensive fighter,then he got hit and hit regularly. It's your ability to land your power shots regularly and avoid beng hit in return that is the key, Mosley has lost both. He still packs a punch, but no longer has the speed in which to deliver it quickly and accurately enough to end a fight like he used too.
Injuires over the age of 30 can be a huge factor, Tszyu was never the same after shoulder surgery at age 34 and being out of the ring from January 03 till November 04. Fighting just 3 rounds in 2 and a half years in your mid 30's and then facing a peak Hatton saw Tszyu get old in one fight. Ali was officially old after the Thriller in Manilla, sadly he went on for another 5 years!!