need a serious answer

[rowza]

Never to late, Although i thought the amature age limit was 37?

[Gray Lion]

Bigpapa...I am pushing 69 years old. I still every now and then get in a ring to work with a fighter..but now I suit up with head gear, pad, etc. and maybe will go 3-4 rounds with the other fighter holding back on his punches. I was boxing in my 30's---but one thing I began to learn was that I was losing speed, and reaction time. Yes, there are people who are exceptions to this...for awhile anyway. Nature will began to slow you up, you will find that injuries do not heal as quickly, you will find that you tire quicker--in short--the more you fight at your age, the sooner you are going to meet that fighter who is going to hurt you. Most gyms, because of liability insurance coverage will not allow you to fight beyond training and demonstration.
The final decision is yours. But I have a friend now who is blind in one eye and has trouble with balance because he could not admit there comes a time when you need to get out of the ring. He was 34 when it happened.

[JimmyShocker]

Hi bigpapa,
I haven't done much boxing. I just like to read about it and imagine it - so I don't speak from any boxing experience. I can only offer experience from having trained a lot as an athlete and from being middle-aged (and hopefully from the wisdom it provides). So take what I say with a grain of salt.

You lost a fight at 30 when you were actually much, much younger than 39 - almost a third of your life ago - and you lost it due to a back injury. Now you've had back surgery (not a trivial surgery) and you want to fight as a pro. I think you're risking an awful lot. You will not heal quickly and if you hurt your back, it could easily mean a lifetime of back problems and a poor quality of life. Your surgery went great and was a huge success. If it were me, I'd focus on that and not put my back in further risk. The back is a critical piece of the body and it's a very complicated piece of the anatomy that's often impossible to fix once it's out-of-whack. Why take the chance? I'd try to get into the fight game in other ways. Sponsor a fighter, help train a fighter. Work at getting knowledgeable and get into coaching. Something like that. You can still train and keep in shape.

Just my two cents. There are plenty of things I wish I had done when I was younger and can never now do, so I empathize. I wish you good luck in whatever you decide. Sometimes it's better to be wise than right.