Quote Originally Posted by Fenster View Post
"Past your best" also gets overplayed. There are other factors to consider than simply - a fighter got "old." Once you reach a certain level the competition is genuinely tougher. If you are consistently competing at the highest level you are more likely to lose. That's just basic common sense. Contrary to what some people claim nobody is "Superman," indestructible or unbeatable.

Obviously many cases are clearcut.

However, boxing is the ultimate "hindsight" sport. You match a contender with a proven respected champion? The contender wins - it's because the proven champion is past his best. The prospect loses - it's because he was overrated.

Excellent post.

Its certainly not finite and even if its obvious is some cases physically its certainly not always the case.
It does seem like in many cases the minute the historic winner begins to lose the "not at his best" terminology starts to circle the wagons. I'm sure Moore was all but written off when he finally got a title shot at age 39 and 160 fights.