When a fighter is "prime" what does it mean to "you"?

[Jody Lane]

Makes you wonder what age we could say that Hopkins was in his prime. The 2001 version that wiped out Trinidad or the 2008 model that outboxed Pavlik?

[JonesJrMayweather]

Makes you wonder what age we could say that Hopkins was in his prime. The 2001 version that wiped out Trinidad or the 2008 model that outboxed Pavlik?

Pavlik was a tailor made for the old hopkins who only needed his knowledge to beat a young fighter with too much confidence in his own power...the 2001 bernard 80/20 possibly would have stopped pavlik inside of 10...

[Mar]

Now a days it's a useless over used term just like swagger, ducked, most feared, blah blah etc. I don't know what the term was supposed to mean but now when a fighter wins or is winning he's in his prime, all of the sudden if they loose their not. One of the easiest excuses to use post fight there is.

[killersheep]

Physical abilities in the ring tend to increase and ring smarts tend to increase, their peak is when they have the highest level of both. It is usually only something you can categorize in hindsight.

[Spicoli]

One thats hard to peg is Holyfield.The version that kept his head and outboxed a viable returning Foreman.....or the broke down Tyson and walked through Moorer.

Or a question Ive always wondered...at the risk of being laughed off.Foreman??Which version.He was raw and primed in youth,physical ability in his first run but the comeback saw a superior thinker and great disipline with better timing.I think that version may have topped young Foreman

[JonesJrMayweather]

One thats hard to peg is Holyfield.The version that kept his head and outboxed a viable returning Foreman.....or the broke down Tyson and walked through Moorer.

Or a question Ive always wondered...at the risk of being laughed off.Foreman??Which version.He was raw and primed in youth,physical ability in his first run but the comeback saw a superior thinker and great disipline with better timing.I think that version may have topped young Foreman

Even he felt he would have beaten his younger self..Holyfield said the same thing.

"Back then I used to beat people by imposing my will, now if you can't out think me won't beat me" - Holyfield before the second fight with moorer.

[boozeboxer]

According to the USDA, a fighter is probably prime whenever he has better marbling than a choice fighter.