Why did Benitez and SRL age so quickly?

[Bokaj]

[quote=Russell]A similarity both had that no one's mentioned yet is drugs.

Leonard, like a lot of celebrities in the 80, used coke. As in it was an addiction. He's admitted this to himself.

Bentiez was a known partier and I don't exactly what he did, but drugs and drinking will age you more prematurely then just about anything, as if being punched in the face as a profession didn't do it fast enough.[/quote]

Some people are just impatient you know

[My2Sense]

Leonard's career was screwed by an eye injury and long spells of inactivity that resulted from that.

Benitez has always been considered a waste of talent. I don't think he ever really replicated the same form he showed in winning the jr. welter title from Cervantes. And it's possible he wasn't as good as Jones or Hopkins to begin with anyway, hard to tell.

[Shake]

These men benefited from their athletic ability. To describe them as especially technical would be faulty. Your premise isn't wrong, just your interpretation of it.

[Bokaj]

Originally Posted by Shake

These men benefited from their athletic ability. To describe them as especially technical would be faulty. Your premise isn't wrong, just your interpretation of it.

They were damn technical. To say anything else is ridiculous.

[Unforgiven]

Ray Leonard didn't age quickly.

[Bokaj]

Originally Posted by Unforgiven

Ray Leonard didn't age quickly.

Only if you take into account him being so technical and not having that many fights.

But sure, being past it at 35 is hardly strange. I was probably looking a bit too much at for example Hopkins and Calzaghe who are still going strong. Hell, even RJJ at 40 looks pretty good to me.

[JohnThomas1]

Originally Posted by Bokaj

Only if you take into account him being so technical and not having that many fights.

But sure, being past it at 35 is hardly strange. I was probably looking a bit too much at for example Hopkins and Calzaghe who are still going strong. Hell, even RJJ at 40 looks pretty good to me.

Jones has also been poleaxed YEARS ago by fighters he'd kill in his prime. Don't forget Calz has bad hands and slaps a lot. Perfect for over the hill Roy.

[Bokaj]

Originally Posted by JohnThomas1

Jones has also been poleaxed YEARS ago by fighters he'd kill in his prime. Don't forget Calz has bad hands and slaps a lot. Perfect for over the hill Roy.

Sure, he's nothing like what he used to be. But for a guy so dependent on his athleticism I think he looks quite good for a 40-year old.

[JohnThomas1]

Originally Posted by Bokaj

Sure, he's nothing like what he used to be. But for a guy so dependent on his athleticism I think he looks quite good for a 40-year old.

I get your point, but i'd still hate to put him in with a sharp puncher.

[Bokaj]

Originally Posted by JohnThomas1

I get your point, but i'd still hate to put him in with a sharp puncher.

I hear you.

[ThinBlack]

Benitez had so many fights early that it took it's toll.And, of coures, SRL had his cocaine issues.

[ThinBlack]

Benitez had so many fights when he was real young, and SRL had his cocaine issues.

[Saintpat]

Another factor: bigger men mature later. You see it in the NFL with offensive linemen who often don't come into their own unti they are 30, whereas running backs and wideouts are mostly way past peak by 30 (with a few exceptions always, of course).

Same with boxing -- the higher the weight class the later in life an exceptional athlete can compete at a world-class level. B-Hop is an exception, as is Foreman, but I think a major difference between RJJ and SRL in their later years can be explained by RJJ just being bigger and physically maturing later.

[Stevie G]

Benitez abused himself so badly. I don't really see Leonard as ageing quickly. Obviously his inactivity circa 1982-84-87,robbed him of his prime years.


Hopkins has clearly looked after himself consistently.

[redrooster]

Originally Posted by Bokaj

The conventional wisdom is that techinicians will hold out longer and these guys sure were technicians. But Benitez seeems to have been over the hill at 24-25 already, and while SRL held out longer he didn't have that many fights but still was past it at about 35.

How come? 'Caause Hopkins still has the goods, and even RJJ was probably a better fighter at 35 than SRL, not to speak of Benitez.

Your thoughts?

they didnt. they simply got beat by better fighters. technicians like Monzon have longer careers becuz they get hit less

Roy Jones got hurt by sudden drastic changes in weight, same with Hearns who probably peaked in his mid 20s.