Boxers today not fighting often enough.

Couldn't agree more. When I was a kid, I was watching Tyson coming through the ranks on Grandstand EVERY TWO WEEKS! Then Nigel Benn on Frank ******'s Seconds Out series sometimes Every Week!! Brutal KO after brutal KO after brutal KO, unmissable. Then Eubank defending his World Title with 12 rounds of hilarious family entertainment every, say, 7 weeks? Naz fighting every other month live on ITV, with leopard skin flashy trunks and a basin haircut on an Arab head, doing flips and landing punches from halfway across the ring.

What happened :bart

 

their health after retirement is why

 

It's understandable that non punchers take longer time off between fights, but 3 months is more than enough for them I recon.
For the big punchers out there who sometimes don't even break a sweat, it's complete bull to have a long time off between fights, and certainly the so called 'once a year fighters'.

But of course the chance on losing a bout increases the more you fight. And that's what some fear the most.

 

listen to james toney speak and you'll see what i mean

 

It's f*ck all to do with health, it's all about tv dates these days.
For instance Mayweather only fights twice a year on Mexican holiday's to cash in on the fans, the same with Canelo.

Ricky Hatton, Amir Khan, David Haye and now Carl Froch will only fight once or twice a year due to PPV dates.

 

The problem is imo about losses, a loss now means alot more than a loss say 40 years ago in terms of marketability.... Fighters and their connections want them to be in peak physical condition each time they fight, something that fighting every month or two will not allow to happen.

I guess it depends on the fighter and their style aswell, someone elusive who doesn't take alot of punishment is more likely to be able to recover in between fights more than a 'Gatti' type fighter... At least at the top level.

 

More TV dates, Networks and Promoters compromising and working together??

It wont happen though, to many people making money doing their own thing.

 

Plus the more training camps a fighter has, the more rounds of sparring etc that will accumulate.. it all adds up. Whilst the OP made the point of lacking sharpness leads potentially to bigger beatings, the accumulative effect of year round is a far worse danger, except for a few obvious occasions where someone has taken serious damage in a fight... But out of those, how many of those fighters could be considered 'inactive'?

 

Also physiological considerations. You can't hit your optimal "peak" performance more that 2-3 times per year. If it takes 8-12 weeks to get the body prepared to hit its peak in preparation then there are only 52 weeks in a year- that takes up 24-36 weeks of the year plus you need to recuperate physically and mentally for a week or two after a fight. It's a risky business going into a fight 80% prepared against a guy who is firing on all cylinders! unless there is a vast advantage in skill/experience.