Boxers getting really fat during /layoffs/retirement

The old timers were always in shape between fights, because they fought a lot in order to have food for them & their families.


The difference is pretty amazing. Even the elder pros tended to be trim & in relatively good shape!

 

How long ago are we talking about?

Probably the constant fighting like you said.
Had they fought twice a year at best then a lot would be more oit of shape.
Also in those times where there were less fat people around in general.
That **** didnt start till the 80's.

 

Yeah it’s crazy looking at old Morales fights. The dude was sucked dry of every nutrient but still came to fight. Once he got up there in age said F this.

Same with Manny pacquiao. I don’t think he ever truly wanted to be a welterweight, just said F this weight cutting BS.

 

I can't say exactly when it started, but yeah you're right. Obviously, depression era guys and before & after them, overall were really fighting to put food on the table I guess, many or probably most had regular jobs. Hard men indeed.

I was talking with a poster in here once and he said the late 90's/early 00's were when things really started sliding badly, and I had to agree.

 

With heavies that does seems to be the case.

 

I just seen a video of Riddick Bowe. Dude really gained alot of weight.

 

Below HW boxers are still in super good shape. They let themselves get fatter at HW (at least in some cases) because weight is an advantage.

 

Most fighters when they retire or have layoffs feel like they missed out on a lot of things with food and drinking and going to clubs and partying. So they kind of go off the rails a bit.

 

Some gain a lot of weight because kept unnaturally low weight throughout their career. Others just decided to finally enjoy the life at max, out of all regimes and not to care.

 

Imagine training for several years, everyday, couple of sessions per day and then you don't train at all. because you are not motivated by the fight.

Most of the boxers don't even like the training and probably only train when they have a fight.

Wlad, Povetkin, Gvodzyk and other euro guys training even after they retired, because they have balanced lifestyle.

I know - Beterbiev, Usyk, Loma, Bivol and others will not get fat and lazy, after they retire. It's just the way they are.

 

I’m guessing
It takes its toll to be going through camps all your life dieting down to make weight.
While I don’t condone any one letting themselves go.

I’d imagine I’d be more susceptible to just that after dieting down training camp after camp, year in year out.
Sounds grueling & exhausting just mentally.

So by the time retirement comes it’s like … fugggit!!

 

Fighters from other eras did not have access to as much non nutritious high calorific food, here in UK the access to alcohol was in the pre 80s much more restricted regarding opening hours of pubs etc, alcohol nowadays is available 24/7, in wide variety of outlets and you can even get it delivered to your door.

Our lifestyles have changed, you do not need to leave your home nowadays if you so choose, everything from banking and shopping to doctor consultations and business can all be done from in front of a screen, a chunky monkeys dream.

 

"When we're not training we are all Heavyweights."

Fernando Vargas.

 

A lot has to do with upbringing. There's no food culture for a lot of these guys. It's just trash food that makes everyone else in their community fat. They happened to be outliers of the community because they were burning 2500 calories a day. Morales would've been fat without boxing, drinking cola every day, so, now that he's out of boxing, he's fat. Simple. You think BRONER is gonna cut a trim figure in a decade, or is he gonna blow the f*** up. BJS is surely eating fried chicken every day which is normal at his campsite.

The fighters who remain trim are either extremely disciplined (Floyd) or have a healthy food culture back home (Ukrainians).

 

There’s also the fact that some people are simply predisposed with a certain metabolism. Their diet may not matter much as they’d just stay around the same in size, meaning they’d have to work hard to lose or gain weight.