Is 35 the commonly accepted age for fighters being out of their prime?

Prime really depends on the fighter, how many tough fight they've had ect. Look at Vargas lost his prime before his 30's, and then you have Hopkins who had 2 or 3 primes well into his late 40's. But I'm thinking the mid 30's is like the new 20's with alot of the fighters in that age group still at the top of their game today.

 

Tell that to "rising stars" Joe Joyce and Artur Beterbiev both pushing 40.

 

I think fighters can extend their prime quite a ways. But when you hit 35 you have to change up how you do things. Your body starts taking longer to heal and you have to spend more time stretching. I'd say these fighters have a hard time being more disciplined and taking care of their body after a 15 year career of abusing their body and getting away with it since they were young. Post prime is as much a discipline and mental thing as it is a physical slide.

 

Sounds about right. People don't like that number because they have agendas when it comes to certain victories over aged fighters, Canelo=-Golovkin being a prime example.

But it can be seen in other sports. People can compensate a bit with talent/skill/experience and stay near the top, but the facts are that by the time they are around thirty they have all the experience they really need, let's be real. Fighters/athletes like to play mind games with themselves and convince themselves that they're better because of new wisdom well into their 30s etc., but it's nonsense.

There was a time when athletes were retiring in their early 30s all the time. PEDs and better surgeries probably extended this a bit but anyway.

 

Probably living in Africa will do that to a fighter.

 

Keef?

 

That is about the age, yes. And just because fighters (very few ever) accomplish great things after that it doesn't mean they are peaking. They very well still could be on the downslide.
Like you said @MetalLicker , how much damage you take also makes a difference. Cotto at 35 was far more past prime than say Floyd was.

 

Which is why Pac is the GOAT.

Champion in 4 separate decades, brutally KO'd at 32/33, beat a prime, hungry, much bigger Thurman at 40.

 

Yeah, depends the qty of the opps they're facing. Elite per elite they are gone. No chance. Pac against the elite of the division at 147 etc. Spence or Crawfish he gets Marquez KTFO 6 treatment. But like Donaire who fought bums at the twilight years. The likes of the quaballos weakest opps then yeah, he can still look good. ETC.

 

If you are talking about physical prime then it's probably before 35. But boxing isn't a sport purely based on physical performance alone, their is a huge skill element and so a fighter may peak after their physical prime if their skill level continues to evolve past when they have already passed their physical prime.

So in reality there is no specific cut off date for a fighters prime, it really depends on the fighter, in most cases at 35 or earlier a fighter will be past their prime but you will find a small minority who at 35 may actually be still prime like Hopkins when he fought Tito. Physically then he was probably already passed his prime but his skill level meant he was a better fighter at 35 than 25.

 

Certainly below MW and lower weight classes, the vast majority of boxers are way past their best at 30.

At HW, CW and LHW they’re a minority of fighters that can reach a mental and maturity prime later…at 35 years old.

 

Mid 30s is usually when most boxers clearly show decline in their physical abilities.
Just look at Loma in his last fight and compare it to when he fought at 126lbs.
But then there are exceptions like Sergio Martinez who looked absolutely stunning at that age.
However, there always seems to be someone like Hopkins or Beterbiev; guys who don´t look their age while competing at the highest level.

And then there are guys like Kovalev whom 30 is like running into a brick wall.
But my favorites are guys like Akira Yaegashi and Badou Jack; skilled and experienced veterans who can cling on to world titles through sheer willpower.

 

Depends on the fighte’s style & the weight division.
But 32-:36 is a good rule of thumb

 

Over 30 gets pretty rough. Dementia and all.