Think about all the once formidable fighters trying to hang on for as long as they can. Sergei Kovalev Anderson Silva Jean Pascal James Toney Feel free to add to the list.
I don't think it's quite as clear cut - but I don't like seeing fighters stay on too long past their prime. But then look at Donaire last night? What if Pac does the unthinkable and schools or even stops Spence? There's risk / reward at play, but I think many of them are scared to retire as it's all they know.
Fair enough. I appreciate the response. I don't mean to single out certain fighters like donaire. It's more in the wake of Pascal getting busted that it made me think that it's a growing trend in the last decade. Fighters never getting caught but suddenly when they're older they are.
I guess you have to say fighters across the age spectrum are suspect, as no one age group are not getting caught with PEDs in their system. I am totally anti drugs in sport, and believe that you get caught with PEDs in your system then lifetime ban should be mandatory, no right of appeal etc sod all the tainted supplement, Mexican beef, uncastrated boar blah blah excuses. That is not a idealistic viewpoint, yes i hear lot of folk say but they are all juicing nowadays, that may or may be not so, but if getting caught ended your career, less boxers and their teams would be wanting to take the gamble. What real life changing penalty is there for getting caught, very little, does it stop you fighting in world title fights (pinnacle of our sport)?, no not once ban is over. Juicing isn't a new phenomenon even Rocky Marciano was allegedly addicted to juicing, on carrot and celery juice that is, and it's reported he got concerned if it failed to be given to him in training camp.
I do not agree, in 40 ies, 50 ies and till midle of 60 ies good natual juice was not any kind of concern and am boxing was far more brutal than modern pro boxing 4 and 6 rounders..
Very good thing to confirm that in combat sports no one is friend, even your coach or friend. Only one god in any kind of pro boxing is $ and nothing more there For every one in this game till end of their life only one ALONE GOD will be $ and any one thinking otherwise should know that pro boxing is pawn shop and restaurant. HW dudes in these time were small and a lot of notable boxer were old, surname = matters more than real shape. Rock was in real a bit smaller than today's LHW Gvozdyk or Beterbiev.
Think there's a possibility previously clean fighters getting old and justifying to themselves that taking PEDs has only made them lift what they could lift in their physical prime, run the times they could run etc. And also when close to the end of a career the downside is almost non-existent (getting banned is just another way to retire) and the upside could mean a couple of extra decent pay days...
Kovalev is 38? What's so suspicious about it? In my opinion with the current class of the divisions and the trend to fight 2 or 3 times per year, the professional boxers can fight easily around 40-42 and then retire.
No is not but age does matters, wear and tear and this is not only fights. Pre fight camps, casual training camps, daily training: this all is very resource demanding. Ofc depends also from fighter's style, some styles require more agility advantage vs opponent, some lesser and this is stuff " does not ages well at all." Then there are speed, reflexes, time until guy recovered after hard training etc. gas tank ofc too. Not all of this might be saved by any juicing. If legs are gone, fighter is done and there nothing will help anyomore. The same about reflexes. Guys also doesn't have improving with time chin, pretty opposite: the longer they are in the game and get more punches, the worse is chin.
