Should there be a mandatory retirement age in boxing?

The function of pro boxing commissions is not to regulate boxing and protect boxers. It's to give the impression that they perform a minimum of regulation while in fact bending over and giving into the interests of promoters. The show must go on, fights must be made, money must be made, and commissions in the wild west of boxing can't be an effective regulatory measure. How can commissions the world over not be corrupt when they're assigning officials that are paid by promoters, for example? They're not going to adopt mandatory retirements or pensions.

 

In an 'ideal world' I think a maximum age of 40 is fair. There's a maximum age of 40 in the amateurs. Of course any fighter who doesn't meet health checks, specifically who has shown signs of any brain injury or mental impairment shouldn't be licensed and allow to fight. Again aiba has a fairer and more stringent policy than pro commissions, where a boxer is suspended for longer after suffering repeated knockouts, and can't compete after being knocked out a certain number of times.

 

Good point. Fighters the last 10 or 15 years have extended their careers by fighting only twice a year and avoiding tough competition. Knowing they're done at 40 should be motivation to go after top fights while they're in their primes, rather than stalling their careers and duping the public into their mid 30s.

 

Maybe not retirement age but more strict health evaluations.

 

No.. But commissions should do a better job at protecting guys who are long past their shelf date. If someone is in their mid 40s/early 50s like Tarver, and Hopkins while still competing at a high level while not being a danger to themselves there's no reason to force them to retire. And while I think it would be nice if we could force guys like Danny Williams to call it quits, there's absolutely no way to enforce it. There's always somewhere they'd find a fight. So really all we can do is try to better our own athletic commissions/sanctioning bodies and that's it.

 

Roy has to be bluffing

 

no but they should be able to walk to the ring on their own :bbb

 

you're so level headed :good

 

case by case

 

No way, age is just a number.

Some boxers aren't shot at age 45, while others are shot to bits at the age of 35.