Why can fighters fight at older ages today but not in the past?

Loads and loads of boxers with 100+ fights since Duran. There have even been fighters who reached the 300-fight mark, since Duran retired! But if they weren't globally televised, I guess they don't count.

 

I read his comment, and automatically thought that he was talking about a top level fighter.

I doubt we’ll ever see a world level fighter have a 100 fight career again.

Yes, there’ll be loads of journeyman. But they take fights at less than a week’s notice many times, and they’re normally 4-6 rounders, fought at a low level.

 

peds.

 

That's how you interpreted my post?

 

Let's get real. It's just PEDs.

What does 'sports science' even mean. It's some ambiguous magic apparently.
What we're talking about is the ageing process, which is biological.
Nutrition has zero impact as everyone now has abundance of fortified food, vitamins etc., some fad diet isn't going to make you young.
Special training methods/routines don't change the ageing process.
The only thing that has really changed outside of PEDs is 'sports surgery', and that is actually a pretty big factor but even now if injuries are serious the athlete likely won't be the same again, so will decline.

The reality is that the fighters who are fighting for a long time and don't seem to be declining much, these guys are likely on serious PEDs. When Beterbiev is also getting abnormal tests for youth drugs like HGH and testosterone and also happens to show little decline post 35, it's obvious what is happening. Pacman also likely a PED cheat and his performance against Thurman was highly suspect for a 'natural' athlete around forty. Mayweather a PED cheat, also fought for a long time.

As for Golovkin, we can't be sure anyone is clean, but he actually shows a far more natural decline where he became slower and less effective and was relying on skills/experience/power to be competitive. The difference could be seen in his Canelo trilogy alone.

 

Before, fighters fought more often, had far more fights per year due to less earnings, and more damage was inflicted on them...

 

1. They don’t fight as often

2. Better healthcare/recovery/food
3. Better PEDs

I think 1. Is by far the most important.

 

Performance Enhancing Drugs.
It's 100% just better drugs.

A full natty brah would be shot by mid 30s...no, a full natty brah would not even ever compete at a world class level. If an athlete is 100% lifetime natural, then his ceiling is local high school level. Once you get to the university level there's too many drug users for a natural to have a real chance.

 

Some of them fought every month. That's unthinkable right now, fighting 10 or 12 times a year.

Hard sparring eats a good portion of the fighter's durability (as well as his brain cells) too. People usually underestimate the amount of damage that sparring makes to fighters.

Add the massive ped usage (like it or not, everybody now goes stuffed to the grills), and voilà.

 

So very true!

Looking over the records of some of the top old-timers, can sometimes be horrifying reading!

For example, Sam Langford, at the time a veteran of over 250 fights, scored 4 quick ko wins in 1922-23 against one Rosco Hall, who was engaging in his 2nd, 4th, 5th and 10th registered pro bout! Needless to say, something like that would never be allowed today. And you can find these grotesque mismatches all over the place, back in the "good old days".

 

The last time I checked Foreman, Holmes , Archie Moore , Hopkins, etc all fought until the were almost 50

 

Eh. BHop. Foreman. Holmes. Holyfield. Duran. Moore. Hell, Bugner iirc. There have always been a few guys blessed by a combo of genetics and luck in avoiding injury to be able to fight well into their 40s.

Beterbiev has taken superb care of himself and his best trait is his power. His issue is injuries. If he could avoid more injuries, he could be an elite for a few more years (even if probably unable to get past Bivol), and still a top level fighter for a few more after that. Now, he can’t avoid injuries, that’s always been his issue, so I’d bet he does the trilogy fight and that’s it for him.

 

Beterbiev rarely gets in the ring