Fighters age in the gym sparring, not on fight nights

[The Gambler1981]

You mean Pu$$y yea I 've seen a few young prospects destroyed by that a kid named Johnny Juaraez a future world Champ got some and it kept him away from the gym like forever

Pursuit of women is one in fact probably a main one but there are a lot. Drugs, getting caught up with none boxing business, criminal activity, getting shot, getting stabbed.

Now these are boxers I certainly don't expect them to be saints but when talking about a guys demise you have to talk about everything.


***** really is a prime example of an outside the ring distraction though.

[BigAlexSand]

A lot of people think fighters age through tough pro fights, while this is true in very grueling fights like Margs vs Cotto/Ward Gatti etc, most of the ageing and 'mileage' is more likely to occur during sparring.

I think a lot of trainers don't realise that sparring is just as damaging, if not more damaging than actual pro fights... headgear only protects from cuts and bruises but brain damage is likely worsened by head gear.

''Gym wars'' take more out of fighters than these pro fights you see on tv.

Anybody that gets punched in the head over an extended amount of time will lose alot mentally and physically. My first month training when I was 16 my trainer threw me in with one of the pros out of the gym... to tell a long story short, one can sustain a good amount of punishment in the ring with head gear as well... In fact anyone who has fought in the amateurs or even sparred; head gear mainly makes you lose peripheral vision. Taking away head gear allows a fighter to see more clear but also sustain more damage

[elfag]

James Toney

barely gets hit in fights, been punch drunk for 15 years now. Its from the gym wars and intensive sparring

[firstborn]

Headgear does reduce the amount of damage but it doesn't prevent it entirely. I've seen plenty of people receive concussions from taking hard shots in sparring. I'm sure most doctors would advise against taking hundreds of blows to the head, with or without headgear...

[Spray_resistant]

you think?

this forum never fails to provide hilarious lines like this

edit: I actually can't get over this one. I weigh like 175, in not so great shape but not too fat with a bit of muscle, and i have some previous boxing experience, and i wouldn't bet a cent on myself being able to take a clean right hand from hopkins. He would drop me so hard i wouldn't know what planet i was on. Fck people are ****** man.

I tend to agree, its not necessarily that he has more power but has that mind muscle memory of how to throw the punch to generate maximum force and if you are not an active boxer you are not used to getting hit. I used to train in a boxing gym as a teen and you kind of build a tolerance to getting hit, it just becomes nothing after a while.

[IronDanHamza]

James Toney

barely gets hit in fights, been punch drunk for 15 years now. Its from the gym wars and intensive sparring

But James Toney did get hit.

He got hit quite a lot in many of his fights.

[LacedUp]

Fighters age as they get older. That's something linked with laws of nature, I guess.

No. They specifically age quicker in the gym.

#lawsofboxing

[IronDanHamza]

Training camps do take time off your career for sure, training camps are extremely tough on your body both physically and mentally. Sparring daily, killing your body to get in optimal shape.

David Haye said something before about how Camps are what take it's toll on your body not the fight. So there is truth to what you're saying.

They said Wildred Benitez used to spar heavyweights in the gym, and go to war in the gym regularly. They say that that is likely the reason for his rapid decline and the condition he's in now. Speculation, but that's what people close to him say.

Of course in ring wars also not time off your career aswell.

[////]

Making weight is a huge factor, I think if there was some magical way to make fighters just fight at their natural weight instead of dehydrating to near death over and over for 10+ years we would see much less brain damage, far fewer embarrassing performances.

[M Bison]

Depends on how hard the fight is and possibly the psychological affect on that fighter from losing or being knocked out cold.