Should there be an upper age limit, say 45, for pro boxing?

[elfag]

Talk about Roy Jones got me thinking. 45 seems like a good age for a cut off, very few fighters should still be fighting past 45. Even guys that were successful like Foreman and Hopkins were still taking a ton of shots and that cant be good.

I think its a worthwhile limit. While it would deny a few stand outs and fighters trying to beat the record for oldest fighter to do xyz. Probably not practical with an international sport with different rules everywhere but I would like to see it happen.

[Eastcoast]

Good luck with age discrimination laws. Technically physicals when done correctly should prevent alot of these guys from getting licensed due to their history of head trauma.

I wouldn't mind seeing rules that prohibit a 40 year old from fighting a 29 or younger fighter. We don't allow guys to use hormone supplements b/c it gives them a dangerous advantage. Well a 29 year old's body chemistry is far superior on average to that of a 40 plus year old. An older fighter can be tough as hell, but he's going to gas faster than he would in his 20's.

[Eff Pandas]

I'd love to see something that gets guys out of the limelight, but idk that age should be the determining factor cuz there are guys like Bhop & even Tony "Hip Breaker" Thompson who can still compete at a high level well past the age most can.

Personally I wish there was levels to boxing like in baseball. There is a competitive environment in most sports to keep your spot that just doesn't exist in boxing. That insures that any great players spot is only temporary. In boxing once you make a name for yourself you can sell your name til the wheels fall off. Thats a problem.

I've often used Sumo Wrestling's structure as a comparison to how boxing should work. In Sumo you move up & down positions/leagues based on your recent performances. This means that solid guys can get pushed down to a secondary league & great Yokozuna's can having a losing record for an event that embarrassed them into retirement. I think a similar structure in boxing would create a similar result as boxers realize their one last payday is more of a dream than a likely possibility with some new champ looking to pad his resume. Problem is how do you setup something like that in a sport thats been ran like a traveling circus since its inception more or less? I got no f#cking clue.

[Madison Boxing]

would be hard legally, cause ultimately its the fighters decision and they have to earn a living. Know what you mean though, feels as if someone should take the decision out roy jones, james toneys hands and say look you cant fight anymore. The way james toney acts, i wouldnt be shocked if hes still doing this in his 60s

[M Bison]

Yeah, I'd be down for that create the division age from 40-55yo
I'd be down for that, there has to be a point where they stop hence why a certain number should really mean full retirement.

[hugh grant]

If you are good enough, you are young enough. Just don't let old fighters wbi aren't good anymore challenge people who are really good or world champs.

Bhfivghting kovalev was OK as BH is good enough.

[boliodogs]

No. As far as I know no other pro sport has an age limit so why should boxing be the only sport to have an age limit?Boxers should be evaluated and granted or denied a licence on an individual basis. With boxers winning world title at age 45 and older not allowing anyone of age 45 or older to compete won't happen.

[soul_survivor]

Tell that to Foreman and Hopkins.

[boliodogs]

Roy Jones can still beat at least 90% of the boxers his weight even if he gets flattened by the best fighters his weight. If Jones was forced to retire then all the fighters who didn't fight as well as Jones should also be forced to retire even if they are 20 years old. Roy shouldn't be fighting but he takes the risks so he makes the choice to continue or retire within reason.

[boliodogs]

Roy Jones is ranked by boxrec as the 83rd best cruiserweight in the world among 1185 pro cruiserweights in the world. They rank him as the 15th best cruiserweight among the 257 pro cruiserweights in the USA. If their ranking are accurate and Jones is forced to retire for his own safety then the 242 cruiserweights fighting in the USA who aren't as good as Jones should also be forced to retire.