Being over the hill

Some boxers can have 50+ fights and carry on til their mi8d 30s and still be very effective before they decline. Some can be in absolutely brutal wars and still maintain their skills later or adapt their skills. A case in point being MAB and JMM in the lighter weights and of course Bhop, Glen Johnson in the mid weights. Holy has been going on forever and is still as good as many frimge contenders who are half his age.

But with a debate about Bowe in mind, he declined almost overnight. So did Tyson. I thought Bowe's style would lend itself to longevity as he was fluid, smooth and looked very adaptable and highly skilled in all aspects of boxing. Tyson with his lifestyle was an accident waiting to happen without the self discipline required.

But why did Bowe et al decline so quickly? Also as a relavtively young age for a HW?

Lack of discipline, desire and application basically.

The fridge. That was Bowe's biggest downfall.

Mr Bounce wrote:The fridge. That was Bowe's biggest downfall.

I read he put one in the bedroom. Poor git.

manos de piedra wrote:Lack of discipline, desire and application basically.

I dont know. Some are very disciplined who still are over the hill at 35. Roy Jones for one. He hardly got touched.

Hard to tell whether Bowe was other the hill or whether it was just a case of lacking the desire to train fully. With a fighter who's always been disciplined it's easier to pinpoint when they've no longer got it

azania wrote:

manos de piedra wrote:Lack of discipline, desire and application basically.

I dont know. Some are very disciplined who still are over the hill at 35. Roy Jones for one. He hardly got touched.

I mean in relation to Bowe. In truth, Bowe was never particularly dedicated even before his first fight with Holyfield. As far as I can remember he put in a good camp for the Holyfield fight but after that he was pretty patchy and all the talk of him was how he lacked application in training and couldnt stay away from a fridge. Hes visibly more overweight by the Holyfield rematches. Seems to be a clear cut case of a guy with all the talent in the world but very questionable attitude and application. Knowing how much you like quotes i do believe Eddie Futch claimed Bowe had the most potential of any fighter he had trained but just didnt have the mentality to fulfill it.

For fighters in general I think its subjective depending on lots of things like the number of fights had, the kind of fights, the style of the fighter, the mentality of the fighter and so on. It depends on the individual in question.