When Jersey Joe Walcott separated Ezzard Charles from his senses with one perfect left hook in 1951 he was 37-years-old. At the time the consensus view suggested that this was a pensionable age for a top-level fighter. “Ancient” Archie Moore was 38 (although his mother begged to differ) when he annexed the Light-Heavyweight title. He was viewed as a fighting anomaly, an old man regularly defying time, each victory a triumph over the spectre of age and infirmity itself.
Yet today many of the top fighters in the sport are well into their thirties and still performing heroically, or so it appears. Bernard Hopkins, who many respected commentators believe has a claim on the number one spot in the pound-for-pound listings, is actually forty-four years of age. So what has changed in 50 or so years?
Changes to Lifestyle
Clearly this startling reversal is rooted in dramatic improvements to health and lifestyle, changes that have brought increased life expectancy and improved health for all. Improvements in sports science, medical care and injury diagnosis have also played their part. Fighters are quite simply looked after better than they were in the “Golden Age” of the sport. Top-level fighters today are cosseted by promotional companies, their health and mental well being seen to by a plethora of support professionals. Athletes today eat better, train more wisely and recuperate after punishing bouts much more intelligently than they ever did. But above all else they do not fight as often or against the quality of opposition that they might have done had they born into an earlier era.
Consider the ferocious rivalry between Sugar Ray Robinson and Jake LaMotta as a case in point. LaMotta pummelled Robinson for 10 rounds in February 1943, knocking him through the ropes in round nine and snatching away the lighter man’s unbeaten record. Robinson’s revenge, another hard fought ten rounder, came a mere nineteen days later. Today it would be simply inconceivable for two world-class fighters to go head to head twice in such a short space of time.
Fighters Today are Less Active than Yesterday’s Greats
If there was one thing that the fighters of yesteryear did with monotonous regularity it was actually fight. Look at the ring records of any of boxing’s greats from the 1940’s and 50’s and you will see a breadth of professional experience that outstrips any active world-class fighter today. Robinson fought 198 times, Ezzard Charles 119 times and Moore and astonishing 219 times. Henry Armstrong retired at 33 years of age after 130 ring wars. Wladimir Klitschko, at 33 the same age Armstrong was when he quit, has engaged in 56 bouts and he ties (with Juan Manuel Marquez) for the most contests of any reigning world champion.
Another reason the champions of today display such longevity is the undemanding nature of their schedules. Hopkin’s has only boxed four times in the last three years. Even those lauded as fighting champions follow far from punishing schedules. Manny Pacquiao has fought eight times since June 2006; Arthur Abraham has pulled on the gloves ten times in the same period; while even a young up and coming champion like Juan Manuel Lopez has only fought 14 times in the last three years. When you consider the fact Henry Armstrong fought 27 times in 1937 alone it is easy to see how some fighters found the well running dry when they reached their thirties. Floyd Mayweather has every reason to look as fresh as a daisy at thirty-two-he has only fought five times since April 2006.
The Punishing Quality of Opposition Faced by the Fighters of the Past
The nature of the sport has changed markedly over the years. With the proliferation of alphabet titles a fighter can rise to the top with relative alacrity, defend against a succession of weaker fighters and steadfastly avoid the other stellar talents in his division. Eight weight divisions with one champion per division meant there was nowhere to hide, for champion or contender alike. The simple fact is that the top fighters fought each other, often repeatedly. Television marketability, in an era where boxing appears to be losing its hold on the consciousness of the sporting public, dictates that a glossy record is essential. Thus prospects avoid tough fights on the way up and champions do anything to avoid those most worthy of their attention. Darius Michalczewski made 23 defences of his WBO Light Heavyweight titles, though Virgil Hill apart he faced a desultory succession of challengers and never came close to securing a fight against the real Light Heavyweight number one Roy Jones.
Politics does play its part. Promoters need to be extorted into working with a hated rival while contention reigns over the division of purses, as the world’s top fighters and their managers strive ever harder to secure their share of an ever dwindling pot. However, boxing in the 1940’s and 50’s was hardly free from politics and corruption, yet those guys did still keep on managing to pull on the gloves.
Some Perspective
Fighters like Hopkins, Shane Mosley and Vitali Klitschko (the best heavyweight in the world at an age when Ali and Louis had been reduced to pitiable punching bags) deserve to be lauded for their achievements. They are defying conventions and confounding expectations while keeping the fans on the edge of their seats. Yet we should not forget that in plying their trade long into the professional night they have every conceivable advantage in their favour. The greats of the past may not have fought until they were quite as long in the tooth, but they fought much more regularly and were matched incalculably harder.
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