Is Floyd Past His Prime?

DLT18y ago

What do you guys really think? Remember, just because your past your prime doesnt mean that your a bum or something. It just means that your not as good as you once were and are on a slow decline. I ask this question because no one has really every brought this up but yet they make comments like they think he's losing it. You could argue that he has lost alot of his speed. On the other hand, your not going to have the same kind of speed when your 30 and fighting at a weight you dont belong at. He's definatly not going to be as fast as he was at 130 when he was 23 years old. However, with age you lose some speed but you have way more experince and are a much smarter fighter so it usually evens out. Which one is more important? Its like MJ was a freak athelete when he was young but he never won much. Then he got older and lost some of those abilites but he dominated because he had mastered the mental part of the game and gained all of that experince. I still say that its just so sad that Floyd will never get his just due credit because of the fact he chased the big money Oscar fight which forced him to move out his weight class. Everyone from the fans to the media would be rating him very different if he wouldve stayed at 135 for alot longer and just now be moving to 140 to finish his career. Thats the thing people fail to realize about him. He sacrificed alot. Hardly no one else in boxing is doing that. Cotto & Hatton havent even come close to moving up like him. Did you see Floyd on DWTS? I bet he could make the weight limit right now for the Hatton fight. He's just a super small guy. His body looks like a kid on that show. Put him beside Margarito, Williams, Cintron, Cotto, Baldy, Oscar, Clottey, and in between fights Hatton and you will see that its no comparison with how big they are compared to him but yet he still gets hated on. Right now he should really be fighting guys like Juan Diaz, Freitas, and Malignaggi instead of those other guys.

Comments (20)

Ironside

A fighter's physical prime is in his late 20s. That's not true. It completely varies on each individual.

18y ago

pbftxrs316

i feel he has been past his prime for about a year now as far as his athletic abilty goes, although he is still pretty athletic to say trhe least, but like someone posted earlier, his mindset is as sharp as if not shaper than it ever was, he is still the most pronounce thinker in the sport, mindset of a wizard. i feel nobody from 154 down beats him still because of how smart he is. but physcially, because of how hard he trains, it is wear and tear on his body, andy fighter, no matter how great their defense is, just being in the sport their whole life just about takes it toll on any fighter, mayweather is no exception, but this doesn't mean he gets dumb, he is as sharp as a tac, which is why i can see him staying undefeated even through his 30s into his 40s, he is that smart.

18y ago

itz_neva_enuff

Well physically.. I dunno

18y ago

hugh_grant

Hugh You are a boxing fan. Do you feel that guys who turn pro at 130 age at the same rate as guys who turn pro at 168/175. If you DO feel that way, your judgment is suspect. If you DON'T feel that way, then why did you use those examples?? Im not saying all weights age the same fast. But judge PBF on performances. He beat DLH in his last fight and there was no sign that he isnt in his prime. If PBF had of fought DLH 2 years earlier he wouldnt have done any better against DLH. And if you think he is past his prime, you shouldnt, and it is an opinion that cant be proved. And he is 30 and has never been hit hardly. Kostya Tzyu you can argue he was a bit past it but he was 35 when he fought Hatton. IF PBF loses to Hatton at 30 it is not cos he is past his prime but because he isnt good enoiugh and would have lost at any age if they fought at 140.

18y ago

wmute

A fighter's physical prime is in his late 20s. Not only Mayweather is now out of it, but he also wasted his physical prime fighting the worse opponents on his record (basically anything between Castillo and Judah), possibly because of the legal troubles he was in. In terms of ring generalship and ring savvy he probably got better, though.

18y ago

SpeedKillz

Excellent point. He possibly CAN turn back the clock by going back down in weight. u think he needs to turn back the clock? i think he is in his prime. he is not as fast cuz he weighs more, but his physical and mental abilities are at the highest point they have ever been imo. he doesnt look like he aged to me, jus moved up in weight, so naturally it will appear he is past his prime cuz he seems slower. i think he is in his prime right now.

18y ago

MJ406

Excellent point. He possibly CAN turn back the clock by going back down in weight. but still the older you get ... cutting weight has got to be harder to do hell look at DLH ... he'd be lucky to make 147. I don't think Floyd will stick around long enough to where his skills and reflexed erode and a young fighter beats him counting the Hatton fight ... Mayweather probably only has 2 or 3 fights left tops. hell he's getting into TV now with Dancing With The Stars if he really likes being in front of the camera ... he'll find out very easily that being an actor and on screen talent is less taxing then pro boxing on the body.

18y ago

Wiley_Hyena

The same way that Floyd avoided Tszyu by repeatedly telling anybody who would listen that he wanted to fight KT. Weight-jumping isn't the only way to avoid a fight. Lemme ask you. In 2004-05, who was the bigger-money fighter: Mayweather or Tszyu? Please answer that for me. Dios, Tszyu was the king of 140. Tszyu watchers and the pros know this. Floyd avoided Tszyu. He talked it up, they all do. But, when it came down to making the fight, it didn't get done. And, it was not because of Tszyu. This is not to say the Floyd is not great. What this does say is there is a very notable black hole in Floyd's career and it's name is Kostya Tszyu. There are more credible arguments you can make (and have made) to support your boy, than disputing this.

18y ago

pinpointsman

He's not in is prime anymore. He lost his prime status when he broke his hand.

18y ago

Ironside

He hasn't shown any significant proof of him wearing down or slowing down in fights, so no he is not past his prime.

18y ago

hugh_grant

No he is not past his prime any more than Ricky Hatton is! There is no way you can gauge it, so there is no way you cant really debate it. You cant measure his speed like in a 100 metres race. And if he did lose a bit of speed he might have got better at other stuff which yoiu again cant gauge accurately. 30 is young. Hes got seventy or so more years to live. He is closer to birth than death. He is younger than Joe Cal by 5 years. Younger than BH by 12 years. PBF is as good as he ever was.

18y ago

2TOUGH3583

Over 30 years old. (SFW's age fast) Made a SHITLOAD of money. (motivation?) Involved in other activities. (focus?) Almost forty fights. (wear on body) Fighting above his best weights. (physical skills) Recently described his upcoming championship fight as "routine". (hunger?) Has been fighting top guys for TEN YEARS. (still challenged?) Started out very young and spends alot (too much) time in the gym. All of this leads me to believe that he is past BOTH his physical and mental prime. But he has way more than enough to dismantle a little chubby pink man. EXCUSES EXCUSES EXCUSES

18y ago

abdiel2k3

i think hes pushed himself out his prime as a result of goin up so much weight he could still be as amazing as he use to be before it was wow look at that now its wow remember when hed throw abunch of punches at the guy instead of just one remember when hed make miss while standing right infront of them now he rolls with most or runs away

18y ago

Well, Floyd left 140, ostensible to make more money. However, what really happened is that had he stayed he would have had to fight Kostya Tszyu. Who could blame him? he would of beat zoo

18y ago

Unseen

the way ricky fights means he gets hit a lot every round. perhaps he has started to cling onto fighter mroe because of the fact that his face is getting worse. he use to be more springy and not hold as much. i'm not sure but his trainer feels he doesnt have many fights left. as for floyld, i think that its ahrder to tell because he last fought an old guy was was kinda inactive.

18y ago

Krucial

And it is just that. we are all huge boxing fans. We watch a lot (too much) boxing. Over the past twenty years, name the top fighters in their prime who got stopped by a bodyshot. GO. top fighters in their prime Oscar De La Hoya.... ding ding ding. We have a winner. and that is how rare it is for that to happen to a top guy. De La Hoya prime?no

18y ago

grayfist

Is PBF past his prime? I don't think it's Ricky who'll help provide the answer.

18y ago

Wiley_Hyena

ding ding ding. We have a winner. and that is how rare it is for that to happen to a top guy. Ok, guys it's 3:00 am here. Must turn in. Talk to you tommorrow night after Pavlik knocks out Taylor. Good night.

18y ago

Wiley_Hyena

It wouldn't annoy me at all. Do you remember Hagler telling Leonard "fight me, you bitch"? And SRL stayed on his bike and kept flurrying. Smart fighters fight winning fights. They fight THEIR fight. Not get drawn in by the other guy or the crowd. I don't want to get caught up in the Baldomir thing. My point was that simply pointing to Collazo and Urango is a little bit of a cop out. Hatton won those fights. What is it you're trying to prove? That Hatton can have off nights? I simply point to all his fights to support my contention that he's got more than just a puncher's chance in this fight. I could point to Floyd's bad nights, ie..Oscar, Castillo I. What would I prove? Floyd can have bad nights, too. So what? The issue is Hatton v. Mayweather now.

18y ago

Fox_McCloud

Oscar De La Hoya.... I even saw that fucking fight... what is wrong with me? B-HOP!

18y ago