Past Prime fighters + Too Many Tattoos

Tyson started this trend.

I actually like Cotto's tats, think they look good. Pavlik's are f**king awful, though.

the question is will cotto look like the lizard man when he fights alvarez??

Cotto and Pavlik p4p have the worst tats. Tribal tats.....really?

jermain taylor is another example.. its a way for them to reinvent themselves, to themselves more so that others. it doesnt need to have anything to do with losing though, some ppl just like tats. deontay wilder and chad dawson (got them while undefeated) come to mind.

Nice Pavlik picture- man he has even more than I initially realized. Andre Ward is going to humiliate him. I fully expect him to get a Bam Bam Bigelow bald head tat after that fight.

Has anyone not noticed this? How many big name fighters in recent memory have become ridiculously inked up (too) late in their careers? Cotto for example just this last weekend- wtf is going on there? It seems like he has 30% more of himself covered in tattoos every time I see him fight and he has declined in proportion to getting more work done. Shane Mosley is probably the other super obvious example I can think of. Kelly Pavlik as well. Ricky Hatton a couple weeks ago I noticed had more tattoos. And then you look at Floyd and he's still untouched by losses as well as body art. It must be a confidence thing- right? Can anyone think of other examples? Is this just the equivalent of a boxer's career mid-life crisis type of thing? It's an interesting pattern to me. Froid is the one doing all the tattooing but he only serve women though.

A few possibilities; as someone mentioned it could be a fresh start/reinventing themselves type a deal, it could be that somebody was messed up on drug/alcoholwhen they made the decision they wanted tats, or it could simply be the case of somebody growing up thinkjng they may want tats, but not making the decision to get them until they are older/more mature, more setlled in their career where it wont cause problems, etc. As far as cotto, he has some personalized/unique tats that i dig, but some others where it looks like he just walked into the shop and picked one out of their book, which i dont care for

it looks uglier on white skin.....

http://cdn3.sbnation.com/photo_images/2652980/GYI0064621233_extra_large.jpg I have nothing against tattoos, but Jesus Christ man...:smashfrea

Margarito Hatton

http://cdn3.sbnation.com/photo_images/2652980/GYI0064621233_extra_large.jpg

I always figured it was a "fresh start" kind of thing after a bad loss. New look, new mentality, new fighter (maybe that's the idea anyway.) But its happened a ton. Margarito did the same thing. It seems like a lot of fighters who were badly beaten by Manny all of the sudden found a love for tattoos. :dunno: