Youth Advantage is a Myth

[Talon]

People age at different rates, and usually an older more mature man will beat the **** out of a boy. He will have a better chin, hit harder, be stronger.. thats really good for fighting. Youth will be more flexible, better reflexes, more agile. But it really depends on your style.. mayweather has a good style for his body, he wouldnt be quite as good if he was short and pudgy. Vitali has a good build for his style.. if he was shorter and weaker with a worse chin, i dont think he would be quite as good. Nate cambpell was older and tired juan diaz from what i remember, hopkins dazzled pavlik,
a lot of guys dont reach their physical peak untill they're older if they keep exercising. The bigger stronger mayweather would probably manhandle the younger one. Bigger stronger james toney would be knocking the young one around the ring. Sometimes it pays to be heavier and more mature. Thats how the old looking glenn johnson beat the young looking jones.

Aging up untill a point is like taking natural steroids.. your body produces testosterone and growth hormone, making your muscles bigger and your bones denser. Some guys are 6 feet 200 pounds at 20 years old.. and have problems keeping the weight off and have bad stamina. So do they really have an age advantage over someone like hopkins?

saying a younger fighter is going to be better to me is like saying a black fighter is faster, a mexican will have more heart.. its a stereotype. i dont think it should be pointed out as an advantage or disadvantage on the tale of the tape. thats my theory

id rather see a body mass index advantage.. vitali was older but had way less jiggly fat on his body. so to me he was the one who could act more like a younger person.. he could probably outrun arreola, do more pushups, situps, etc. man is he intimidating. did you see how cold and businesslike he was when he told arreolla he was surprised while arreola was crying

[Freddy Krueger]

Calzaghe and Vitali are proof of it when they beat up all the younger fighters. But who honestly knows sam peters true age.

[Heru]

Youth advantage isn't a myth, it's just that when you have experience, superior conditioning, and (in some cases) skill you're going to overcome the youth (energy) advantage.

Bernard Hopkins is a gym rat that lives a clean healthy lifestyle and his punch output has dropped almost half over the last years. That's not a coincidence.

[Fights]

2009 Fight of the Year

88 years Jake Lamotta vs 23 Years Old Chavez Jr.
53 Years Sugar Ray Leonard vs 28 Years Luis Collazo
58 Years Robert Duran vs vs 26 Years Andre Berto

[Spray_resistant]

I think your right TS, some of the best fighters in the world right now are 30+. That should be enough to support your argument. Conditions are just better now in the modern world then in the past as is understanding of the human body and what in needs to function at an optimum level. This can be attributed to athletes like Hopkins retaining his youth and abilities for longer, and when combined with the experience he gained over time it makes fighters like him who are older simply better than a raw inexperienced talent.

[MANGLER]

Every fight is different. Experience can overcome youth and vice versa.

[Rabbit ♠]

Alot of guys peak around their late 20's/early 30's. I think that's an age where you've gained alot of experience and still have the tools to use that knowledge.

[TheGreatA]

Fighters in the past used to have a hundred professional fights while still in their 20's so they had both youth and experience.

The Toney of now wouldn't be knocking anybody around the ring, not to mention a prime version of himself. He was walking around at 200+ pounds even then but he had enough dedication to make the 160-168 lb limit unlike now.

[talip bin osman]

there are many examples to support ur claim...

but many to disprove it too...

pryor-cervantes

ODLH-JCC

& more recently P-WILL-winky...

[Squabbles94806]

people age at different rates, and usually an older more mature man will beat the **** out of a boy. He will have a better chin, hit harder, be stronger.. Thats really good for fighting. Youth will be more flexible, better reflexes, more agile. But it really depends on your style.. Mayweather has a good style for his body, he wouldnt be quite as good if he was short and pudgy. Vitali has a good build for his style.. If he was shorter and weaker with a worse chin, i dont think he would be quite as good. Nate cambpell was older and tired juan diaz from what i remember, hopkins dazzled pavlik,
a lot of guys dont reach their physical peak untill they're older if they keep exercising. The bigger stronger mayweather would probably manhandle the younger one. Bigger stronger james toney would be knocking the young one around the ring. Sometimes it pays to be heavier and more mature. Thats how the old looking glenn johnson beat the young looking jones.

Aging up untill a point is like taking natural steroids.. Your body produces testosterone and growth hormone, making your muscles bigger and your bones denser. Some guys are 6 feet 200 pounds at 20 years old.. And have problems keeping the weight off and have bad stamina. So do they really have an age advantage over someone like hopkins?

Saying a younger fighter is going to be better to me is like saying a black fighter is faster, a mexican will have more heart.. Its a stereotype. I dont think it should be pointed out as an advantage or disadvantage on the tale of the tape. Thats my theory

id rather see a body mass index advantage.. Vitali was older but had way less jiggly fat on his body. So to me he was the one who could act more like a younger person.. He could probably outrun arreola, do more pushups, situps, etc. Man is he intimidating. Did you see how cold and businesslike he was when he told arreolla he was surprised while arreola was crying

thank you!!