Is fighting 4 times a year bad for the body? Yarde. Depends on opponents?

[Morrie ATG]

Would you say 2 or 3 is enough for a pro, a star, to stay safe health wise?

[richardt]

Would you say 2 or 3 is enough for a pro, a star, to stay safe health wise?

It depends on if the fighter is fighting stiffs or top competition.

[Eff Pandas]

Depends. If you're fighting bs opponents you can fight 20 times a year probably. If you are getting KTFO maybe once a year is good for you lol.

I think a lot of it is proper training camp time + rounds you go in the fights that decide this. But also if you are having hard fights that should be taken into account too.

So idk if there is a hard rule on this or even a solid guideline on this with those realities that could vary great from fighter to fighter. So no 4 fights doesn't have to be hard on ones body...but it could be depending on certain factors.

[Rayzah]

4 Fights a year is highly possible...the fighters would have to stay in shape all year long and as of right now only a few fighters stay in shape during the down time.... it would be great for boxing and give the stars of the sport more exposure. which in turn can bring more attention to the sport of boxing

[Scipio2009]

It depends on the quality of the opposition, and the training habits of the fighter.

James Toney seemed to have pretty bad habits, so keeping him very active helped keep the bloat off, so that he could then spend camp sharpening his skills rather than just making weight.

Floyd and Bernard always took care of their bodies, and were already so well schooled anyway; allot the time for a hard 8-10 week camp, and they'd be primed and ready to fight (with the strain on the body from any weight cut being minimal).

If a fighter is fight-fit, yet still has dehydrate/starve down another 15-20 pounds to make weight, the body generally needs that extra time to replenish all of the lost nutrients, getting everything back to running normal, before then safely allowing for the cut to happen again; largely why most peak fighters will be able to fight 3 times, maybe 4, if they push things.

Activity helps to keep things sharp, as long as the body can hold to the rigors.

An active and fit James Toney was basically 195lb, likely able to fight at cruiserweight once a month, against whomever, if the money made sense to do that. You can't cut 20lbs and expect to do much of anything with only a month or so between fights, against any opponent, nevermind an opponent you'd have to game plan for who fights clearly different from the last guy.

[filup79]

It depends on the fighter and the quality of opponents. You got lower tier fighters and prospects fighting around 5 times a year because they're pretty much getting small purses. Most of the fighters who are prospects are fighting 4-8 round fights against bums. House hold names in boxing fight at least 2-3 times a year because they make good money. Lets not forget a fight is more likely at least a 3 month commitment. You have a 6-8 week training camp along with a recovery month. Boxing isn't like any other sport where athletes get a few months off because it's not a seasonal sport. Boxers likely want to spend time with their families and go on vacations after a fight.

[RL_GMA]

If you're a top level guy fighting nothing but Top 15-20 guys consistently I can see a fighter fighting 4-5 times a year. Crawford at one point was fighting 4 times a year. Then again, dudes in the 40s were fighting Top level dudes back to back within a span of days / weeks. I wouldn't expect fighters today though to go through the ringer against top level guys EVERY fight without taking a few easy touches in between.

[Illmatic94]

if you're making $2million or better each fight you would fight 1-2 times a year too. old school boxers were active beating 20 bums a month because they got paid peanuts. when tyson turned pro he was active as hell then the big money arrived. theres no need for all them fights.

[Warrior Scholar]

Either Basilio or Pep said this in an interview once,

"I boxed, two, three times a week sometimes; but that's how I was making money."

that's why more guys were complete, then.

[W1LL]

Fighting four times a year is doable but nobody would do it. It goes against the modern business model of fighting two times a year with prolonged buildups against weak opposition. This is the formula which makes todays "stars" the most income.