Definitely not past his prime. That was actually during his peak.
But hell of a performance in a fight he was a solid underdog in.
There is no athlete in any sport at 36 that is prime or peak. Maybe prime for me means something different to you but I'm talking physical prime for an adult Male which is late twenties early thirties and definitely not past age 35. Whether some athletes decline at different rates or some still remain competitive because of mastery of technique is neither here nor there. You put the 32 year old Hopkins that stopped glen johnson vs the 36 year old version of himself and the 32 year old wins every time.
Lotta great candidates in both categories.
But my instant reaction:
Favorite fighter: Muhammad Ali, both for his abilities, personality and cultural importance.
The Fight: George Foreman vs Ron Lyle. (Lots of stunning choices...Leonard vs Hagler, Duran getting flattened by Hearns, Berbick wandering around after Tyson's punch, etc. etc.)
There is no athlete in any sport at 36 that is prime or peak. Maybe prime for me means something different to you but I'm talking physical prime for an adult Male which is late twenties early thirties and definitely not past age 35. Whether some athletes decline at different rates or some still remain competitive because of mastery of technique is neither here nor there. You put the 32 year old Hopkins that stopped glen johnson vs the 36 year old version of himself and the 32 year old wins every time.
I mean there are different times people peak. Hopkins started late so his 36 is different than say a Canelo's 36. But if you want to say he was more in his physical prime at age 32? Sure, maybe. But still, everything considered he was still his prime version at 36. His mental and physical game was still top notch.
Comment