How is Manny Pacquiao still elite at age 40?

[QueensburyRules]

Mid 30s is when most boxers seem to get old overnight. We just saw what happened to Brook.

Kovalev was done at 35.

- -Kov #1 boxrec and top 2 Ring.

What grade U in?

[Kagami Taiga]

- -Kov #1 boxrec and top 2 Ring.

What grade U in?

Kovalev is shot

[TheUptownKid]

Some fighters last longer for whatever reason. Hopkins is the best example of that. Pac is far from his prime but still good enough to hang with the top guys. I do think fighters like Spence and Bud would put a serious beating on him and then people wouldn't call him elite anymore.

Facts. I think most fighters blow up way past the weight they usually fight at and don’t want the grind of getting down to weight. Manny is at his probable highest weight now and his footwork wins fights. He doesn’t have to kill himself to fight at welter and his style, awkward movement punches in bunches, ages better than say a Roy jones Who needed actual speed and instincts. He’s not elite in my eyes anymore, but his style is impossible to train for. There are no welterweights who fight like him. Most ww are somewhat counterpunchers and it’s hard to time that guy.

[JakeTheBoxer]

Some fighters last long ( Holyfield, Toney, Duran, Pacquiao..), some fighters are completely shot after a few wars ( Brook, Provodnikov..). Unbelievable, 2 tough fights took everything from Brook. I wonder, how much is it left in Derevyanchenko after another war. GGG is shot as well and he ha donly a few tough fights.

[davef]

just goes to show you that outside of spence and bud the competition is pretty trash

you know who blew it the most? chino maidana he looked the best he ever had under garcia if he didnt get fat after the floyd fights and stayed fighting he could have been the title holder at 147 for a couple of years spence was green then bud was at 140 i think he would have battered the ghost, thurman and danny garcia

[hugh grant]

The fact we're here wondering, is the reason why Pac is top 5 all time

[KidDinamita]

It's even more amazing when you think about how that Marquez knockout he suffered at 32 was one of the worst one punch knockouts ever.

Every Pacquiao opponent since Marquez talked about how they were going to knock him out and send him into retirement. But Pacquiao hasn't even been dropped since, much less KO'd.

Even Tim Bradley noticed that Pac changed from their first fight to the second fight (Pac was KOd by JMM between these two fights)

He adjusted and was never knocked down again since.

[dannnnn]

dat a-side meth

[dannnnn]

Some fighters last long ( Holyfield, Toney, Duran, Pacquiao..), some fighters are completely shot after a few wars ( Brook, Provodnikov..). Unbelievable, 2 tough fights took everything from Brook. I wonder, how much is it left in Derevyanchenko after another war. GGG is shot as well and he ha donly a few tough fights.

"Had only a few tough fights"

Golovkin is 38 years old and had 350 amateur fights, 40 pro fights and countless years of sparring... I've known teenage amateurs who've had fewer than 50 fights and it's noticeable just from hearing them speak. I swear most people on this forum don't live in the real world when it comes to boxing and what it actually entails, away from the glitz and glamour of TV cameras that is.

And have you ever seen Provodnikov fight? I'm sure if he had a defense like Toney or Duran he would have lasted long too.

[Pac=Duran]

pac is completely shot and past his prime. it's just that a shot past prime pac is still considered elite compared to a lot of these young underachievers. prime pac would completely obliterate and sweep through these young champs. that's how good prime pac was and why floyd avoided prime pac.

This. Also why was Bhop able to stay elite until well over 40?