Why is it harder for a Boxer to be a good professional starting late ?

[WillieWild114]

Why turning Pro at the age of 30 and older harder than turning Pro at 25 ?

[aboutfkntime]

Why turning Pro at the age of 30 and older harder than turning Pro at 25 ?

neither have much of a chance to achieve anything meaningful

25yo is far too late

most top fighters started when they were kids, Mayweather was about 4yo

top fighters perform instinctively... they don't think, they react instinctively... that takes YEARS of molding, practice, tuning, dedication... the ability to continually adapt throughout a fight against a top-level opponent is frighteningly difficult

[Larry the boss]

Is this a serious question??

1-Less experience

2-older,shorter window

3-If you are talking someone who was an Amateur then the switch to the pros with more rounds and will be a huge adjustment, plus if you are that old you have been fighting mostly kids

4-The entire pro game is different, the atmosphere, your corner and the speed of the fight

[aboutfkntime]

Nate Campbell was 24 years old when he started boxing.

Unlike many other sports boxing is a sport where you can actually start late and make it all the way to the top. Sergio Martinez was 20 years old. Wilder and AJ were 18-19..etc.

none of those guys are genuine greats

how many are genuine HOF'ers ?

I completely disagree with the bold, that is totally wrong

the younger you start the better

Mayweather/Pacquiao/Jones/etc... were all little kids when they started boxing... and they are all levels higher than the guys you mentioned

late starters will only get so far

there will be exceptions, but very few... the guys you mentioned are actually rare exceptions... but take Campbell, he lost a lot of fights to guys who simply had a better pedigree

also, that road is a little easier for heavyweights imo

[aboutfkntime]

look at Teofimo Lopez at 22yo... and guys like Garcia, Stevenson, etc

how is a 25yo ever going to catch up with those kids, let alone a 30yo?

he would need to have something very special indeed, and he would need to be someone very special indeed...

[Bandman]

with the right intake of clen beef a 30yo can be world champ.

[Gandhi]

Very difficult. Boxing is an instinctive sport and you need a lot of repetition with muscle memory. And unlike other sports - physical tools aren’t just enough. You need an extreme threshold when it comes to pain, discipline/endurance, durability et al.

Another thing is reflex, which is one thing that wanes with age.

[aboutfkntime]

In some sports like tennis for example it's impossible to make it unless you start as a kid. That's simply not the case when it comes to boxing. Boxing is not a sport where you have to start early. It's not too late to make it in boxing even if you start late. Adonis Stevenson started boxing when he was 27. All time greats like Hopkins started when he was 18, Ray Mercer was 23, Marciano was 24 or something like that and the list goes on and on.

we are closer in agreement than first appeared, but I think you are getting things a little skewed

when I said most top fighters started when they were kids I meant...

1) they started on a bag, then worked their way toward amateur fights, turning pro at a much later date...

2) I am referring to TOP fighters, elite HOF'ers at a minimum

you started mentioning when guys turned pro, which is not the same thing at all... we were talking about when guys first started boxing

firstly, none of the guys you have mentioned were 30, and Marciano had been boxing since he was a kid

Stevenson was about 24/25 when he started boxing, but I have a feeling he wore gloves a lot earlier than that... this comment on Stevenson says it all... "Considering his late start, what he went on to achieve is considered as extraordinary in boxing circles"

you are making out like everyone does it, and can do it... which is not correct at all

also, Stevenson is not a ATG... or even a HOF'er...

what Stevenson was, is what I said earlier...

he would need to have something very special indeed...

Stevenson was blessed with the same gift that Wilder was blessed with... but BOTH of them had their careers ended violently by opponents with much better pedigree

where we differ is... you seem to be saying, anyone can start late and succeed... in boxing, it is easy... but I am saying, there are very few who succeed, and almost none of them make it to the actual top... which is an elite HOF'er

again... there will be exceptions, but very few

boxing takes a lifetime to master... at 30yo, or even 25yo... your boxing life is almost over

I agree that with certain other sports like tennis, gymnastics, etc... you need to start as a kid... and that is not necessarily the case with boxing.... but the argument I am making is... you would be much better off starting early, and are much more likely to succeed given a full lifetime to learn your craft, than being rushed through while learning on the job... but we are closer in agreement than first appeared

[aboutfkntime]

Very difficult. Boxing is an instinctive sport and you need a lot of repetition with muscle memory. And unlike other sports - physical tools aren’t just enough. You need an extreme threshold when it comes to pain, discipline/endurance, durability et al.

Another thing is reflex, which is one thing that wanes with age.

thats it there

it takes years to develop/hone those instincts