Identifying the truth of longevity in boxing discussion

[PsychoPat]

I was just pondering on Roy Jones retirement with a tinge of sadness. Great man phenomenol boxer in his prime and gifted naturally which is part of my questioning behind longevity.

Is it a combination of healthy living and not too many taxing training camps/fights old schoolers like Jones and Hopkins lived and breathed the sport staying close to there fighting weights and living right. As well as mayweather.

One thing all 3 have in common is gifted genetics and is this a big reason behind there longevity or is it purely down to wear and tear over the years affecting individuals differently?

[Scipio2009]

I was just pondering on Roy Jones retirement with a tinge of sadness. Great man phenomenol boxer in his prime and gifted naturally which is part of my questioning behind longevity.

Is it a combination of healthy living and not too many taxing training camps/fights old schoolers like Jones and Hopkins lived and breathed the sport staying close to there fighting weights and living right. As well as mayweather.

One thing all 3 have in common is gifted genetics and is this a big reason behind there longevity or is it purely down to wear and tear over the years affecting individuals differently?

Genetics and clean living definitely help max out on what your body is able to do, but there's more than that, with your example kind of helping things. Roy Jones Jr, as a top fighter anyway, was basically done in 2004 with the Tarver fight (shredding off that 25lbs likely took the last of the fight out of him), Hopkins was basically done by the Taylor fights, and Floyd was basically done after the Hatton fight.

Floyd and Hopkins were able to stay on top for as long as they did, because they'd been taught the fundamentals and had stuck to them for their entire careers, while Roy really didn't have the fundamentals down cold when his physical tools started to go.

Fighters with longevity generally have extra tools to fall on when the physical ones go.