Fighting Past 40 - the lowdown

On the international scene, woeful reports that a 42 year-old James Toney recently scraped a 10-round decision win over Kansas journeyman Damon Reed, after almost two years out of the ring, presented rather damning evidence against his vaunted “world title” hopes.

But that wasn’t the crazy bit.

The worst part was that Toney came to fight near enough 20lbs higher than he had ever weighed. 257lbs. For a fighter that is only 5’10” and past the age of 40, that’s a clear sign that retirement is knocking and motivation is clearly no longer there.

Toney is a clear cut case for the Hall of Fame in the future, and whilst he certainly deserves respect purely on the basis of his previous championship achievements, it is certainly sad to see.

It got me thinking. Should boxers fight past 40?

Here are my thoughts...

We all know that there have been successes in that area before, from the old time champions such as Fitzsimmons, Ray Robinson and Archie Moore, right through to the modern pros like Foreman, Holyfield, Hopkins and Glen Johnson.

On the British scene we have several fighters, mainly heavyweights, which have reached this threshold or are very close. Matt Skelton is the oldest active heavyweight, with Audley Harrison and Martin Rogan close behind, on the cusp at 39. Terry Dunstan, the cruiserweight, is still active at 42. Even boxing centurion Delroy Spencer soldiers on at 42.

Clearly the aforementioned champions, past and present, have laid out a template for success beyond 40 which must be heeded by other fighters in order to continue their ring careers.

So what are these factors?

Activity – a prime example of this is George Foreman. On returning to the ring after a 20 year hiatus in 1987, he established a 29-2 record in the seven years that it took him to reach the landmark title showdown with Michael Moorer. He fought nine times in 1988 alone. Fighting regularly reduces distractions, allows the boxer to ‘fight’ his way into shape and allows them to avoid ring rust and stay limber. Fighting once or twice at year is not enough.

Power – they say that power is the final attribute to leave a fighter and this was certainly true in Foreman’s case. If a fighter has been blessed with significant power, there is always the chance of an upset, even past 40, and they will no longer necessarily rely on the speed and reflexes that they may have lost.

Lifestyle – arguably the most important factor. Hopkins is one of the best exponents of this. No drinking, no smoking, no drugs, no junk food, quality nutrient rich diet and plenty of rest in-between. If it is success beyond 40 that you are aiming for, then discipline must be a key factor in daily life. Archie Moore even used eccentric dietary techniques (such as chewing meat and not swallowing) in order to pro-long his success.

Tactics – changes are often to be made to the boxer’s style in the ring for success beyond 40 and this is often the hardest thing to implement. They must begin to pace themselves more, picking shots and move economically to conserve energy. Defence becomes a greater concern. Foreman adopted a ‘cross-arm’ defence, much like Archie Moore, during his ‘second’ career which enabled him to protect his head to a greater degree. Essentially an older fighter must be more patient, methodical, and dare I say it, more clinical in their execution. They must summon all their career knowledge in every fight in order to move forward. Losing is not an option.

Training – the final major key is to stay in shape as much as possible. At 40+, the weight gets harder to shift unless a fighter has remained disciplined and excess flab will not contribute positive results. Whether through fighting regularly (Spencer) or training diligently and continuously (Hopkins and Johnson), the body must remain in the best possible condition.

Mental Strength – both Holyfield and Foreman credited at least part of those post-40 successes to the ability to absorb the lessons learnt from earlier in their careers. Faith in themselves, as well as the ability to approach a fight tactically without simply relying on skill or ability, to outthink your opponent using the breadth of your experience, is also an important factor. So how do some of the British boxers in this category weigh in?

Matt Skelton – Big Matt has been an excellent staple on the British heavyweight scene. He started his boxing career remarkably late, after a successful K1 career. He was undefeated in winning the Lonsdale belt outright, and has held the Commonwealth and European titles. He has even had a shot at a “world title”, losing respectably on points to Ruslan Chagaev. The turn came when Martin Rogan out-brawled him to stop him for the first time. After that, things got patchy and he suffered two more knockouts to top quality European prospects. However in the most recent "Prizefighter" he acquitted himself well, reaching the final before losing on a split decision to Michael Sprott, also an underrated fighter.

With a recent prison stint, if Matt chose to retire now he could certainly hold his head up high, given his immense achievements in a unique career. If he were to continue, he would need to tighten up his game. Depending on how much those knockout losses took out of him, Matt, arguably still has relatively little mileage compared to other fighters his age. Whilst his fitness has never really been in question, tactics and power would be the keys for Skelton I think. A series of smaller wins could pave the way to a shot at a domestic title.

Terry Dunstan – the reigning English champion has had a relatively short career and is currently on a four fight winning streak since outpointed in the cruiserweight “Prizefighter” quarter final in 2009.  Three wins over journeyman and a win over younger prospect David Dolan for the title last year, he could box once or twice more before positioning himself for a British cruiserweight title challenge. In a division full of prospects currently, Dunstan may well be able to apply his experience for one last big push towards major titles, depending on his own goals. Activity is the key here.

Martin Rogan – “The Iron Man” has enjoyed notable success in a career spanning a little over 70 rounds. He beat Audley Harrison (Olympic gold medallist) and won the Commonwealth title. He has also scored a surprise upset in becoming the first man to stop Skelton. However two losses to Sam Sexton have now sent him back to the drawing board. With a year off to rest, he has now scored two wins so far in his comeback. Rogan is still fresh at 39 due to his late start and clearly has power. It would certainly be interesting to see him square off with some of the younger prospects in the division in order to re-establish how far forward he can move now. A tighter defence to protect his eyes and greater attention to tactics and activity would arguably benefit Rogan as he continues. His entry into the new format of "Prizefighter" looks like a great start.