As of this Wednesday, Bernard Hopkins will be forty-nine years old. The fact that the man remains one of the top boxers in the world is nothing short of amazing. What’s more amazing, however, is the fact that one day, probably in the near future, there will be many others like Hopkins.
Well, not EXACTLY like him. There’s only one Hopkins, after all. Still, we can expect other top boxers to succeed in the ring well into their fifth – and even sixth – decades in the years to come. Detractors may see Hopkins as a relic, but in truth, he’s a pioneer. In short, this aging athlete is the face of the future.
Look about if you don’t believe it. Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are both closer to forty than they are to thirty, yet they remain on top of the game. Vitali Klitschko recently stepped away from the ring at the age of forty-two, not because there was anyone out there who could beat him, but because he wanted to enter politics. In other words, he gave up the heavyweight title by choice…and while being on top.
Let’s not forget Sergio Martinez. There’s a guy who didn’t start boxing professionally until he was well over twenty. Martinez not only still rules the middleweight division, he remains one of the most popular figures in the sport. Oh, and the man who may replace Martinez as middleweight king? He’s over thirty. That’s right, folks, Mr. Golovkin, the biggest up and comer in boxing, is no kid himself.
So what’s the reason for this notable slowing down of boxing’s aging process? Well, it partially has to do with the development of the human species. People keep living longer, after all. Therefore, boxers are now excelling well past what would have recently been considered their prime years.
More: http://www.boxinginsider.com/columns/may-forty-nine-bernard-hopkins-represents-future/
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