Is age becoming just a number in boxing?

In about a month, Juan Manuel Marquez will be stepping into the ring with the biggest fight of his career in front of him- a bout against the now un-retired Floyd Mayweather. He's coming off of a win over the Lightweight champion of the world in Joel Casamayor, and a FOTY candidate in his match against the Baby Bull, Juan Diaz. He also happened to give some guy named Manny Pacquiao two incredibly close fights- fights which many argue he won. When you look at Marquez in the ring, you'd easily understand how he garnered all of this attention and respect. What is most impressive about Marquez, however, is not his acheivements- it's the timing. Marquez is 35 years old, and by lightweight numbers this should be considered ancient. But Marrquez is a member of the growing fraternity of boxers who seem to be defying father time with consistent wins and a seemingly slower decline in skill.

Who else is apart of this group of top-notch geezers? How about the sugary one, Shane Mosley? He's coming off of a shockingly one sided victory over former Welterweight kingpin, Antonio Margarito. All while at the not-so-tender age of 37. With a birthday in september and Mosley specifically stating that he'd like a big-money fight with either Mayweather or Pacquiao, it's likely that he won't be in the ring again until he's 38 years old. Now, a while back it might have seemed like a stretch for a guy in his late 30's to be considered such a big threat. Today, however, it's commonplace. Fighters are aging differently, and I think part of it is because nutrition has become a more exact science than it used to be. If you're committed, you can stay healthy and put a few more years on your "athletic clock". This combined with sound technical skills can lead to longevity. Guys like Roy Jones Jr. who depended so heavily on their natural talent, found that they hit a wall as soon as their skill slipped even a little bit.

Perhaps the best example of this comes from the Executioner, Bernard Hopkins. Here is a guy that seemingly got better with age. Maybe not in the sense that his reflexes improved, true- but that's not what I'm arguing. Hopkins has become more formidable with age because of the tricks that he learned while in the ring. He was a fighter with no amateur experience, and he had to learn on the job. Coming off of an upset victory over middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik, Hopkins can be argued to be the most intelligent fighter in the ring today- at 44 years old.

Who said that the body or mind decays at these ages? Don't tell that to these guys. They're old enough to be my college professor, and they're still taking these young'ns to school.