And both fighters could be putting themselves at increased risk for brain injury.
“The first reported cases of [chronic traumatic encephalopathy] from boxing go back to the 1930s, and we still see CTE associated with boxing today,“ Nathan Howarth, Development and Operations Director at the Concussion Legacy Foundation, told Betway. ”It’s no secret that there’s an element of neurodegeneration involved. While there’s no definitive measure of what the risks are, someone who is 59 years old is clearly going to have a higher risk based on age alone. That age profile potentially increases the impact of repeated blows. There is also a risk for Floyd Mayweather too who is nearly 50 years old.“
“Your brain changes with age in terms of neurochemistry and neurobiology, particularly in how it recovers from these types of events,” Howarth added. “Also, the preparation involved in a fight — especially at that age — could have an impact. The age disparity may put him at further risk due to slower reaction times, something that naturally decreases with age, but could be worsened by a long history of head impacts. We know that as people get older, the brain’s ability to recover decreases. More research is still needed to quantify the actual risks, but again, for someone older — especially someone already exposed to years of head trauma — those risks could be compounded.”
“Concussions, as brain injuries, are unique to each individual and to each incident,” Howarth said. “It would be difficult to say definitively whether it would last longer because of his age, but it’s potentially more likely, or could be more severe, because of his age. On the other hand, he might experience a concussion and recover completely — but may not realize the longer-term effects of subclinical impacts and the damage they might cause. People involved in boxing need to be aware of these risks. And for someone who is almost 60, it’s hard to imagine that boxing will have a positive effect on brain health — regardless of whether a concussion resolves within the standard 21-day window for return to sport. Even then, there may still be lasting consequences.”
Not enough to keep Tyson retired, it seems.
