We prob all believe Boxers are the fittest but..

[tonyevs]

There are some pro boxers with terrible fitness. Danii Peret anyone

The thing that puts boxing fitness in doubt, is when a 46year old athlete can reign supreme. Could a 46year old athlete in any other sport do this? ... darts/golf/snooker type `sports` excluded

[the truth]

Just because a boxer is fat doesn't mean he has no fitness look at Tony galentino, Tim Witherspoon and buster Mathis

[exittored]

Guys ESPN did scientific tests of all assets of sports and boxing came out top! Check it!:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/sportSkills

Well that seals the deal. Just to add none of these other sports including other combat sports are continually having the bodies struck with the regular impact a boxers body does and still maintain their fitness and stamina level. Anyone who has boxed knows what i'm talking about, i'm pretty sure the impact of a punch at heavyweight was recorded as the equivalent of a moving truck hitting you at 30mph...mindblowing that a boxer can take blows like that to their body up to 100 times a round and still last 36 minutes.

[Deserter]

Guys ESPN did scientific tests of all assets of sports and boxing came out top! Check it!:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/sportSkills

Well that seals the deal. Just to add none of these other sports including other combat sports are continually having the bodies struck with the regular impact a boxers body does and still maintain their fitness and stamina level. Anyone who has boxed knows what i'm talking about, i'm pretty sure the impact of a punch at heavyweight was recorded as the equivalent of a moving truck hitting you at 30mph...mindblowing that a boxer can take blows like that to their body up to 100 times a round and still last 36 minutes.

It doesn't seal the deal - see my earlier post regarding some of its more bizarre findings. crucially however, it's not even claiming to measure the fittest, it's measuring the hardest, hence some of the criteria having nothing to do with fitness (such as analytic aptitude). That ties in with your point above and I think boxing surely has to be right at the top when talking about the hardest - the ability to absorb that sort of punishment and still stay alert and adaptive etc.

[hurlock]

like saying taxi drivers are fitter then cyclists D

[nelsoninfour]

Cyclists and boxers are the fittest. Heard some on say rugby league ???????
All depends how you define fitness. If it's your resting heart beat then cyclists hands down.

[hurlock]

id say tri athletes are & gymnast's,cyclist's,swimmers.

boxers probably over train & take the hardest measures to make sure they make weight balanced with peaking at the right time.

[m1kee50]

It's hard to compare the different types of fitness IMO... like saying Usain Bolt is fitter than Paula Radcliffe (as it were) because she couldn't do what he does - he probably can't do what she does either. F1 drivers have to be fit to get in the fcuking car! - and they do undergo a lot of strain, but again it would be like comparing what they do to the efforts of say a Frank Lampard (or a Jan Molby ).

I recently read an interesting stat that said for ever 1 min of action in 11 a side footy, a player gets 3.5 mins rest. For every 1 min in beach football they get 1.4 mins rest. A boxer, therefore, give or take, gets 33 seconds rest for every minute. An F1 driver sits down but wrestles with g-force and the track/car solidly without a break... different types of fitness.

[mickey1975]

Cyclists and boxers are the fittest. Heard some on say rugby league ???????
All depends how you define fitness. If it's your resting heart beat then cyclists hands down.

A lot in Rugby League are getting 'help' with their fittness. Not sure about the other sports but i am sure it is rife. The only pro sportsmen i know are R.L players and Boxers and i have had it straight from the Horses mouth which one is clean.

[Emmseegee]

Its a debate which people will never 100% agree on, for me i agree with earlier posters that there are sports specific fitness levels which all equally deserve credit and respect.

I wouldn't be able to choose a particular sport as requiring the most general fitness but would say that boxing is up among the top few whatever they may be.

[tonyevs]

Just because a boxer is fat doesn't mean he has no fitness look at Tony galentino, Tim Witherspoon and buster Mathis

Danii Peret was the fat boxer mentioned. Have a look on youtube to confirm what fitness he carries into the ring..
A boxer with great skills can go a far way with average fitness.
In every other sport i can think of. Fitness is a deciding factor though.

[black panther]

I think one area of fitness that is overlooked is the ability to take punches to both the head and body and still perform at a high level. You can't really measure that. Also, the ability to recover after being hurt: is that fitness? I believe boxers are somewhat conditioned to taking punches.

[stujones]

I think one area of fitness that is overlooked is the ability to take punches to both the head and body and still perform at a high level. You can't really measure that. Also, the ability to recover after being hurt: is that fitness? I believe boxers are somewhat conditioned to taking punches.

Certainly the miles on the clock they do running helps here.

[Jon Saxon]

2 of my mates do these 'Iron Man' competitions all around the world and they are fitter than me or any boxer that I know or grew up with or who went to my old gym, I used to play footy 2 nights, swim 1 night, tennis the other night and run a 10k 3 nights a week and fitness wise i am nowhere near where my mates are at, i short i guess if you could die instantly from jumping off the bike right into an long icey water swim you had better make you are deathly fit if you see what I mean

these guys are utterly obsessed, the main thing for them both I cylcling, but there is no way you would get me to do all that 'straight off of your bike into a long icey water swim then out the water for a marathon or whatever....fuk that!

I like being fit but there comes a time when you have to say "I aint getting on no plane fool" and for me The Iron men are the fittest in the world.

[tonyevs]

look at the Tour De France schedule ... and then ponder their fitness.

Almost everyday riding a distance that would ruin your average guy for a week. They do it at tremendous pace - and with mountains that require super strength to get peddle up.
These guys are the ultimate fit athletes without doubt. No 46yr old guy would make the whole tour .. Let alone win it!!

[Totybear]

Maybe we could come up with some kind of tournament where sportsman compete against each other in sporting events! Of course they would have to sit out of their own specialist events.

We could give it a catchy name like "supersportsmenandwomenstars" :P

Right I'm off to copyright this idea before someone steals it.........I have a hunch that the Judo guys will do rather well but heavyweight boxers will stink at swimming. Just my opinion of course

[Scrap]

I work with Athletes across the Board. Training schedules for top Triathletes, make Boxers look like Pussies . Also in todays world, Footballers schedule has to be admired. But for explosive movement, Gymnasts are the top, its a short life span being one theres a reason why it is.

[Asterix]

Sorry, black panther, I didn't realise you had posted the link before me!

[Gray-Fox]

all other sports are pussy sports compared to boxing anyway

boxing is the best hands down

[kamicazze]

How did the analasyng aptitute and speed for boxing come back low? surely they are essential. Hopkins has got by on one of these.

[Gray-Fox]

How did the analasyng aptitute and speed for boxing come back low? surely they are essential. Hopkins has got by on one of these.

because it just goes to show, like roger mayweather always says, "nobody don't know nothing about boxing"

[Arnie]

Professional Cyclists have to be up there in terms of fitness, if not necessarily strength.

x 2 - their VO2 Max is off the chart compared to most sports, Cross Country Skiers also.



[jameswilson]

All depends on the kind of fitness you are referring to. Ultimately if you stuck any boxer in a 10,000 metre race against Mo Farah, Farah will win. However ask Farah to scrummage up against Andrew Sheridan for an hour and he will be shoved around. As an overall package of strength, fitness and flexibility I'd say boxers are well up there. The other sports that spring to mind are your Rugby players (Union and league,) triathletes, decathletes and cyclists which I think have all been mentioned.

[Terminator666]

The question is a bit like asking who is fitter-a marathon runner or a sprinter? Both i would say-just different.

[housesecond]

It's all pretty specific to whatever sport you do. I've done 3 Ironman triathlons and loads of other stuff, I'd say I'm pretty fit but I've met boxers who I'd consider to be 'fitter than me'. I've also met others who come nowhere near.
At the end of the day fitness is basically a measure of Vo2 max, and we're all different, and all doing different sports.