BoxRec

With all new technology coming out every day, new and better training equipment and resources available, why is it that today's fighters are nowhere near as active as of those years ago?

This is partly the reason why fighters and other top athletes and sports people alike, get so out of condition in between bouts and events.

I know Audley Harrison will not be boxing until 2005 now, but when he was boxing, surely, he needed to be more active than he was, right? When Mike Tyson turned pro, he fought 15 times in his first year - no fighters do that now, not even the ones who claim to be regular and active when just turning professional.

I would like to hear others' theory on the subject and what you think about it.

Back in the old days, fighters fought to put food on the table. Purses were small so they had to take whatever was available. Also, years ago there were many more fight cards, virtually every town every week.
Today, there are huge purses for star fighters. Once they reach that level (few do) they are not going to risk a huge payday just to stay active.
A fighter like Tyson was so active early in his career to make himself known. Plus, those bouts weren't very competitive. He didn't need long rests between first round KOs. And big name fighters weren't going to fight him unless it was for a title and big money.
Some fighters still choose to keep busy. Harold Brazier comes to mind. He had more than a hundred bouts through the '80s. They were paydays against whatever competition was out there, basically public sparring sessions. Even J.C. Chavez racked up more than 100. He was very busy as a young man.

Easy, there were probably 15-20 times as many boxing cards in those days

There are also far more opportunities in the other major sports for the top athletes...and they tend to pay better. Football, baseball, basketball, etc. have all expanded many times in the previous few decades...There are also many times more athletic scholarships available than ever before, luring some potential boxers into college to play sports (a much better move, by the way...).
Professional boxing is fading and deteriorating for many reasons, too many sanctioning organizations, too many titles, too many (or not enough) power brokers like Don King, too many obviously bad decisions-some so a future big fight won't be derailed, too many critical injuries and residual injuries, no unified medical rules resulting in serious medical problems (see threads about Greg Page)...and...
only the superstars make the BIG money, there's no minimum wage like football/baseball, etc....
where would YOU look to if you had athletic ability...college scholarships or some dark dreary gym with no guarantees...all of which results in less fights, poorer quality contenders, etc...and...if you were a young skilled boxer with real talent...the odds are still stacked against you...you'd be more likely to be exploited than to get in line for big payday....there are just easier, more lucrative avenues for todays top athletes...and who can really blame them?
Muhammad Ali was one of the most interesting & successful boxers of all time...but he sure as hell wouldn't make a good poster boy to bring young athletes into the sport...no disrespect intended, but who the hell wants to wind up like that...and he was successful...

All of the responses are real solid. In the end, I think activity is dictated by business conditions. The sanctioning bodies and others make it difficult to fight often. Because fighters fight less, a loss is a bigger black mark. That makes it more risk oriented.

They get paid a lot more for doing it.