Odds of Hanging On
The brutal truth of this career is that you're just not going to be a boxer when you're fifty years old, and most likely you won't even last past thirty-five. Being a professional fighter takes a serious toll on your health.
Even if you're in great shape for a forty-year-old. When it comes to shock absorption, you just can't compete with a twenty-year-old. After a certain point, those high-impact activities just wear you down. And forget about having the endurance to go ten rounds after you've already starting finding grey hairs.
Of course, there are plenty of other career possibilities after having a successful run in the ring. Many retired boxers coach and train young'ns, announce matches, or, depending on the level of fame achieved, act and advertise products. Look at Mike Tyson. He has his own show and continues to endorse all sorts of products. Sure, it's not the same thrill of fighting, but if you're still looking for that thrill past middle age, you've probably got bigger issues. Can you say "mid-life crisis?"
It's worthwhile to get a college degree, or even some military experience somewhere along the line, so that once you retire from boxing, you have other career options besides becoming the guy who sweeps up the teeth after fight night at the local dive bar.